A venture like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's summer tour doesn't just come together. Choir President Mac Christensen spoke of those behind the scenes who worked tirelessly putting the tour together.

Scott Barrick, general manager of the choir, and Barry Anderson, administrative manager, began working on details in late 2001. Brother Barrick oversaw aspects such as ticket sales, VIP receptions and coordination of public affairs. Brother Anderson was the "detail man" who worked on the logistics of the trip, which included chartering three planes, 10 buses, a private train (for the segment between Boston and Washington, D.C.), booking hotels and planning menus. Brother Barrick said of Brother Anderson, "He checked on everything, then checked a second time, and then a third."

Working closely with them was Dave Barnes of the Church's Travel Department. He and his hand-picked crew dealt with everything related to travel, from getting the 550 people in the tour on and off planes, buses and a train, to seeing to it that luggage arrived by truck and each piece was in the right hotel room by the time the entourage arrived. All total, there were 1,500 pieces of luggage.

The Church's Public Affairs Department did advance work on publicity, handled VIP receptions and followed through with media coverage. On the team were department head Bruce Olsen and specialists Michael Von Rosen and Michael Purdy. "People in the East knew the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was coming. They knew we were there and they knew that we had been there," President Christensen said.

If anyone can enhance a choir performance it would be the technical crews handling the lighting and sound for each concert. On these teams were Lynn Robinson, Wolfgang Zeisler, Lorin Morse and Chris Acton.

"Think about the longest truck you'll ever see on the road," Brother Christensen said. "We had it, driven by Alexander Morris, bringing all the equipment, including our own [three-rank] organ so that we had an organ at every venue and Jeff Hansen and David Bagley from the factory setting it up."

Stan Parrish, assistant to President Christensen, was the general "go-to man" during the tour. The choir's executive secretary, Ann Turner, and her husband, Jim, the stage manager, helped pull everything together.

Looking after the well-being of the choir, orchestra and guests was a medical team of doctors and dentists — all either choir members or spouses of choir members — headed by Dr. Richard Price and his wife, Lynn.