Update: July 6, 2017
Singer Alex Boyé will replace Christopher Jackson as the guest artist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Pioneer Day concert.
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Due to unavoidable and unanticipated scheduling conflicts with the filming of his current TV series, Jackson will be unable to join the choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Pioneer Day concerts on July 14 and 15, 2017. Choir officials say Jackson is sincerely disappointed at this turn of events and is looking forward to another opportunity to appear with the choir and orchestra in the future.
“We are delighted to welcome a performer who has received international acclaim for his unique style of music and has been named 2017’s Rising Artist of the Year,” said Mormon Tabernacle Choir president Ron Jarrett. “Alex brings to the stage musical talent, energy and charisma. His ability to involve and command an audience is a force to be reckoned with.”
“I really enjoy singing, and I’m really excited to be able to perform right here in my home town,” said Boye, who is a former choir member. “The biggest blessing is to turn around and look at the 360 friends, choir members, and the 100 orchestra members and actually know them. To me it’s like coming home.”
Boyé is known for his dynamic African-infused songs that have gained over 400 million views on YouTube, garnering him the title of YouTube’s Cover Artist of the Year in 2014. He will perform a half-time show for NFL's Monday Night Football this December in Miami.
Boyé is an “America’s Got Talent” alumnus. He has appeared with the choir numerous times on its “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast, has been a soloist on several choir CD recordings and has appeared on several of its tours.
“The highlight for me was getting a chance to sing at Carnegie Hall,” recalled Boyé. “It was a really big thing for me getting a standing ovation with the choir from doing that show.”
The summer concerts are held in conjunction with communitywide Pioneer Day celebrations to celebrate the arrival of Mormon pioneers to Salt Lake City in the summer of 1847.
“We are standing on the shoulders of all of the hardships and difficulties and things that the pioneers went through, and here we are enjoying the blessings,” reflected Boyé.
The concerts will be conducted by Mack Wilberg, music director of the choir, and Ryan Murphy, associate music director.
The Saturday evening concert on July 15 will be live-streamed on MormonTabernacleChoir.org (motab.org/pioneerday) and the Mormon Channel’s YouTube channels in Spanish, Portuguese, French and German at 8:00 p.m. (mountain daylight time). It will also be carried live over the Church satellite system and aired on BYUtv. After the live stream ends, the concert will be available on demand at motab.org/pioneerday.
Free tickets for these concerts are required and have all been distributed. However, patrons are invited to stand by for last-minute seating each evening. The standby line will form at the north gate on Temple Square at 6:30 p.m. for the evening performances.
These summer concerts featuring music by the choir and orchestra have been a long-standing tradition. Recent guest artists have included the King’s Singers (2016), Laura Osnes (2015), Santino Fontana (2014), Nathan Pacheco and Lindsey Stirling (2013), Katherine Jenkins (2012) and Linda Eder and Brian Stokes Mitchell (2011).