Beloved Actress, Acclaimed Baritone to Perform in Annual Christmas Concert

Actress Jane Seymour and opera star Nathan Gunn will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their 2011 Christmas concerts, titled “Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.” Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy will conduct the concerts.

The concerts will be presented in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City on Thursday, 15 December, Friday, 16 December, and Saturday, 17 December. All the evening concerts begin at 8 p.m. The weekly half-hour CBS radio broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday, 18 December, at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Center will also feature Gunn and Seymour. The broadcast will be followed by a mini-concert featuring additional music from the previous performances.

Nathan Gunn

Nathan Gunn is one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones today. He has appeared in renowned opera houses in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris and Munich. His roles include the title roles in Billy Budd and Hamlet, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo in Cosí fan tutte, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. A supporter of new works, he created new roles in An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera, in Love and Other Demons at the Glyndebourne Festival, in Brief Encounter at the Houston Grand Opera, and in Amelia at the Seattle Opera.

Mr. Gunn has appeared in an evening of Broadway classics with Kelli O’Hara and in performances of Camelot both with the New York Philharmonic and also in Showboat at Carnegie Hall. He has appeared in concert with the symphony orchestras of New York, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and London.

Mr. Gunn’s CD, Just Before Sunrise, was released on Sony/BMG Masterworks. He won a Grammy Award in 2010 for singingthe title role in Billy Budd (Virgin Classics). Other recordings include Rogers & Hammerstein’s Allegro (Sony’s Masterworks Broadway), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (SONY Classics), and his debut album, a collection of American songs entitled American Anthem (EMI).

Jane Seymour

Seymour has showcased her diverse talents on the Broadway stage, in motion pictures and on television. Her long list of film credits includes the James Bond movie Live and Let Die and the romantic classic Somewhere in Time. She also played the role of Dr. Michaela Quinn on television’s Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman for six seasons. Seymour’s appearances in television movies and miniseries have earned her an Emmy Award and two Golden Globes.

In addition to acting, Ms. Seymour has written several books, including Open Hearts, Making Yourself at Home and This One ‘N That One, a series of children’s books written with her husband, James Keach, which are now being made into an animated series.

“Each year we have the good fortune to work with guest artists of exceptional caliber and this year is no exception,” said Mack Wilberg, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. “Nathan Gunn is a versatile performer who has played leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, at Carnegie Hall and the Broadway musicals as well. He has sung with the Choir before and our audience will be pleased to get to know him better.”

Wilberg went on to say, “Jane Seymour as our narrator will delight our audiences as she has done for years on TV and the screen. We look forward to having them both here in December.” 

“It’s hard to imagine but each year these Christmas concerts just keep getting better and better,” added Choir President Mac Christensen.  When you combine the genius of Mack Wilberg with the talent of guests like Nathan Gunn and Jane Seymour, you’re in store for a magnificent set of concerts. Together with the Choir, the Orchestra, the Bells and our Christmas dancers, you have an event unlike any other.  We are blessed to share it with our community and the world every year.”

Random Ticket-Selection Process

Free tickets for these concerts and the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast are required. Because of very high demand for tickets to this event in past years, tickets are distributed through a random selection process.

Those interested may register at www.lds.org/events for the opportunity to receive tickets from Saturday, 8 October 2011, at 12:01 a.m. through Monday, 17 October 2011, at 11:59 p.m. Those without Internet access may register over the phone at 801-570-0080 (in the Salt Lake City area) or at 1-866-537-8457 (toll free). All registrations received during those 10 days will have equal chances at receiving tickets in the random selection process.

Not all registrations will be selected to receive tickets, and only one registration per household can be accepted. The maximum number of tickets that a household may request is four. Tickets will be mailed to those selected shortly after the registration process closes. Persons not selected to receive tickets will be notified by e-mail.

Standby tickets for those without tickets will not be issued. However, patrons are invited to stand by for last-minute seating each evening and on Sunday morning for the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. The standby line will form at the North Gate on Temple Square at 6 p.m. for the evening performances and at 7:30 a.m. for the Sunday broadcast.

The doors of the Conference Center will open 90 minutes before each concert. The length of the evening performance will be approximately 90 minutes. The broadcast and mini-concert on Sunday should last roughly an hour. Seating is limited to those 8 years of age and older.Given the increase in traffic due to other scheduled downtown holiday events, guests are asked to allow extra time for travel and parking in order to be seated not later than 30 minutes before the performance begins. Recommended parking locations for the ticket household address will be included with the mailed tickets.

For more information on the choir and these concerts, become a fan of the choir’s Facebook page at facebook.com/mormontabernaclechoir and sign up for the weekly choir newsletter on mormontabernaclechoir.org.