The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received recognition on the Georgia State Senate floor during a legislative session on February 22.
Senator Sonya Halpern from Atlanta recognized representatives from the Church in attendance — including Elder M. Andrew Galt, regional Church leader who oversees Georgia — and announced the Tabernacle Choir’s upcoming concerts in Atlanta in September.
She and four other senators co-sponsored a bipartisan Senate resolution commending The Tabernacle Choir and the Church “for 95 years of unwavering dedication to spreading peace, hope and inspiration through Music & the Spoken Word.” The Tabernacle Choir’s “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is the world’s longest continuous weekly network broadcast.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The resolution also highlighted the October 2023 collaboration between The Tabernacle Choir and the Morehouse College and Spelman College glee clubs, which “fostered artistic collaboration, cultural exchange and mutual respect” and “showcased the power of music to bridge communities and cultures.”
As part of its world tour “Hope,” The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra will perform at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College on September 9 and at the State Farm Arena on September 11. Concerts are free to the public though tickets are required.
“For over a century The Tabernacle Choir has resonated with audiences worldwide, giving voice to hopes, joys, trials and triumphs through their music,” Senator Halpern said on the Senate floor. “With 360 talented members, they grace concert halls across the globe, from Australia and Europe to Asia and the Middle East. They have even performed at presidential inaugurations, World's Fairs and expositions.
“This is a unique opportunity to experience their legendary performances right here in Georgia,” she continued, referring to the upcoming concerts. “So I urge all of you to go out and enjoy The Tabernacle Choir. Let’s celebrate the joy and the power of music.”
Earlier that day, congregations of the Church in Georgia sponsored an open-house breakfast at the Capitol. Elected officials had the opportunity to engage with local Church leaders from their districts and learn about various community-building activities around the state.
“There were a lot of senators and representatives that came through or sent people from their staff,” Elder Galt said. “Then stake presidents went around to offices and met dozens of our Georgia representatives. They were all friendly conversations. I think the thing that impressed the legislators is we weren’t there to ask for anything — we were there to offer help.”
Posters on display featured information about Church resources and programs including FamilySearch, JustServe, Relief Society, disaster recovery assistance, humanitarian partnerships and educational tools such as English Connect and BYU–Pathway Worldwide.
Elder Galt echoed Senator Halpern’s invitation for all to attend The Tabernacle Choir concerts in Georgia. “This is for the community. It’s not just for members of our Church,” he said.
The resolution honoring The Tabernacle Choir (SR 701) can be found on the Georgia General Assembly’s website: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/67526. In addition to Senator Halpern, the resolution was sponsored by Senators Jason Esteves, Emanuel Jones, Brandon Beach and Ben Watson.