O.C. Tanner Gift of Music

The O.C. Tanner Gift of Music is a series of free concerts presented in Salt Lake City by the Utah Symphony and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, with soloists, conductors and other choirs as guests. The concerts^[1] have been hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) on Temple Square since 1983. The thirtieth anniversary gala concerts^[2] were held September 6 and 7, 2013.^[3]

Origins

In the 1970s two neighbors Obert C. Tanner, founder of the O.C. Tanner company and Gordon B. Hinckley, a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, worked together to foster unity in the growing community of the Wasatch Front. They included the president of the Utah Symphony, Wendell Ashton, and the president of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Oakley Evans in these efforts. Their intent was to create a series of free concerts funded by an endowment from Obert and his wife Grace. These concerts would feature the combined talents of the world-famous Choir and the Symphony. Adding famed soloists, conductors and other choirs as guest artists would make these world class concerts.

I think beauty gives more joy to more people over a longer period of time than any other human value.

— Obert C. Tanner, ^[4]

Gifts Of Music

1983–89

1983: Verdi Requiem

Friday, September 16, 1983^[5]

The Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, conductor
• Kristine Ciesinski, soloist
• Katherine Ciesinski, soloist
• Arnold Voketaitis, soloist
• Dana Talley, soloist

1985: Americana

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor and soloist

1987: Mendelssohn Elijah

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Jerold Ottley, conductor
• Audrey Luna, soloist

1989: operatic and concert selections

Friday & Saturday, February 24 and 25, 1989

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Julius Rudel, conductor
• Kiri Te Kanawa, soloist

1991–99

1991: operatic and concert selections

Friday and Saturday, November 8 and 9, 1991

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Joseph Silverstein, conductor
• Frederica von Stade, soloist

1994: Berlioz Requiem

Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, 1994

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Robert Shaw, conductor
• Stanford Olsen, soloist

1996: DeMars An American Requiem

Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2, 1996

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- James DeMars, composer & conductor
• Audrey Luna, soloist
• Linda Priebe, soloist
• Robert Breault, soloist
• Simon Estes, soloist

1998: an Atlantic bridge

Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14, 1998

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Craig Jessop, conductor
• The King's Singers, soloists

1999: Brahms Requiem

Saturday, February 13, 1999

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Craig Jessop, conductor
• Janice Chandler Eteme, soloist
• Nathan Gunn, soloist

2000–09

2000: Vaughan Williams Hodie

Friday & Saturday, November 3 and 4, 2000

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, conductor
• Henriette Schellenberg, soloist
• Robert Breault, soloist
• Robert Honeysucker, soloist
• International Children's Choir^[usurped], guest
• Temple Square Chorale, guest
• SUU Concert Choir, guest

2002: Mahler Symphony no. 8

Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16, 2002

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, conductor
• Bridgett Hooks, soloist
• Indra Thomas, soloist
• Mary Ellen Callahan, soloist
• Barbara Rearjck, soloist
• Rebekah Ambosini, soloist
• John Daniecki, soloist
• Clayton Brainerd, soloist
• Les Young, soloist
• Utah Symphony Chorus, guest
• Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School, guest
• International Children's Choir^[usurped], guest
• Salt Lake Children's Choir, guest
• SUU Concert Choir, guest

2005: a Celtic celebration

Friday & Saturday, October 21 and 22, 2005

Conference Center

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Craig Jessop & Mack Wilberg, conductors
• Ronan Tynan, soloist
• Leahy, soloist
• Wasatch & District Pipe Band, guests

2008: an American songbook

George M. Cohan, Richard Rodgers, John Williams, Woody Guthrie, Irving Berlin and other American composers

Friday & Saturday, September 19 and 20, 2008

Conference Center

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Erich Kunzel, guest conductor
• Denyce Graves, soloist
• Brian Stokes Mitchell, soloist

2009: Mahler Symphony no. 2

Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, 2009

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Keith Lockhart, conductor
• Janice Chandler Eteme, soloist
• Nancy Maultsby, soloist

2011–present

2011: Berlioz Requiem

Friday & Saturday, September 16 and 17, 2011

Salt Lake Tabernacle

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Thierry Fischer, conductor

2013: 30th anniversary gala

Friday & Saturday, September 6 and 7, 2013^[6]

Conference Center^[7]

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Utah Symphony --- Mack Wilberg, conductor
• James Taylor, Special Guest

2019: Golden Spike 150th Anniversary

Friday, May 10th, 2019

• Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square
• Utah Symphony
• Brian Stokes Mitchell, Megan Hilty special guests