One of the Church's most effective groups of missionaries is preparing for its next assignment — a 13-day, seven-city tour in the American Midwest.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will leave Salt Lake City on the morning of June 18 and perform that evening with the Cincinnati Pops to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Riverbend Music Center. The tour's concluding performance will be at Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 29 before returning to Salt Lake City June 30. In between, performances will be in St. Louis, Missouri (Scott Trade Center, June 20); Des Moines, Iowa (Iowa Events Center, June 22); Omaha, Nebraska (Holland Performing Arts, June 23); Kansas City, Missouri (Sprint Center, June 25); and Norman, Oklahoma (on University of Oklahoma campus, June 27).

"If ever the country has needed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it is now," said Mac Christensen, president of the choir. "I think the choir will bring hope to the people.

"There are just great opportunities in this magnificent country. We need to start thinking positive. We need to start smiling. We need to realize there is no free lunch. We need to go forward and do the things we should do. We need to realize Who is in charge and do the things He has taught us to do."

Brother Christensen described members of the choir and orchestra as "missionaries who are setting the example. They're like all of us in the Church. We're doing everything we can to help to build the kingdom and let our brothers and sisters throughout the world know that we really are brothers and sisters and we really care about one another, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are many great and wonderful things that will happen if we will all pull together."

He added, "Choir members are getting really excited about the tour. You think of touring and you think what a wonderful vacation. It isn't a vacation. These wonderful people take their vacation so they can do this. We fly in to Cincinnati on Thursday, and do a sound check that day and a concert that night. And away we go. The rest of the tour from then on will be by buses, including the trip from Denver home.

"It's like Christmas every time that a concert starts and every time it finishes. You see people smile and cry at the same time. The choir brings such joy to people. It makes the audiences happy. Choir and orchestra are great goodwill ambassadors for the Church. They're all volunteers, set apart for their callings. Each one would tell you that they're blessed, their families are blessed, they're uplifted, and we're uplifted.

Mack Wilberg, the choir's musical director, said that it is one thing to hear the choir over the airwaves or on CD recordings but "to have the ultimate experience of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is to hear it in live performance. It's difficult for lots of folks to come to Salt Lake City so every other year we take the choir to various parts of the country."

Most of the cities on the tour have hosted the choir before. The choir is returning to some venues, such as Cincinnati Riverbend Amphitheater, by popular demand.

"We were just there two years ago," Brother Wilberg said. "That was a very successful concert." Eric Kunzel of Cincinnati Pops will share conducting duties with Brother Wilberg.

Brother Wilberg said that the tour program will include music the choir is well known for — music of the masters, hymns, folk music, Americana, some patriotic, some inspirational and popular music. In essence, the program will include "things that people want to hear the choir sing."

Tickets for the concerts have been on sale since last December and the concerts are nearly 50% sold out with still two full months to go before most of the performances.

"We are very pleased with the response of these cities to the coming appearances of the choir and orchestra," said Brother Christensen. "There is nothing quite like hearing the choir and orchestra live in concert. It's the difference between watching fireworks on the TV and seeing them in person. We hear time and again about how thrilled people are to have experienced great feelings from being at a tour concert."

Although there are still plenty of tickets available for most concerts, some sections are starting to sell out. Brother Christensen urged those wanting to see the choir to get their tickets as soon as possible.

gerry@desnews.com

For more information about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and its summer tour, visit the Choir's Web site: Official Choir Web site