On most days, Ron Jarrett, president of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is busy leading the world-famous choir. But his recent visit to the South Pacific with his wife Lucie was strictly vacation time.
The Grammy and Emmy award-winning choir, organised in 1847, has long been recognised as one of the premier choirs in the world. Ron Jarrett is busy making sure that reputation not only continues, but is expanded to an even larger audience.
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Visits New Zealand
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Visits New Zealand
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Visits New Zealand
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Since Jarrett took over leadership of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2012, the Choir has increased its use of social media to bring its music to even more people.
“We launched the YouTube site for the Choir in October 2012,” Mr. Jarrett says. “I view this effort as the first step in my goal to send the message and spirit of the Choir to the entire world. Members of the Church and choir fans all over the world may now tune in to weekly broadcasts and view videos of the Choir when and wherever they have internet connections.”
“We currently have a presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest and Instagram," he said.
“We have a newly launched website and just launched a free mobile app through Apple.
In the South Pacific area alone there have been well over a half million YouTube views and over 10,000 Facebook followers. Australia ranks 10th in the world for Facebook followers and New Zealand close behind at 15th.
Even though former United States president, Ronald Reagan, dubbed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir “America’s Choir” in 1981 when the Choir sang at his inauguration, the Choir is known and loved throughout the world. Choir members have travelled and performed in Europe, South America, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
The Pacific area has been well represented in the Choir over the years. Currently there are three Choir members with close ties to the Pacific. Luke Howard, from Australia, and Siope Kinikini and Sione Ika from Tonga.
Karen Maxwell sang in the Choir until she and her husband, Cory H. Maxwell, were called as leaders in the Australia Melbourne Mission for the Church.
Lloyd Newell, announcer for the Choir and its weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" program, currently has a son serving a Latter-day Saint mission in Melbourne, Australia.
Luke Howard teaches at Brigham Young University in Utah, USA, a private university owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“He does a great deal of writing for the Choir," Mr Jarrett said.
"Music and the Spoken Word messages, program notes for concerts, and information on songs we record that are included in the CD jackets. He joined the Choir in 2007."
Choir members have toured extensively in the United States since 2000 but have not been out of the United States since 1999.
“Another one of my goals is to get the Choir back into the world by performing somewhere outside of the United States," Jarrett says. "Security and costs have been major factors in keeping us home but I think we can still make it happen.”
The Choir is best known for its weekly radio and TV program, Music and the Spoken Word, which is broadcast over 2,000 radio and TV stations and cable systems, and has become the longest continuously running network broadcast.
New Zealand's Prime Network airs the program each Sunday morning.
Follow the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Facebook.
Watch videos at the Choir's YouTube channel.
For more information on the new Mormon Tabernacle Choir app, go here.