10 international singers join Tabernacle Choir for church's general conference

SALT LAKE CITY — It used to be that one of the requirements of being a member of one of the best-known choirs in the world was you had to live in the general vicinity of its home base in Salt Lake City.

A pilot program is now allowing 10 people from six different countries to temporarily join the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

Georgina Montemayor Wong has been participating with the choir in virtual practice sessions from Monterrey, Mexico, since December when she learned she had been selected.

"It's just ... it's a dream come true. It's just like — wow!" she said.

Montemayor Wong said she still can't believe she is going to be singing with the Tabernacle Choir. Despite how much she loves music, the idea of joining the choir was previously an impossible dream — something she couldn't even think of.

"I'm very happy to use this talent to praise the Lord. I know he has given me this way to express myself through singing, and my way to give back is through praising," she said.

She and nine other international singers will join the choir this weekend for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' general conference.

It was a surprise to Montemayor Wong that she was not joining the choir alone. Her sister-in-law was also chosen to participate. Denisse Elorza Avalos called her on the phone crying to tell her she was also a participant.

Neither knew the other had applied, since they were supposed to keep their auditions confidential. Now they have become closer, and they talk more often about preparation for joining the choir and their feelings.

"I think through music I can feel my Savior's love," Montemayor Wong said. "I believe that music can touch the hearts of many people."

Elorza Avalos, of Tijuana, Mexico, said she has always wanted to be a missionary, and this experience allows her to fulfill two dreams at once — singing in the choir and serving as a missionary.

Part of being in the choir is a calling to be "an ambassador for the Church of Jesus Christ, to share their goodwill and faith through music."

She said when she was told she was chosen, she was given her sister-in-law's name, too; she was so happy for the family, knowing they both love to sing.

"I'm so excited, I can't believe this dream come true," Elorza Avalos said. "When I was a little girl I saw the choir for the first time and I asked the missionary who baptized me what I needed to do to sing with them."

She said hearing the choir perform was an important part of her conversion to the church.

Worldwide choir

Including international members in the choir is one of multiple initiatives to help it reach a worldwide audience. Tabernacle Choir President Michael O. Leavitt, former governor of Utah, said this pilot program is a natural progression for the choir.

"More than half the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lives outside the United States. This is a means by which we not only reflect that membership, but it's also a way in which we can bring a sense of belonging to people who live all over the world," Leavitt said.

He said church members sing praises to Christ, and the goal of the choir is to bring peace and healing throughout the world.

"That's the unique capacity of a choir, to speak in a way that reaches the soul, brings a sense of peace to people," Leavitt said.

Leavitt said the church recently "extended" the choir's mission. "Our goal now is to reach throughout the world, to bring peace and healing throughout the world," he said.

He said this is a way they are working to help the choir be a symbol of the global church, although the choir needs to be made primarily from people who are able to practice on Temple Square 150 times a year.

He said people often see it as an American choir, but they hope it will be seen as a global choir, representing the church.

Choir members are required to live within 100 miles of Salt Lake City, simply because of the rigorous practice schedule they have to keep. But with virtual practices, these members were able to prepare themselves to perform before arriving in Salt Lake City in mid-March.

"These are highly qualified musicians who have great skills and have worked hard in rehearsing and preparing. And I think they'll add greatly to, not just the music, but the spirit and the discipleship that's represented by the choir," Leavitt said.

The 10 members are from Taiwan, the Philippines, Mexico, Malaysia, Ghana, and Brazil, with three from Brazil and two from Mexico and the Philippines.

These individuals have been visiting church sites while in Utah, and they had an opportunity to sing hymns for President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency and his wife, Kristen M. Oaks, on Friday in the Church Office Building.

"It is a very important step forward," President Oaks said to the new participants. "It's something I hoped for many years could happen but it's very difficult. You make sacrifices — all of you — to be here."

He said people will be proud the Tabernacle Choir is representing the world.

Leavitt said he is optimistic the choir will learn from this pilot program and the experience will continue and expand.

"Though they are 360 voices, they represent millions in countries all over the world, because it is a global church, in praise of our master," Leavitt said.

He said there is a sense of excitement from the 10 members joining the choir and people who know them, and there will hopefully be a sense of belonging to members who for the first time see someone from their country singing in the world-famous choir.

Montemayor Wong said church members from her country can now see that maybe joining the choir is something they can do too. The dream for them will not seem so far away because hers came true.

"This is, I think, a blessing for every Mexican," she said.

The others participating in the choir are: Alvaro Jorge Martins of Natal, Brazil; Rodrigo Domaredzky of Curitiba, Brazil; Thalita De Carvalho of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tubo-Oreriba Joseph Elisha of Accra, Ghana; Jonathan How of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Ronald Baa of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Sundae Mae Indino of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; and PeiShang Chung (Kylie Zhong) of Taipei, Taiwan.

The 10 will sing with the choir in the Saturday morning session and both Sunday sessions of general conference.

Tabernacle Choir aims to expand worldwide reach through tryouts, touring, translations

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square is seeking to grow its worldwide audience even more with three new initiatives to help spread the message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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