The Orchestra at Temple Square
  he Orchestra at Temple Square was
created in 1999
under the direction of Church President Gordon
B.
Hinckley as part of the creative initiative to
continually strengthen and expand the
capabilities
of the Church music organizations. For years,
the
Choir had been accompanied by such acclaimed
instrumental groups as the Philadelphia
Orchestra
and the Utah Symphony. But in 1999, the time
was
right for the creation of a standing volunteer
orchestra that would enhance the quality of
Mormon
Tabernacle Choir performances in addition to
providing instrumental musicians the opportunity
to serve as musical missionaries.
The Orchestra at Temple Square has developed
into a
nationally recognized symphony orchestra. Under
the direction of Igor Gruppman, Conductor, the
Orchestra functions concurrently as a
concert
orchestra and as a companion volunteer
organization
to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Temple Square
Chorale.
The Orchestra undertakes its own concert season
performing from standard orchestral literature.
In
highly successful past seasons, the Orchestra
has
given critically acclaimed performances of such
masterworks as Symphony No. 8 (“Unfinished”) by
Schubert, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 as well as
his Violin Concerto in G Major, Symphony No. 8
by Dvorak, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 as
well as works by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Verdi,
Barber and Vaughan Williams.
Accompanying the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a
key
responsibility for the Orchestra at Temple
Square.
The Orchestra frequently provides accompaniment
for the weekly radio and TV broadcasts of Music
and
the Spoken Word, and it plays a major role in
recording projects. To date, the Orchestra has
played on several major recording projects with
the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the Telarc label.
Additionally, the Orchestra accompanies the
Temple
Square Chorale in its semiannual concerts and
has
provided the music for various Church
productions
such as Savior of the World.
Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the 110-member
Orchestra is purely a volunteer organization.
Many
of the Orchestra’s members are professional
musicians who give their time and
talents in support of the Church without any
financial compensation.
With the advent of the Orchestra at Temple
Square,
a new dimension has been added to the depth and
quality of music provided in support of the
Church’s overall mission. The Orchestra has
already manifested itself as a wonderful
symphony
with great promise for the future.
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