After months of devoting "Herculean" efforts in rehearsals and preparations, the Tabernacle choir leaves Dec. 26 for a 12-day concert tour to the Holy Land, its third major tour in 18 months.

      With concerts scheduled in Jerusulem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, the choir will be on tour until Jan 6, following a rigorous schedule similar to that undertaken on its tour to Europe in June 1991, and in the United States and Canada this past July.While the other tours were planned long in advance, the current trip came rather suddenly for the choir. when the invitation was extended last February by Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek for the choir to visit, it already was in the midst of working on its summer conmcert tour. To prepare for the trip to Israel, choir members have been rehearsing twice a week since September. They also have worked individually at home listening to tapes, studying scores and memorizing varous pieces they will perform on the tour.

      Some 600 people are traveling in the choir's entourage, including 303 of the choir's current 314 singers and choir staff, family members, former choir members and friends of the choir. The group is traveling on three planes - one charter and two commercial flights.

      Just before the choir's weekly broadcast on Sunday morning, Dec. 20, President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, visited the Tabernacle to convey to choir members and officers wishes for a successful tour.

      Speaking in behalf of the First Presidency, President Hinckley told choir members: "You go with our love, you go with our blessing, you go with our trust and confidence. May the Lord smile upon you. May you enjoy good health and vigor and vitality, and the sweet and wonderful expression of the talents which you have within you. We wish you Godspeed."

      President Hinckley acknowledged that the tour to the Holy Land comes at a time when most want to be at home. He mentioned particularly those who are leaving children the day after Christmas.

      President Hinckley acknowledged that the tour to the Holy Land comes at a time when most want to be at home. "W know that this is a difficult time for you to go. But you go because you are loyal, faithful and true, and because your families are layal and faithful and true."

      Choir director Jerold D. Ottley told the Church News, "We've been preparing our regular work of the weekly broadcasts, plus performing three or four extra concerts, and then preparing for our Christmas concerts (performed Dec. 18-19 in the Tabernacle), in addition to preparing to go to Israel.

      "The choir members have done a Herculean job. I couldn't have dreamed they could accomplish what they have in the amount of time we've had to work on this tour, but they've done it. they have been very upbeat, and have responded wonderfully. They've given me courage to keep going, to keep pushing the schedule. Membership inn the Tabernacle Choir, in terms on one's energy, is like being a member of a bishopric or a Relief society presidency. People generally don't realize how much time and personal effort is involved. This is a calling that has real substance in terms of importance and the energy that it takes to fulfill it. Members of the choir fulfill their callings willingly and with great love of the work they're engaged in."

      Brother Ottley expressed concern for the well-being of choir members: "A lot of them are fighting respiratory illnesses. But they're troupers. They straighten their backs and march to the tune of the drummer."

      Of the demanding schedule placed upon choir members to prepare for this tour, Brother Ottley said: "I've had a lot of concern about how a heavy schedule like this impacts the personal lives of the choir members and their families and their work. The kind of schedule we've had has made it necessary for the choir to be the focus of their lives for the last few months. I've been concerned that we have a very tired choir on our hands as we leave on this tour. We still have a very grinding schedule to face while on the tour." (See the list on this page of choir activities while on tour.)

      Part of the choir's schedule includes multiple rehearsals with the Jersualem Symphony Orchestra, with whom the choir will perform Hector Berlioz' "Requiem," a dramatic piece, which, in the composer's words, was written for "as large a group as possible." Berlioz, who composed the work in 1837, envisioned a huge orchestra and a large chorus, perhaps up to 1,000 people in the orchestra and chorus combined.

      The two performmances of "Requiem" - one in Jerusalem and one in tel Aviv - won't be quite that massive. The orchestra, directed by David shallon, will feature some 115 musicians. The choir's performance is part of teh Jerusalem symphony Orchestra's liturgical series, and annual event that highlights largely Christian music around Christmas time.

      Brother Ottley said: "Berlioz' `Requiem' is a very difficult piece because the choir sings all the way through it. There is only one solo in the entire piece. Vocally, it's a heavy, demanding work. The repertoire is separate from that for the concerts we will perform without the orchestra. Much of our concerts require language training and a heavier use of voices over longer sustained periods. It requires as much energy to produce these kinds of sounds as anything we've ever done. You could describe our singing as very athletic."

      Iain McKay, director of International Media at Bonneville Communications, did much of the groundwork in arranging for the concerts to be broadcast by Israel Broadcasting Authority.

      "Israel has a lot of fine musicians, and there is a great appreciation of music throughout the land," he said. "There is much positive anticipation of the choir's performances. Radio stations have been playing the choir's tapes and recordings regularly, and they've been inundated by calls from listeners wanting to know how they can get tickets. One national daily newspaper carried the headline: `Mormon Tabernacle Choir will warm us this winter.' This is going to be a wonderful and an exciting event in the choir's history." ***** Additional Information

      Tabernacle Choir tour schedule

Dec. 26: Depart Salt Lake City.

Dec. 27: Arrive in Tel Aviv, bus transport to Jerusalem, special sacrament meeting at BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies.

Dec. 28: Orientation meeting, rehearsal with Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Dec. 30: Rehearsal with Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, tour Jerusalem, concert in Jerusalem's Binyanei Ha 'Ooma concert Hall.

Dec. 31: Videotaping of "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast for Jan. 3.

Jan. 1: Rehearsal in Tel Aviv, concert in Tel Aviv, concert at BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, for invited guests.

Jan. 2: Videotaping at key biblical sites for special feature about the choir.

Jan. 3: Videotaping for special feature, rehearsal in Tel Aviv, concert in Tel Aviv.

Jan. 4: videotaping for special feature, rehearsal, concert in Binyanei Ha 'Ooma in Jerusalem.

Jan. 5: Return to Salt Lake City.