Choir performs at Cathedral of Madeleine
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To observe its centennial year, Salt Lake City's venerable Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine got a little help from its friends, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.
The choir and orchestra kicked off this year's Madeleine Festival of the Arts, with two concerts on April 18 and 19.
It is the second occasion the choir has performed in the Cathedral; the first was in 1993, for the celebration of the cathedral renovation. In addition, representatives of the cathedral's choir school have occasionally joined the choir in performances over the years.
That happened on this occasion, with choir school choristers Deron Parcell and Jonathan Savastano featured as soloists.
With the three Tabernacle organists — Richard Elliott, Clay Christiansen and Andrew Unsworth — alternately playing the cathedral pipe organ, musical director Mack Wilberg conducted the choir and orchestra in an array of classical pieces and folk melodies, including some selections from the choir's latest album, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," which has recently reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard Magazine's "Classical Overall Music" chart (please see related story on this page). They included the title song, in Brother Wilberg's popular arrangement.
Regarded as "the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church of Utah," according to its Web site, the cathedral was built during the ministry of Bishop Lawrence Scanlan, the first bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and was dedicated Aug. 15, 1909. It was re-dedicated on Feb. 21, 1993, after extensive renovation.
Mormon and Catholic leaders in Salt Lake City have enjoyed good relations over the years and have cooperated on humanitarian endeavors, such as the St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter in downtown Salt Lake City.
