LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — After hearing the missionaries in the Adriatic North Mission sing during her Central Europe ministry last year, President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, said, “Music is your superpower.”
That power was on full display this May when missionaries in Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia performed for community members with Irish singer Alex Sharpe, from the world renowned, all-female Irish music group Celtic Woman.
The concert series featured three performances: May 9 in Belgrade, Serbia; May 10 in Ljubljana, Slovenia; and May 11 in Zagreb, Croatia.
Sharpe grew up in a town in Ireland where she and her family were the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It was a little difficult because we were kind of an anomaly. But even though we were a small group of Church members in Ireland, we were strong,” she told a Slovenian television reporter.
Before becoming a professional singer, Sharpe — who has performed with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, for RootsTech and in many other Church productions — was a travel agent. After many of her clients visited countries like Serbia and Croatia, she said, “They never seemed to want to go anywhere else, so that piqued my curiosity and made me want to visit someday.”
That day came when the Adriatic North Mission leaders, President Brian Cordray and Sister Angie Cordray, invited her to perform with their missionaries.
“I jumped at the chance,” Sharpe said.
To her dismay, Sharpe’s vocal cords became inflamed when she arrived in Croatia, making her think she would not feel well enough to perform. President Cordray sent out an urgent message to all the missionaries, saying: “Call to action right now. Please stop whatever you are doing and unite with us in prayer.”
On a busy transfer day, missionaries stopped and prayed for Sharpe to recover as they traveled in and out of the mission’s five countries of Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. The next day, she started to rebound.
“I’ve never had so many people praying for me,” Sharpe said.
Elder Quinlin Haglund, a missionary from Connecticut serving in Croatia, accompanied Sharpe on the piano and sang with her in the choir.
“Working with Alex was a delightful experience, and watching it come together was so fulfilling,” Haglund said. “We were blessed with miracles, but the biggest miracle was Alex’s fast recovery from her illness.”
Vanda Poje, a friend of the Church who attended the performance, said Sharpe and the missionaries had a special glow about them. Attendees commented that Sharpe had an angelic voice and presence, and when she started singing, they felt drawn to her message and voice.
“It was enchanting and felt like a fairy tale,” said Dragan Simenov, a member of the Ljubljana Branch in Slovenia.
Sharpe said she hopes her music offers listeners a respite from the challenges of life.
“It is always my goal to bring the listener on a journey with me. I don’t like for them to feel like I am singing at them,” she said. “I strive to help them feel that the performance is a shared experience and that we are all sharing and connecting our life stories — the ups, the downs, the things that make us laugh and cry.”
Sister Millie Unsworth, a missionary from South Jordan, Utah, serving in Belgrade, Serbia, accompanied Sharpe on the violin and sang in the choir. She said doing missionary work in this unique way has been a highlight of her mission.
“Alex Sharpe is a beautiful person inside and out and a beautiful singer,” said Unsworth. “The light she shared with our mission brought excitement to our countries, ignited testimonies, and helped bring those present unto Christ.”
Sharpe told a Slovenian reporter that she believes music prepares someone’s soul to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“It is my personal belief that music existed before we came to earth,” she said. “I believe that humans respond so deeply and so strongly to music because our spirits remember it. I also think it is a gift given to us to uplift, comfort, bring joy and help us express ourselves.”
Watch Sharpe’s RootsTech 2023 music video “Faith of our Fathers” online.
— Sister Laurie Snow Turner is a senior missionary in the Adriatic North Mission and an assistant communications director.
