Mormon Tabernacle Choir by the Numbers
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MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR BY THE NUMBERS 3,500,000,000 Over 3.5 billion television viewers saw the Choir perform in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. 900,000 The Choir’s library contains over 900,000 pieces of music 11,623 The Tabernacle Organ has 11,623 pipes 7,708 The Conference Center organ has 7,708 pipes 4,633 On July 15, 2018, the Choir will have completed 4635 broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word, the longest continuous weekly network broadcast in history 2,000 Over 2,000 radio, television, internet, and cable stations carry the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. 1,200 The Choir travels with about 1,200 pieces of luggage. 700 The number of performers and staff—all volunteers—in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization 360 The Choir is made up of 360 sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses. 200 The Choir has made over 200 recordings since 1910. 200 There are 200 instrumentalists on the roster of the Orchestra at Temple Square. The number who perform at a given performance varies by the repertoire. Approximately 65 Orchestra members accompany the Choir on tour. 170 The number of years since the Choir’s early beginnings at a Church conference, three weeks after the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in Salt Lake City. 150 The number of years since the venerable Salt Lake Tabernacle from which the Choir takes its name has been in existence. It was initially completed in 1867 and dedicated in 1875. 89 The number of years the Choir has been broadcasting the weekly Music and the Spoken Word—since July 29, 1929—the longest continuous network weekly radio broadcast in the world. 75 On average, the Choir performs 75 times each year. 42 There are 42 husband-and-wife couples who serve in the Choir organizations. 32 The number of members in the Bells on Temple Square 29 The number of countries outside the United States the Choir has visited. 23 The number of Choir performances during the three weeks of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. 20 The number of years Choir members may serve (or until age 60, whichever comes first). 13 The number Choir performances at World’s Fairs and Expositions since 1893. 12 The number of CDs ranked #1 on Billboard® Magazine’s Classical, Classical Crossover, or Christian lists. 11 The number of United States presidents who have personally heard the Choir perform. 11 The number of busses required to transport the Choir on tour. 7 The number of Choir performances at presidential inaugural events: Lyndon B. Johnson (1965), Richard Nixon (1969, 1973), Ronald Reagan (1981), George H. W. Bush (1989), George W. Bush (2001) and Donald Trump (2017). 6 The minimum number of hours the Choir rehearses each week. This can extend up to 20 hours during major concert and recording session weeks. 5 The Choir has earned 5 gold records (sales of 500,000 units). Mormon Tabernacle Choir is an ambassador for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. © 2018 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR BY THE NUMBERS 4 The number of performing groups in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization: the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Bells on Temple Square, and the Temple Square Chorale 4 The number of Emmy Awards for the Choir: The first in 1987, for the musical special Christmas Sampler; the second in 1989, a Special Governor’s Award for Music and the Spoken Word; the third in 2013, for The Joy of Song with Katherine Jenkins; and the most recent in 2014 for the special Mormon Tabernacle Choir Presents an Evening with James Taylor and the Utah Symphony. 3 Music and the Spoken Word has had 3 program announcers in its 89 years of continuous broadcasting: Richard L. Evans (1930-1971), J. Spencer Kinard (1972-1990), and Lloyd D. Newell (1990-present). 3 The number of halls of fame into which the Choir or Music and the Spoken Word has been inducted: National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2004), National Radio Hall of Fame (2010) and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame (2015). 2 The Choir has earned 2 platinum records (sales of 1,000,000 units). 1 A Grammy Award was presented to Richard P. Condie, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus—1959 for “Battle Hymn of the Republic” with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. 1 National Medal of the Arts awarded by President George W. Bush in recognition of the Choir’s great musical contribution to our nation. Mormon Tabernacle Choir is an ambassador for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. © 2018 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. .