The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's concert tour June 17-July 3 to the Pacific Northwest gave blessings and reaped rewards. Some who were in the audiences feel they were most blessed; yet many choir and orchestra members feel they were the greatest beneficiaries.

Visitors said they lacked the right words to convey the joy they felt for the music of the Tabernacle Choir, such as the men singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Rabbi Myra Soifer of Temple Sinai, third from left, sings with the choir at sound check before concert in Reno, Nev., July 2. She told the choir, "I just returned from Israel. Singing with you, I got the same glow."

Choir member Karen Penman commented on the role of the choir not only to do missionary work, but also to strengthen members in the areas where concerts were held.

"At each venue, local members would express how touched they were that the Tabernacle Choir would come to their city," she said. "Strangers would greet me with tears in their eyes, grasping my hands or giving me a hug, and would express gratitude for our music and our mission. It was a dream come true for them and we built their testimonies and faith."

Another singer, Dave Welch, said he enjoyed the spontaneous displays of love and joy between the choir and audience. "In Sacramento, a large group of missionaries sat in back and to the side of the bass section, where I sing," he said. "They couldn't see the choir during the concert. Several of us felt sorry for the elders only getting a back-side view of the choir. We always sing 'God Be with You' at the end of the concert. Some of us turned and faced the elders as we sang our parting song. Our plea to God to be with the missionaries was from our heart as we looked them in their eyes. They must have seen our gesture as they gave us strong hand waves as we left the stage. Soon all the elders sang, as loud as they could, 'Called to Serve.' It was their way of honoring us and the 12,000 visitors in the Arco Arena."

Michelle Allen attended the concert in Portland, Ore. "Without exaggeration, words cannot express the peace, joy and inspiration felt at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's performance," she said. "Who would have guessed that one could walk into the city's sports arena and be so overwhelmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit? Powerful influence moved me to tears and brought the crowd to their feet several times. . . .

I felt the power of heaven in this city."

Spokane Washington Stake President Garry E. Borders and his wife, Sue, and four of their six children attended the concert in Spokane's Veteran's Memorial Arena on June 21. "They were all enthralled," Sister Borders said. Her niece, Sara Thomas, sings in the choir. President Borders said that the concert provided "a wonderful missionary opportunity; we encouraged everybody we could to take their neighbors. As a stake, we bought a couple hundred tickets and used those."

They also gave ward missionaries 90 tickets so they could invite their investigators.

President and Sister Borders invited a local high school choir director, who is of another faith. "She got some 20 choir members to attend, none of whom are LDS," Sister Borders said. "They were just raving."

Keith and Cindy Dance of the Kent 3rd Ward, Kent Washington Stake, attended the concert in the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on June 23. He was given tickets to the concert as a Father's Day gift.

"Their voices just blend so well," said Sister Dance of the choir. "We were just going, 'Wow!' It was really upbeat. I liked the variety of songs they sang. They went from fast to slow to spiritual. I liked the hand movements they did. It was very effective. You had to watch all the time or you would miss something."

Jana Clark attended the concert in Portland with her husband, Scott, and one of his work colleagues and his wife. They gave tickets to two other people. "I was amazed at how quickly time passed," Sister Scott said of the concert. "I was brought to tears during 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'

"The people we gave tickets to couldn't thank us enough. You can tell when people are looking for the right words to express gratitude, but just can't find enough, to feel like they've completely expressed themselves." She said that after the concert, Brother Scott's work colleague said, " 'The hair all over my body is finally laying back down. It's been standing up the whole time.' "

George T. King knows music, being a choir director for more than 40 years, and a professional composer for more than 27 years. In composing, he said, he has written mainly Baroque, early Celtic and Russian liturgical styles, and was impressed with what he heard during the concert in Portland.

He said that an element of inspiration that emanated from the choir was heart. "A choir can sing with technical perfection, but leave the audience cold and stonily unmoved," he said. "When music is composed from the heart, taught from the heart, and sung from the heart, the effects are beyond the power of purchase. . . .

"Indeed, I would have made the 250-mile round trip (from Eugene, Ore.) to hear (the choir) sing that single song, 'God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again.' The 'Star Spangled Banner' was the most moving rendition I have heard in 20 years. Tears pouring down my cheeks, I could not contain my emotions as I heard these people sing our anthem as it should be sung, as it must be sung."

Rabbi Myra Soifer of Temple Sinai attended the choir's sound check before the concert in Reno, Nev., on July 2. She told the choir, "I just returned from Israel. Singing with you, I got the same glow."

She told the Church News: "The sounds are glorious. Only faith could make this kind of music, and it is a joy to share it, a real blessing." After the concert that evening, she said, "This will probably end up in a sermon. It was fabulous. Marvelous."

E-mail to: gerry@desnews.com