Craig Jessop, renowned music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, has resigned from his assignment after more than a decade of outstanding service with the choir.
Brother Jessop made the announcement to choir members after their rehearsal Tuesday night, March 4. Associate music director Mack Wilberg will serve as the interim choir director.
"I now find myself at a major crossroads of life. With long and prayerful consideration I have decided to resign as director of the choir," Brother Jessop said. "I look forward to new challenges and opportunities and I intend to keep active in the musical world including teaching — the career that I originally began my musical journey. RaNae and I and our family are looking forward to spending more time together with our children and grandsons."
Choir president Mac Christensen, who worked side by side with Brother Jessop for the last seven years, told choir members that Brother Jessop had taken the choir to great heights with each concert, tour and performance.
"Now the choir, with Mack Wilberg as the interim director, will move forward building on the foundation that both Craig and Mack and their predecessors have helped to lay," Brother Christensen said. "Along with the First Presidency we extend our love and appreciation to both Craig and to his family."
To members of the media on March 5, Brother Christensen described Brother Jessop as "a man who has so much ability" that it would be difficult to define any one particular contribution he has made to the choir, and said he is "an unusual person who has done so many things so well."
In speaking of Brother Jessop's work with the weekly "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast, Brother Christensen said, "He has the ability to lay out a program like no one I've ever been around...and it's done for the right reason and it's perfect. He does it in such a way that everyone loves him; people just want to help, whether it's the camera people, the microphone people or whomever it is. The guy is terrific." He said that in the seven years that he has worked with Brother Jessop, "he has never even raised his eyebrows at me," and that the musicians, stage crew and others "love him because he's nice. He's not belligerent. He listens. He knows what he wants and he is so easy to work with."
He spoke of the work Brother Jessop has done with guest artists who have appeared with the choir over the years. "They'll come in and they (seem to be) wondering about it. He starts to work with them. All of a sudden, they'll do anything for Craig."
Brother Christensen described the relationships that Brother Jessop has built for the Church, the state of Utah and the United States as "unreal....What a magnificent man. What a great ride it has been just to be with him."
Brother Christensen mentioned Brother Jessop's ability to create tour programs that had such appeal that led people to think "all of a sudden, it's not the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it's their choir."
Mentioning that Brother Wilberg will be the interim director, the choir president said, "The beautiful thing is that (Craig) has everything set up. He showed us how to do it. Now Mack Wilberg will come in, and he's been there (with Craig), and he knows what to do. Craig knew of Mack's ability like no one. Mack will...just build on things. In a way, he's bashful; Craig was the front guy. But Mack Wilberg is not bashful (with) the baton. He's not bashful on what he wants. And he's kind and decent."
Brother Jessop was appointed music director and conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in December 1999, after having served as the choir's associate director since 1995.
His vision was to bring the music of the choir to everyone. He once said, "My passion has always been music and the power of music — helping other people in lifting their spirits. And whenever we're on tour I see the emotion that the choir can generate from the audience. It's a wonderful experience."
During his tenure, the choir and Orchestra at Temple Square launched a private record label in March 2003 and subsequently released more than 10 albums, several of which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Classical Music chart.
The choir also received numerous awards under Brother Jessop's musical direction, including the Special Recognition Award from the International Radio and Television Society Foundation and the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush. In April 2004 the choir and its "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast were inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame.
The choir and Orchestra at Temple Square also received recognition from its peers in February 2005, performing to capacity audiences in the Walt Disney Concert Hall and at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles at the invitation of the American Choral Directors Association.
Perhaps one of the most memorable achievements of the choir during Brother Jessop's tenure was its participation at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, performing 20 times including during the opening ceremony.
