A deeper purpose
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There is one thing Mac Christensen never loses sight of: Members of the Tabernacle Choir organization (which includes the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Bells of Temple Square and staff and volunteers) are missionaries.
The world sees the Tabernacle Choir as a talented, dedicated group of musicians, but Brother Christensen, who is president of the choir, knows their purpose goes deeper than providing music and entertaining audiences.
The choir just completed its 2009 summer tour, performing in seven cities in 13 days, and traveling 3,700 miles. Three charter planes took them to their starting points; for the singers it was Cincinnati to perform with the Cincinnati Pops, for the orchestra it was to St. Louis where they joined forces and traveled the remainder of the tour on 11 buses.
The logistics of the tour are impressive. Availability of concert venues had to be matched with availability of hotels to accommodate the 569 people who made up the tour group, which included singers, musicians, staff, volunteers and guests. Meals had to be planned and rest stops identified. Strategies had to be laid for all the "what ifs" that might arise: sickness, mechanical problems with buses, breakdowns of any of the three semi-tractor-trailers hauling equipment, stage risers, instruments, wardrobes, lighting and sound systems, or the truck hauling the church organ used in concerts, or any of the eight support vans. Attention had to be paid to details such as security and safety.
Brother Christensen, Scott Barrick, the choir's general manager, and Barry Anderson, administrative manager, had enough responsibilities to keep themselves and a small army of volunteers busy during the two years that it took to plan and launch the tour.
Brother Barrick oversees marketing, public relations, the choir's recording label, concerts, guest artists and legal affairs.
Brother Anderson oversees the budgeting and financial operations of the choir and management needs of the Orchestra at Temple Square. He scheduled and coordinated events and handled the complex logistical plans for the tour.
Their business acumen, added to that of Brother Christensen, is vast and impressive. But they said the choir's tour was about more than just staging concerts and filling performance venues.
"Members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – the choir, orchestra and staff – are set apart as missionaries," Brother Christensen said. "They are one of the greatest tools that Father in Heaven has right now to open doors and build the kingdom."
Near the tour's end, he commented on choir members' willingness to go the extra mile. He referred to two photo sessions. In St. Louis, they were in concert attire at 6:30 a.m. to pose and sing with the Gateway Arch in the background. At Council Bluffs, Iowa, they left their hotel in concert attire at 6 a.m. for a filming session by the Missouri River.
"All these people were out there," Brother Christensen said. "Mack Wilberg, the choir's music director; the audiovisual people, the choir. I never heard one discouraging word. They were thrilled to be there. You have to be careful what you ask these people to do because they do it. But they do it for all the right reasons; they're all set apart as missionaries. They do put in a lot of time, but they are blessed.
"I think of the day of the concert in Omaha. We'd had a long day on the bus. We went to the sound check before we checked into the hotel. Our people looked so tired. We were in a hall that was arranged a little different but was absolutely magnificent. It took extra time and extra effort, starting with Mack Wilberg and then our people. They wanted to have it right, but they were tired. No one was saying, 'Can't we go now?'
"After the sound check, they checked into the hotel, freshened up, had a bite to eat came back for the concert. I never saw them look so great. They put on a concert second to none. You could feel it right from the beginning. It was fabulous. You have to remember who is in charge, and whose Church this really is and why we're doing it. We're touching hearts."
Brother Anderson said in planning the tour the whole idea was to logistically do what they could in order to put the choir in front of people to do what they came to do – namely, to sing and perform with the orchestra so people would feel the Spirit.
"I keep the book that has all the logistical plans in it but, to me, the things I keep are going to be seven pieces of paper that contain the reviews. The objective is having these wonderful folks perform and touch hearts. That's what it's really all about.
"People ask about logistical things. Logistics are the means to the ends, which is to put this great choir in front of people. In a lot of ways I've felt like I'm the guy in the crow's nest of a ship that goes through rough waters, and there are storms, coral and rocks, and I can sit in that crow's nest and see Heavenly Father guide us through so that these folks can do what they do best, and that's what has happened on this tour."
