The 2005 Tabernacle Choir tour seems almost leisurely in comparison to our mad zigzag through the Northeastern States in 2003. There were three days between Saturday’s concert in Boise and the Tuesday evening performance in Spokane. Sunday was a travel day (we are traveling by bus for the entire tour). An hour or two after leaving Boise, one of the buses got a flat tire. The tire was ruined anyway so the bus continued slowly to the next exit, where all the buses left the freeway and pulled into a convenience store parking lot to decide what to do. The rest of us soon continued on, leaving our lonely-looking compatriots to change the tire and follow on as soon as possible.

We were surprised when they arrived in Spokane just a few minutes after the rest of us. One of them told me of their good fortune in finding a tractor dealer right across the street who had hydraulic jacks and was able to help change the tire in short order. Meanwhile, the passengers took a break, ate their lunch and visited surrounding businesses, chatting with the customers and proprietors, telling them about the Choir and its mission and giving out sample CD’s. A minor misfortune turned out to be an opportunity to share!

Monday found us with a rare prospect: a day to do as we pleased, and as we all soon found out, it couldn’t have come in a better city. Never having had the pleasure of visiting Spokane, I soon grew to love this beautiful community with its rolling hills and forests of pine. It seemed nearly everyone in the Choir and Orchestra had a friend or relative in Spokane and I was no exception. My wife, Laurie, and two children, Ben and Emma, flew up from Salt Lake City and stayed with her dear friend, a former roommate, and her family. This afforded me the opportunity to spend the day with loved ones.

We enjoyed a leisurely walk along the Spokane River in the middle of town. The kids rode a carousel, which also played host to an unusual number of adult riders — members of the Choir, of course! Even without the blue nametags you could spot them a mile away. It seemed there were fellow musicians everywhere you looked. I heard someone say that a local car rental company said all their large vehicles were gone because there was, “some kind of Mormon convention in town.”

Laurie’s friend drove us to the Spokane Temple. Though closed on Monday, we ran into a member of the Temple Presidency, Brother Alley, who was standing outside. Not surprisingly, he said I wasn’t the first Choir member to have stopped by that day and he told me how eagerly the people of Spokane were anticipating our performance. Then, (small world!) when comparing notes we discovered that my wife Laurie’s cousin played a large part in his conversion to the Church (though he also let on that she nearly broke his heart with a “Dear John” letter while he was in the mission field). The temple is small but beautifully situated and we relished the peaceful feeling as we walked around its well-manicured grounds.

Next we drove over to Coeur D’Alene Idaho, a scenic resort town, where we walked by the lakeside and again saw many other Choir members enjoying the day with friends. In the evening we strolled around downtown Spokane and visited the meticulously-restored Hotel Davenport with its ornate lobby, ballrooms and meeting places — surely a must-see for anyone who visits Spokane. There is also an old steam plant nearby that has been converted to offices and a restaurant. You can walk inside the old smokestack and look up to the sky.

Tuesday morning there was also free time, but when the early afternoon rehearsal and sound check at Spokane Arena came it felt good to be back to our reason for coming. Since the formation of the Orchestra at Temple Square we have enjoyed having an excellent group of instrumentalists tour with us in addition to our indispensable Tabernacle Organists. However, on previous tours we have only been able to bring along a brass and woodwind ensemble. Then, in February of this year, we were accompanied by a full complement of 50 musicians, including strings, for our performance at the ACDA Convention in Los Angeles. How glad we were when the decision was made to bring this full complement again on our tour of the Northwest!

Strings add depth and definition to the instrumental sound and are frequently used to great effect in Mack Wilberg’s arrangements of folk tunes such as “Cindy” and “Bound for the Promised Land.” The ability to bounce a bow on a string adds such playfulness as to make one want to get up and do a little dance. Their aptitude for delicate dynamic phrasing reaches straight to the heartstrings in a sensitive piece like “Suo Gân,” a Welsh lullaby.

Having played violin in an orchestra myself, I can appreciate that the role these musicians take on in accompanying the Choir may not be as rewarding as playing music where the orchestra is the centerpiece. How grateful we are for their willingness to be an important part of a larger picture. Just the sight of a full orchestra arrayed in front of the Choir adds a new dimension to our performances. But then they start to play and you realize that we have never been complete without them, especially given that it is impossible to bring the Mormon Tabernacle Organ on the road.

The Spokane Concert was especially fun for me, knowing that my family was in the audience. Though the arena was not full, there was still a very large and enthusiastic crowd of 6,882. When Lloyd Newell presented his Spoken Word narration, he told how several Choir/Orchestra members had come up to tell him he should make sure and say “Music and the Spokane Word.” The audience chuckled but there were bigger laughs when he said, “Each person who came up to tell me that thought they were the only one to have thought of it!”

Afterwards I bid my family and friends goodbye. Obviously they have heard the Choir many times but really enjoyed the experience of attending a concert “on the road.” A longtime Internet friend, Patrick Faulk, was also there with his family. Pat later shared his impressions via email:

“We drove up to Spokane last night to hear the Choir. If you Seattleites aren't planning to go tonight, you're going to miss a great experience! The Choir and Orchestra were superb, with a mix of music to please any taste. The sound was splendid, despite being in a sports arena (I don't think it was all due to electronics, either.) As I said to my wife when it was over, ‘What a class act!’ I told Robb afterward that any concerns about the concert being too long were unfounded [I had expressed concerned about its length] — they could have sung encores until sunup and I'm sure the entire near-sellout crowd would have stayed!”

It’s always great to get such feedback to confirm that my bias as an enthusiastic member of the Choir does not mean I’m exaggerating the effect of these wonderful concerts upon the listeners. Farewell to beautiful Spokane and on to Seattle!

Spokane Post Script:

After leaving Spokane we learned that a terrible windstorm occurred while everyone was safely enjoying the concert inside Spokane Arena. We were completely unaware of it as things were fine when we went outside afterwards. My wife Laurie and her friend returned home to find a large pine tree had blown over, broken a window, and destroyed the deck. Some houses were still without power two days later. The Spokane airport recorded 77-mph winds, the highest on record for that area. What a blessing that the storm didn't hit immediately before or after the concert!