Orchestra at Temple Square
The Orchestra at Temple Square (German Orchester am Tempelplatz ) is the orchestra of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City and consists of 110 volunteer members.
history
The orchestra was founded in 1999 under the direction of Gordon B. Hinckley , then President of the Church, as part of a creative initiative to strengthen and expand the possibilities of the church's own music organizations. With its founding, it fulfilled the long-cherished wish of the church leadership for its own permanent orchestra, on the one hand to increase the quality of the performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and on the other hand to involve instrumentalists of the church in music projects on a voluntary basis in the same way as the choir members. While recording contracts were still paid in the orchestra's early years, the orchestra was completely converted into a voluntary organization with the establishment of its own record label for the Tabernacle Choir. Despite the fact that many of the orchestra members are professional musicians, they have not received a fee for their participation in the Orchestra at Temple Square .
Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir , the Orchestra at Temple Square also has its home in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City . During the renovation work in the tabernacle from 2005 to 2007, both of them moved to the neighboring LDS conference center for rehearsals and performances .
The orchestra was originally directed by Barlow Bradford , former assistant director of the Tabernacle Choir and then creative director of the Utah Chamber Artists . Under his leadership, the orchestra developed into a highly regarded symphony orchestra. Bradford surprisingly gave up his post shortly after the 2002 Winter Olympics . The orchestra was led by the tabernacle choir director Craig Jessop until his abrupt departure on March 4, 2008, which ensured a further development in the role of the accompanying orchestra of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Temple Square Choir .
Repertoire and performances
Several times a year, both at home and on its own tours, the orchestra performs major symphonic works under the direction of the Ukrainian conductor, violinist and concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Igor Gruppman .
It also appears regularly in the radio and television broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word , the weekly radio broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir, as well as at the choir's high-profile Christmas events and recording projects. The last recordings of the choir's own label celebrated great success and appeared in high positions in the Billboard Classic and Billboard Classic Crossover Charts. In addition, the orchestra accompanies the Temple Square Chorale to its biannual concerts and organizes many of the church's stage productions.
