Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra’s ‘Music & the Spoken Word’ celebrates joy through music, African cultures

The “Music & the Spoken Word” on Sunday, April 19, celebrated African culture and joy that can be found as people seek to follow God’s commandments to love Him and others (see Matthew 22:37-39).

Pointing to the lyrics of “How Firm a Foundation” (“Hymns,” No. 85), Elder Edward Dube, a Zimbabwe native and member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said after the broadcast that the Lord promises He will be with people through their challenges. “That promise of joy is real.”

He added: “Joy is not a prize for people whose lives are easy; it is a gift for people who walk with Christ.”

Sunday’s program was being shown live in more than two dozen countries in Africa. The program in the Tabernacle in downtown Salt Lake City also featured a pre-show and post-broadcast performances that were streamed live on Facebook.

For the pre-show program, members of the St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Salt Lake City performed “Tenageru” with a drum accompaniment.

Elder Clement M. Matswagothata, a General Authority Seventy and a Botswana native, and his wife, Sister Novelty B. Matswagothata, were interviewed by Derrick Porter, executive producer and presenter of the broadcast, as part of the pre-show.

“Sacred music draws us closer to a loving Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ,” Elder Matswagothata said. A hymn that had an impression on him was the third verse of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (“Hymns,” No. 60), which says: “In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea, / With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me.”

For the 30-minute “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast titled “The Joy We Share” — under the direction of music director Mack Wilberg and with organist Brian Mathias — The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed “Alleluia Fanfare” and “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”; “Join We Now in Praise and Sing”; “Praise! Praise! Praise the Lord!” with music from a traditional Cameroon processional song; the pioneer-era “Come, Come, Ye Saints”; “How Firm a Foundation”; and “Amazing Grace.”

Videos and images of different countries, cities and people were also shown during the music. During “How Firm a Foundation,” videos of choirs, congregations and people in Africa singing the hymn were shown.

Instead of a single “Spoken Word” message, Porter, who is also the principal writer of the weekly broadcast, shared shorter messages between each musical number — two live in the Tabernacle, and others recorded during a trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria earlier this year and featured comments from people there.

During the messages, Porter pointed out words in languages and cultures throughout Africa that mean “caring for others.” In southern Africa, the word is “ubuntu.” In the eastern African nation of Kenya those words are “utu” and “harambee.” In western countries on the continent, they use “nkabom” in Ghana and “isokan” in western Nigeria.

Even though those are different words, they all point to a divine truth: “Our joy increases as we choose to love.”

Porter continued: “We were made to lift and love each other. And when we do, true joy follows.”

After the broadcast, members of the Parleys Creek Branch (Swahili) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — many wearing colorful native dress — sang “How Great Thou Art” in Swahili. After Elder Dube’s remarks, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra performed the farewell song of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.”

Rispah Otieno, originally from Kenya and who now lives in Magna, Utah, said she will remember the feelings she had while singing with her branch members, who are from many countries.

“At that moment, it didn’t matter where we’re from [or] what we look like, we all come together. All of us came together to be one, and be in one space,” she said.

Esperance Rugomawa and Frederick Ntabwota are a married couple from Rwanda who live in West Jordan, Utah, and are part of the branch.

“It’s a beautiful blessing,” Rugomawa said. Ntabwota added that those blessings include “to be able to sing in our own language, to see the Tabernacle Choir, and then to express our feeling and our love and to see how, as our heart, it was wonderful.”

In attendance were President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, and his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson; Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband. President Rosemary K. Chibota, who was sustained as the Church’s Primary general president during the April 2026 general conference and will begin serving Aug. 1, and her family were also there. President Chibota was born in Zimbabwe.

Porter also noted that it was on April 18, 1853, that missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in South Africa — an anniversary date he realized only during his preparation for Sunday’s “Music & the Spoken Word.”

Now, 173 years later, there are nearly a million members of the Church on the continent.