Latter-day Saint youth around the world are preparing to share their beliefs about Jesus Christ through faith-based music and inspiring messages. The performances will be part of a prerecorded virtual concert that will be broadcast on Wednesday, March 17, 2021.
“Music is the best way to spread the gospel, and it’s a message that you want other people to hear throughout the world,” said Kainoa Sorensen, a youth singer from Salt Lake City, Utah, who will perform in the event.
Sorensen and other singers will deliver songs from the 2021 Youth Theme Album that was released earlier this year.
The originating event premieres in English at 6:00 p.m. MDT, with Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and ASL available on the same date.
The multilingual musical program will be hosted by youth from New Zealand, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Germany, South Africa and the Philippines.
The 40-minute prerecorded and livestreamed program, based on the 2021 Church Youth theme, “A Great Work” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33–34), aims to unite Church youth, friends of other faiths, parents and leaders in a musical celebration of worship.
Download PhotoThe 2021 youth theme was selected in response to President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation nearly three years ago to “enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel” and in coordination with the 2021 course of study for the Church-supported and home-centered gospel curriculum, “Come, Follow Me.”
“Youth all around the world have had a really tough year with this pandemic. A lot of things have been postponed or canceled,” said Mark Beck, of the Priesthood and Family Department who helped organize the event. “But music has not been canceled, and so this is just a fun and exciting opportunity to bring youth together virtually.”
Most Latter-day Saints around the world, including youth, have experienced canceled or limited in-person worship services and activities due to COVID-19 safety precautions.
In the hope of creating a virtual experience that unites Church youth and friends of the global faith wherever they are, the musical festival will showcase Latter-day Saints’ long list of musical talents and combine them with messages of faith, Beck said.
“We’ll have really wonderful music [and] inspiring messages from youth from all around the world,” he added.
In addition to hearing Christ-centered messages from their peers, youth who watch the program will hear messages from President Nelson; Bonnie H. Cordon, the Young Women general president; and Steven Lund, the Young Men general president.
“Music is such a crucial way to get God’s message across because I think it transcends all social, language and economic barriers; it’s able to speak directly to people’s hearts,” said Patch Crowe, a Latter-day Saint singer from Bountiful, Utah.
At a music rehearsal for U.S.-based Latter-day Saint singers in North Salt Lake City, Utah, Crowe sang “If You Believe,” a song from the Youth Theme Album that he says “talks about that all things are possible through faith in Jesus Christ.”
Shortly after the broadcast airs, the music will be available on Spotify, iTunes, the Church’s Sacred Music app and the YouTube.com/StrivetoBe youth channel.
How to Watch
On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, tune in at 6 p.m. mountain daylight time to watch the concert at YouTube.com/StrivetoBe. It will also be available on the Church’s Live Broadcasts page.
How to Watch Later
The recorded broadcast will be available for on-demand viewing on YouTube.com/StrivetoBe, the Church’s Live Broadcasts page and in Gospel Library music collection (online and app). BYUtv will rebroadcast the event on Sunday, March 21, 2021.