(Read Gerry Avant's blog as she accompanies the Choir on their 2009 tour.)
OMAHA, NEB.
Mormon pioneers sang as they crossed the plains after their exodus from Nauvoo. The songs lifted spirits, helped renew courage and generally provided a distraction from the rigors of their journey.
Members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are following in the footsteps of their pioneer ancestors, literal and spiritual progenitors who trekked westward to "find the place which God hath prepared."
On tour in several Central and Midwestern states, the choir includes "Come, Come, Ye Saints" in its concert program. With its performance in Omaha's Holland Performing Arts Center Tuesday evening, June 23, a circle seemed completed.
It was near here, while camped at Locust Creek in April 1846, that Englishman pioneer William Clayton, upon hearing news that his wife, Diantha Farr Clayton, whom he had left behind in Nauvoo, had given birth to a son. In an expression of joy, he wrote the words of the now-famous hymn set to an English tune.
Nebraska Omaha Mission President Jan E. Newman will finish his tenure the first of July. Having the Tabernacle Choir perform in Omaha and visit the Mormon Trails Center at Winter Quarters is a great send-off, he said.
"This is a sacred area," he said. "It is probably one of the more sacred sites in Church history. Across the street are the Omaha Nebraska Temple and the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery.
"To have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir come here adds to the sacredness and holiness of this place."
It seemed that every third or fourth member of the choir group — singers, orchestra members or guests — could trace ancestry roots through Winter Quarters and nearby Kanesville, Iowa.
Risa Jorgensen said that her great-great-grandparents were at Winter Quarters. "Their names were Johnathan and Ellen Clegg. They wrote about how their daughter went to sleep and her hair froze to the ground. They joined the Martin Handcart Company.
"I am overwhelmed with gratitude for their sacrifices and devotion. They made it possible for me to be here."
Analee Wiser said, "I have many ancestors who were here. When I think of the pioneers who buried their babies, and I think of my own babies who didn't make it and of my husband who died, I tell myself that my ancestors just continued on, and so can I."
At the visitors center adjacent to the re-creation of the Kanesville Tabernacle where Brigham Young was sustained in December 1847 as president of the Church, Sister Wiser searched for the name of one of her ancestors who was in the Mormon Battalion. As she pointed to the name of Gideon Brownell, fellow choir member Richard Weeks pointed to the name of his ancestor, Shadrack Holdaway. The choir colleagues were surprised to learn that their great-great-grandfathers had served in the same unit of the battalion.
In Omaha, the choir performed for its smallest audience of the tour. The 2-year-old Holland Performing Arts Center seats 2,000. Needless to say, the choir performed to a full house.
Chip Davis of the musical group Mannheim Steamroller conducted the choir during the performance. He said conducting the large group was like standing in front of 360 friends.
"To have the opportunity to work with this choir that is so famous and so great to work with really gave me a wonderful opportunity that you don't get everyday," he said. "They are respected worldwide. It just doesn't get any better as far as choirs go. I think they are probably without a doubt the best known [choir] and their reputation is well deserved."
