Music, it runs in the Family - at Rootstech

I first saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform live in the early 1990s when we had a stopover in Salt Lake City en route to Yellowstone National Park. Since then I have been enthralled by their music. I was thrilled to discover that, once again, the Choir will be performing at Rootstech. I look forward to hearing them perfor once more.

There has been some confusion about tickets for this Opening Event with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As a Rootstech Ambassador I sought out an answer. Thanks to Amy Ohms Archibald, Rootstech Ambassador Coordinator for her prompt responses.

The response I got was "Jill, if you indicated your attendance during registration, you will have a ticket available to you when you check in for RootsTech."

And further to the above a follow up message: "Jill, you were able to select additional tickets for guests. And you needed to indicate your own attendance. Check your registration to make sure that it has a separate line for:"RootsTech Opening Event - "Music, It Runs in the Family" -Thursday".

Amy followed up with "Also, the tickets available though LDS Events are for those who were not registering through RootsTech but were interested in attending the event."

If you fall into this category you can go here for further information. 

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Rootstech 2013.

A Must-Do Diversion from Rootstech

As I sit at my computer editing and writing I am being entertained by a Christmas CD from The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and their friends The Muppets that came as a surprise in the mail this week.

https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/shop/products/keep-christmas-with-you.html

Whenever I have attended Rootstech I make time to attend a rehearsal or episode of Music and the Spoken Word with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra in The Salt Lake Tabernacle at Temple Square. As well as making beautiful music there is an atmosphere of calm created in their performance space, a nice antidote to the craziness that is Rootstech.

One of the highlights of Rootstech 2013 was a special performance given  for attendees by the Choir. I was privileged on this evening to take part in a special "Behind the Scenes" tour of the Choir's practice areas and dressing rooms, it was one of the best tours I have ever undertaken (and I've done a bit of travel).

Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at Rootstech 2013

If you are a first-timer at Rootstech or a veteran who hasn't yet seen the Choir perform you must take time out from your schedule to experience the music and environment.

Hour by Hour

No time for a great narrative report on today's activity so I'll post a summary of a very exciting day in which I met a bunch of interesting people.

6:00 am  Leap out of bed to bathe and get ready for Rootstech. That white stuff falling out of the sky is snow - how exciting.

7:00 am  After breakfast with blogger Amy Coffin I gathered my gear and headed over to the Exhibition Hall for the Bloggers tour of the booths and facilities.

Bloggers on tour

8:00 am  I was lucky enough to score a middle second row seat in the Hall to see the Opening Keynotes. It was nice to see the official bloggers being recognised in the promo slides.

9:00 am  Dennis Brimhall, Familysearch CEO was sharing the organisation's vision for the future.

Dennis Brimhall

10:00 am  I was being inspired by D. Joshua Taylor's presentation.Still in the Keynote session I realised that I would be late for my first video interview with Alec Tritton and Else Churchill - we got started about 15 minutes late.

Else, Alec and myself

11:00 am Put my head down to go over my presentation for the afternoon.

12:00 pm  The wonderful Mr Geniaus brought me some lunch.

1:00 pm  My fellow panelists appeared during the past hour and we discussed the gadgets we would show in our session. While she was there I grabbed Heather Rojo for a video interview.

2:00 pm  A gentleman from Rootstech cornered me for a video interview.

3:00 pm  5, 4,3,2,1 Our panelists launched into our discussion The Genealogist's Gadget Bag

Jill Ball, Marie Dougan, Heather Rojo, A C Ivory

4:00 pm  A great sense of relief washed over me after our session. I sat in the Media Hub with a cool lemonade and chilled.

5:00 pm It was back to the video studio for more interviews; this time with Australians Alan Philips and Alona Tester from Unlock the Past.

6:00 pm Time to relax on my bed in the hotel and catch up with social media on my Tablet.

7:00 pm  A yummy fresh dinner with Mr Geniaus at the Blue Lemon Restaurant opposite Temple Square.

8:00 pm  A very special experience as Mr Geniaus and I joined a Behind the Scenes tour of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

9:00 pm  We joined other conference attendees for a special mini-concert by the Choir in the Tabernacle.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir in concert this evening

10:00 pm  Back to the hotel for an adult beverage before bed. We met up with a new and interesting couple from Dallas, Texas.

1:00 am  I am still sitting at the keyboard putting together this blog post

Tenor Number 13

During a conversation at a Rootstech dinner at The Roof Restaurant I mentioned to someone that I had heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on a visit to Salt Lake City many years ago. I was immediately introduced to Shipley Munson who is Tenor Number 13 in the choir.

Geniaus and Shipley Munson

On meeting Shipley I behaved like a young teenage rock music fan. I was entranced as he related a few anecdotes about life in the choir and told me of the program for Sunday 13th February, the day prior to Valentine's Day. I indicated that I would be along to see the group on Sunday morning. I was impressed by Shipley's enthusiasm for his voluntary work in the choir. As the Global Marketing Director for the LDS Church's Family History Department I imagine that Shipley is a fairly busy man.

I arrived at the Tabernacle in Temple Square this morning in plenty of time for the weekly broadacst of Music and the Spoken Word and took my place in the gallery. The rehearsal prior to the broadcast was in full swing so I got a taste of the music I would hear. Right on time at 9:30 am the broadcast began. I enjoyed the first two items, Exsultata Jusit and Pilgrim Song. The third Londonderry Air (or Danny Boy) played on the organ touched me as I have Irish ancestry and, co-incidentally, found a new branch of one of my Irish Families in the Family History Library at the Rootstech Night at the Library celebration.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

I am fortunate that my husband consented to my spending a significant amount of money to attend the Rootstech Conference so I could follow a dream. "True and lasting Love" was the theme for the morning's message by Lloyd D Newell. After Lloyd gave his talk tears started rolling down my cheeks as I thought of my husband who can be described by these words in Lloyd's talk "I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've lived a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with my whole heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough." On  the eve of Valentine's Day I thank him for demonstrating True and Lasting Love by giving me the opportunity to visit Salt Lake City.

The song that followed the message "Love is a song" didn't help me regain my composure. The final piece for the morning  "Ode to Joy from Symphony no.9 by Beethoven was a fitting finale to an inspirational event. Knowing Tenor Number 13, being able to watch him sing in the choir and having been infected by his enthusiasm added to my enjoyment of the morning. Fittingly Shipley and his mates were given a standing ovation.

Outside the Tabernacle this morning