Weekly Moments of Peace, Reflection, and Wisdom Through 'Music & the Spoken Word'

A musical programme now broadcast weekly throughout the Pacific, provides moments of peace, reflection and inspiration amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The programme, “Music & the Spoken Word,” performed by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah USA, is a musical oasis of reflection and inspiration.

"Music & the Spoken Word is not a worship service," says Mack Wilberg, director of the 350-member choir. "The programme has always been designed to be non-denominational, to be enjoyed by people of many walks of faith."

"Also, it is not a concert. It's a programme of inspirational music and spoken word,” Wilberg said. "It offers a calming and uplifting influence in a world of so many contrasting voices."

Tamaa Langi, of Auckland, New Zealand, says the music of the choir has been a stabilising influence since her childhood in Tonga.

"Their music is always beautiful," she said. "When I'm struggling in my life or feeling kind of stressed out, I know their music will help calm me down, and give me the peace I need.”

"In the routine of everyday living, if I feel sorrow for some reason, the music of the choir has always been the cure of that," Langi said. "The sound of their voices, the words that they sing-- they create so much beauty in times of difficulty."

"I always listen to the Tabernacle Choir, and I feel so uplifted, so inspired," said Asaua Sagote, of Aunu'u, American Samoa. He recently led a church choir as a part of a celebration of the first missionaries arriving in the Samoan islands 160 years ago, in 1863.

"One of my dreams in life is to see them sing in-person," he said. "What could be better than that, other than having a chance to sing in the choir!"

Fotu Guttenbeil, of Nuku’alofa, Tonga, has for many years been one of the people at the controls for “Music & the Spoken Word,” which he broadcasts on Tonga Broadcasting Corporation frequencies each week.

He said that the pleasant music of the choir causes him to “reflect on life and the concerns he has for those around [him],” as he oversees the broadcast throughout Tonga and the central South Pacific each Sunday afternoon.

"As I listen to the music go out to the islands of the Pacific—and the rest of the world through our social media page known as Letio Tonga—I know that the choir is giving people something to hang on to that is positive,” Guttenbeil said.

“I believe that people need to be lifted up a little, to have hope in their lives and I think this music helps them believe that life can be better. It’s really great to be a small part of that," Guttenbeil said.

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The weekly programme first aired more than 94 years ago, on Sunday, 15 July, 1929, nearly the entire existence of modern broadcasting, and has been broadcast primarily on Sunday mornings ever since. The choir, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been a phenomenon of broadcasting, with the world's longest continuously broadcast programme. The weekly programme is carried worldwide on radio, television, cable, and the internet.

Lloyd Newell, narrator of the programme and the voice of "The Spoken Word” segment, says the aim of that portion of the broadcast is to provide listeners peaceful thoughts in anything but peaceful times. “People are wondering and worried about the future and some are even losing hope,” he said.

“We want to be a beacon of hope and light and truth and goodness, to say there is goodness out there, there’s hope available — so stay with it and keep going.”

Following a recent campaign, more stations than ever in the South Pacific have chosen to carry the long-running programme. 

Here's a list of those radio and television stations throughout the Pacific Area carrying Music & the Spoken Word each week:

New Zealand:

Prime TV: Sundays, 7 a.m. (Freeview: Channel 15; Sky: Channel 4)

Kordia TV – Sundays. 10 a.m. (Freeview: Channel 200, 201)

Australia:

Glen Huntly, Victoria

Golden Days Radio 95.7 FM: Sunday, 8:10 a.m.

Papa New Guinea:

EMTV: Sunday 7 a.m.

NBC Radio, 90.7 FM: Sunday, 8 a.m.

Fiji:

Fiji-TV: Sunday, 9 a.m.

Mai-TV: Sunday, 11:30 a.m.

Tonga:

Tonga Broadcasting: TV & Radio – Sunday, 5:30pm

Samoa:

TV 1 – Sunday, 9 a.m.

TV 3 Samoa – Will start airing soon-- watch local listings.

Radio Samoa: Check local listings

American Samoa:

KSBS-FM 92.1: Sunday, 8:30 a.m.

French Polynesia

Bora Bora:

Radio Bora Bora 88.8 FM, Friday, 6 a.m. (French)

Tahiti:

TNTV: Sundays 8:30 am. (French)

Radio Tefana 92.8, Sundays 8 a.m. (French)

Music & the Spoken Word can also be listened to on demand by going to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square website.