Orchestra at Temple Square
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 110-member orchestra located in Salt Lake City, UT. The Orchestra was created in 1999 under the direction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"; see also Mormon) Church President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of the creative initiative to continually strengthen and expand the capabilities of the LDS Church music organizations. For years, the Choir had been accompanied by such acclaimed instrumental groups as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Utah Symphony.
Contents |
[edit] History
Formed in 1999, the Orchestra fulfilled LDS Church leaders' longtime dream of having a permanent orchestra both to enhance the quality of Mormon Tabernacle Choir performances and to involve instrumental musicians in Church music projects on the same volunteer basis as Tabernacle Choir members. While some initial recording contracts in the first years of the Orchestra's existence were paid, with the creation of the Tabernacle Choir's own recording label the 110-member Orchestra has evolved into a purely volunteer organization. Although many Orchestra members are professional musicians, they give their time and talents to the Orchestra at Temple Square without financial compensation.
Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square makes its home in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Because of ongoing structural renovations to the Tabernacle, scheduled for completion in 2007, the Orchestra rehearses and performs in the adjacent LDS Conference Center.
Initially directed by former Tabernacle Choir associate director Barlow Bradford, the Orchestra developed in its first years into a critically acclaimed symphony orchestra. Now under the musical supervision of Tabernacle Choir director Craig Jessop, the Orchestra has increased its role as accompanist to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Temple Square Chorale, but continues to perform and tour on its own under the baton of Igor Gruppman, concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
[edit] Repertoire and performances
The Orchestra performs masterworks from the standard symphony orchestra repertoire several times a year, both at home and on tour, under the direction of Ukrainian-born conductor and violin virtuoso Igor Gruppman.
The Orchestra also regularly appears in the Tabernacle Choir's weekly radio and TV broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word, the Choir's acclaimed Christmas specials on PBS, and in the Choir's recording projects, including several on the Telarc label. More recent recordings on the Choir's own label have enjoyed tremendous success, appearing prominently on Billboard's classical and classical crossover charts. Additionally, the Orchestra accompanies the Temple Square Chorale in its semiannual concerts and has provided the music for various LDS Church stage productions such as the annual Christmas favorite Savior of the World.
