Two upcoming free performances in the Salt Lake Tabernacle feature the Temple Square organists — and the Tabernacle organ.
The fourth and final Tabernacle Organ Virtuoso Performance series concert of 2026 is Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. and features organist Joseph Peeples.
Organ Fest XVII is Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and features the Tabernacle organists and Julian Petrallia, the assistant organist and music administrator at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
Tabernacle Organ Virtuoso Performance Series concert
Peeples has been a Temple Square organist since 2019 and also serves on the faculty of the choir’s training school. He accompanies the Temple Square Chorale, the Bells at Temple Square, guest choirs at general conference and other choirs visiting on Temple Square, reports the event notice at TheTabernacleChoir.org.
He served as organist at First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara, California, and as University Organist at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, which is his hometown.
Peeples is a doctoral candidate in organ performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and he earned his Master of Music in organ performance from Brigham Young University.
His program includes songs by Claude Debussy, Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Louis Vierne, Dan Locklair, Ad Wammes and Iain Farrington, according to the event notice at TheTabernacleChoir.org.
The 90-minute concert is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. It’s recommended for those 8 and older. While past Organ Virtuoso Performance Series concerts have been streamed online, this one will be available only in person.
The Organ Virtuoso Performance series began in 2022 and features an organist quarterly on the Tabernacle Choir. National performers and local organists are invited to perform, and one of the Tabernacle Choir staff organists also presents a concert.
Organ Fest XVII
Presented by Classical 89, the concert brings together six organists from the Cathedral of the Madeleine and Temple Square: Petrallia and Temple Square organists Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, Brian Mathias, Linda Margetts and Peeples, reports the event announcement on Classical89.org.
The concert is now in its 17th year and is a gift to the community from Classical 89, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the organists.
Admission is free and open to the public. It’s recommended for those 8 and older. It’s available to view in person. Past concerts have been rebroadcast on Classical 89 BYU-FM radio station after the concert.
More from the Temple Square organists
There is also a free, 30-minute daily organ recital in the Tabernacle at noon Mondays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
See TheTabernacleChoir.org/daily-organ-recitals for information and the weekly schedule.
Playlists of organ music, including “Organ Solos” and “Tabernacle Choir Organ Performances,” are available on the Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel.
See TempleSquare.org for information about parking and other information about Temple Square.
About the Tabernacle organ
The Tabernacle organ currently has 11,623 pipes — and 10 of the largest pipes in the facade on the west end make sound. There are about 11,000 pipes behind the facade and about 600 on the east end.
It has five manuals, or keyboards, and 206 ranks of organ pipes and is among the world’s largest instruments. Its golden pipes are made from wood staves fashioned from Utah timber and still add to the sound of the famous instrument today.
