Tabernacle Choir’s Pilot Program Once Again Welcomes International Participants

A new group of global participants is joining The Tabernacle Choir to sing during the October 2023 general conference as part of its pilot program launched during the April 2023 general conference.

The singers come from the following locations: Ecuador, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and South Korea.

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The pilot program gives members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living outside of Utah the opportunity to sing with the choir during general conference. Participants are selected through a rigorous audition process conducted online, similar to the in-person auditions for regular choir members, to ensure they can manage the choir’s musically demanding repertoire and schedule.

In addition to their participation, each choir member is called to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ, to share their goodwill and faith through music.

“I’ve always said of the whole experience, it was like I’m waking up in a movie,” said Gianfranco Vizzini of South Africa. “We’ve kind of watched this wonderful scene a whole life, you know, of growing up looking at conference, looking at The Tabernacle [Choir], and then to be here and to be able to see and be participating in everything ... it’s been so humbling and so special.”

The choir members arrived in Salt Lake City on September 17. They have been able to join in choir rehearsals, attend choir school, go to the Church’s Welfare Square and Bishop’s Central Storehouse, visit the Missionary Training Center in Provo, and tour Temple Square.

The pilot program also helps participants gain new skills and enhance their ability to contribute to their local congregations and choirs.

The Choir participants will sing with the choir in the Saturday morning session and both Sunday sessions of general conference.

About the Choir participants:

Aaron Wi-Repa, New Zealand: Aaron lives in Hamilton with his wife of 30 years, Adelle, and their eight children. He has trained in classical guitar and piano and has sung in choirs for over 30 years.

Esteban Ojeda, Puerto Rico: Esteban Ojeda has been married for eight years. Music has long been intertwined with his faith. Esteban teaches online piano classes and comes from a musical family. He has years of experience directing choirs.

Gianfranco Vizzini, South Africa: Gianfranco lives in Johannesburg with his wife and two small children. He is a trained singer and also played flute, piano and piccolo in the Pretoria Symphony.

Hikari Harvey, Japan: Hikari and her husband are the parents of two young sons. Hikari majored in vocal music at BYU–Hawaii and was the lead in several musicals during her college career.

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Idaliz Santiago, Puerto Rico: Idaliz lives in Trujillo Alto with her husband of 15 years along with their three children. Idaliz has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and studied music and piano during her youth for six years. She has directed the women’s stake choir and the stake choir for 15 years.

JinHyoung Park, South Korea: JinHyoung and his wife are parents to three children. JinHyoung attended BYU–Hawaii, where he studied communications disorders. He also sang with the BYU–Hawaii Concert Choir. JinHyoung’s love of music comes from his father, who was a music conductor.

Miguel Rodriguez, Puerto Rico: Miguel and his wife are the parents to a young daughter. Miguel has played the piano for 23 years and toured the world in the San Juan Bautista Choir. Miguel studied sound engineering in college.

Sundae Mae Indino, Philippines: Sundae started singing at age 3 and has studied piano. She is currently studying marriage and family studies in college. Sundae was also part of the first group of global participants selected to sing at the April 2023 general conference.

Tin Kin Lam, Hong Kong: Tin Kin and his wife are parents to a toddler son. Tin Kin was a fellow BYU–Hawaii graduate from the voice program with Hikari. An instrumentalist from the age of 9, he has been a music instructor for school bands and ensembles in elementary through high schools since his college graduation. He has also been a conductor for a local community choir.

Yanina Murga, Ecuador: Yanina studied accounting and opera singing in college. She was the principal mezzosoprano in an opera company and was a choir director’s assistant. She also studied flute and voice at a music conservatory in Quito. Yanina is the proud mother of two young adult and teenage children.

About The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was founded on August 22, 1847. Since that time, the Choir has given voice to the hopes, joys, trials, and triumphs of people around the world.

In November 2022, the Choir unveiled a broadened mission statement: “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performs music that inspires people throughout the world to draw closer to the divine and feel God’s love for His children.”

This 360-member chorus of men and women, all volunteers, has performed at world’s fairs and expositions, at inaugurations of U.S. presidents, in acclaimed concert halls from Australia and Europe to Asia and the Middle East, on television broadcasts, and now on YouTube and Facebook. The Choir has even been referred to as "America's Choir," as a result of its high standard of popular choral music.

Known from its beginnings as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Choir changed its name in October 2018 to more closely align with its sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Choir is now called "The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square."