The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square “Songs of Hope” concert in the National Stadium in Lima, Peru, will feature musical artists representing Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. The artists were announced on the Church’s Spanish-language Newsroom and on the choir’s Instagram and the Church’s South America Northwest Facebook pages.
The concert will include Colombian artist Juan Fernando Fonseca, known as Fonseca; Adassa, known as a the voice of Dolores in Disney’s “Encanto” and who has Colombian roots; Mauricio Mesones of Peru and a former member of the band Bareto; Los Kjarkas, Bolivian group known for their Andean music; the Fabre Family from Ecuador; and Alex Melecio, who is from Mexico.
The concert on Feb. 22 will also include a cultural display from more than 100 dancers showcasing traditional Peruvian dances. Los Kjarkas will also perform during the pre-show presentation.
Mack Wilberg, music director of the Tabernacle Choir, said: “We are thrilled to have these talented Latin American artists join us on this tour. Their participation not only enriches the show, but also reinforces the message of hope and unity that we want to convey through music.”
The Tabernacle Choir first went to South America in 1981, when they performed in Brazil. The upcoming tour stop will be the first time the choir and orchestra have visited Peru.
The concert on Saturday, Feb. 22, will be streamed on the choir’s YouTube channel.
About the artists
- Adassa, who is a Golden Globe, Oscar and Grammy award recipient, previously performed with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra during the tour stops in Mexico City, Mexico, in 2023 and in southern Florida in September 2024. While she grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Adassa’s parents are from Colombia.
“I’m beyond excited to know that they’re going to be going to this side of the world where my blood, my people come from,” Adassa said in an interview during the Florida tour stop. She is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the choir and orchestra’s sponsoring organization. “I’m so grateful to know that those Saints are going to be able to get the performance of this amazing choir. …. It’s going to be a gift for them, truly, and I know they are going to receive it with open arms.”
- Fonseca, who is a seven-time Latin Grammy Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, received the first-ever Contemporary Icon Award at the SESAC Latina Music Award in 2015.
In 2024, he won best contemporary tropical album at the 25th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony for his “Tropicalia” album.
- Mesones sings traditional Peruvian music, including cumbia, with a contemporary twist.
“I am very honored to be at this wonderful event!” Mesones wrote in Spanish on the choir’s Instagram post.
- Fabre Family includes violinist Jenny Hidalgo Chavez from; cellist Valeria Fabre and violinist and educator Iván Fabre. All have either performed with or are currently part of the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra in Ecuador.
- Los Kjarkas, the Bolivian group who will perform in the pre-show, play Andean folk music, including saya, tuntuna, huayno and carnavales. They have founded two schools teaching Andean folk music — in Lima, Peru, and in Ecuador.
- Melecio, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also previously performed with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra during the tour stops in Mexico City, Mexico, in 2023 and in southern Florida and Georgia in September 2024. He is one of the hosts of the Spanish-language “Music & the Spoken Word.” In 2012, he was a finalist on “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento.”
“So excited to visit Peru with the Tabernacle Choir and these tremendous artists. It’s going to be an unforgettable event! See you on the 22nd!” he commented in Spanish on the choir’s Instagram post.
‘Songs of Hope’ tour
In November 2022, choir leaders announced that the choir’s tours would be shorter and more frequent. Previously, the choir and orchestra’s tours or travel assignments have been every few years with stops in many countries or states in a single trip. They appeared mostly at smaller concert halls.
Now, the choir and orchestra are traveling twice a year for shorter times, performing in larger venues for free and streaming at least one of the performances, as they “anchor and radiate.”
In June 2023, the choir and orchestra’s first stop was in Mexico City, Mexico, where they performed “Esperanza” concerts at the Toluca Cathedral and at Mexico City’s National Auditorium, the latter of which seats about 10,000 people. Sharing messages and songs of hope, the two concerts in the National Auditorium featured guest artist singers Adassa and Alex Melecio, one of the narrators for the Spanish “Music & the Spoken Word,” and radio host Mariano Osorio.
The Philippines was the second stop on the “Himig ng Pag-asa” or “Melody of Hope” tour, in February 2024, with a sacred music concert at the University of Santo Tomas and two concerts in the SM Mall of Asia Arena. It featured singer and actress Lea Salonga, singer-songwriter Ysabella Cuevas and TV personalities Suzi Entrata-Abrera and Paolo Abrera.
The third stop was in the southeastern U.S. in September 2024. The first concert of the southeastern U.S. tour stop was a bilingual Spanish/English concert in south Florida on Saturday, Sept. 7, with singers Adassa and Melecio.
The choir and orchestra traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, and joined with the Morehouse College and Spelman College glee clubs on Monday, Sept. 9, for a concert at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on the Morehouse College campus. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the choir and orchestra performed during a 9/11 tribute in the Georgia State Capitol in the morning. In the evening, the choir, orchestra and both college glee clubs performed in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena with surprise guest artist Kristen Chenoweth.
In August, the choir and orchestra are scheduled to go to Argentina.
On all of the stops, select concerts have been available on YouTube, with area members and congregations encouraged to hold watch parties.
The tour includes most of the members of the 360-voice volunteer choir and 85 members of the orchestra, along with choir leaders and staff. 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 orchestra was organized in 1999, and up to 85 musicians from a roster of 200 volunteers perform with the choir during the weekly “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast and other special events.
For more on the choir’s tour, see choirworldtour.com.
