In 2001, Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square members were singing in rain and cold in an inauguration parade for President George W. Bush.
“I was overwhelmed at their enthusiasm, their optimism, their joy,” then-director Craig Jessop said at the time. “They were cold and wet and should have been miserable, but they were happy. Their smiles and their spirits just radiated. I was so proud of them.”
The choir, then called the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, also received a thumbs up salute from President Bush.
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has participated in seven U.S. presidential inaugurations for six different presidents.
The inauguration of the U.S. president takes place on Jan. 20, and the ceremony includes the swearing in of the incoming president and vice president, traditionally at the U.S. Capitol. The choir has performed at the swearing-in ceremony, concerts and galas, along with parades associated with Inauguration Day.
“The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a great tradition of performing at the [inaugurations] of U.S. presidents,” said Ron Jarrett, then president of the Tabernacle Choir, in 2016. “Singing the music of America is one of the things we do best.”
It was in 1981 at President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration when the choir sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” that he dubbed the group “America’s Choir,” according to the choir’s website and ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The events the choir has participated in include:
- The 1965 swearing-in ceremony for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
- Events at both inaugurations for President Richard M. Nixon in 1969 and 1973; in 1969, the choir performed in the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural concert; in 1973, 30 choir members sang in the inaugural devotional in the White House East Room.
- The parade and swearing-in ceremony for Reagan in 1981.
- In 1989, the choir performed in parades and concerts for President George H.W. Bush’s inauguration.
- In 2001 for President George W. Bush, the choir sang before the swearing-in ceremony and in the parade.
- In 2017, 215 members of the Tabernacle Choir sang “America the Beautiful” during the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
The choir has also performed for several other U.S. presidents, both in Utah and in Washington. These include performances in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1978 and John F. Kennedy in 1963.
The choir performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington in 1974, where President Gerald Ford heard them. It performed at the White House in 1958 for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and for William Howard Taft in 1911.
Below is some of the Church News’ coverage of the choir in previous inauguration events:
1989:
• ‘Nation’s choir’ performs at inaugural events
2001:
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir invited to inauguration
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir on parade
2017:
• From on high: ‘America’s Choir’ graces presidential inauguration, once again
• Choir, Apostles participate in presidential inauguration
The Tabernacle Choir includes up to 360 volunteer singers and a roster of up to 200 orchestra members. A smaller group generally goes on travel assignments. These “musical missionaries” are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and choir members have a monthslong audition process. The choir’s origins date back to 1847, when pioneer members of the Church formed a choir to sing at a conference of the Church weeks after arriving in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley.
The Church maintains a position of political neutrality and doesn’t endorse candidates or parties. Church leaders do encourage members “to be active citizens by registering, exercising their right to vote and engaging in civic affairs, always demonstrating Christlike love and civility in political discourse.”
Note: This article was published on Jan. 20, 2021, and has been updated.
