On the next stop of its “Songs of Hope” world tour, The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will be performing a series of concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with five esteemed guest artists.
Raúl Lavié, Maggie Cullen, Dos Más Uno, Soledad Pastorutti and Alex Melecio will join in celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ establishment in South America through three concert dates, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
While in the country, the Tabernacle Choir will also be celebrating its 178th anniversary.
The concert dates are Aug. 19, 22 and 23, with the dual anniversaries colliding on the 22nd. The Aug. 23 performance will be livestreamed on the choir’s YouTube page and to local celebrations across the continent and the Caribbean.
Two tours of ‘hope’
The Argentina and Peru stops — the latter in February of this year — for the multiyear, multicity “Songs of Hope” world tour were intentionally planned to align with the Church’s 100th anniversary on the continent. Both The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s world tour started in 2023, with their message being one of hope.
Choir President Michael O. Leavitt said, “The choir has been inspired by the faith of the South American members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we are eager to celebrate this important anniversary with them.”
South American members have felt much love this year after a recent 100th-year celebration with Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Chile. “All of this began one member at a time, and it continues in the same way,” Elder Stevenson said at the June celebration of the growth of South America.
The Tabernacle Choir will be celebrating its 178th anniversary as well in South America on Aug. 22. The choir will rest for six months before its next stop in Brazil in February 2026.
Raúl Lavié
Lavié’s six-decades-long career has many notable achievements, audiences and films under his belt. He is considered one of Argentina’s most celebrated tango singers and actors after performing on international stages like Broadway in New York City and the Mogador Theatre in Paris, France.
Some of Lavié’s roles are in “Man of La Mancha,” “Pippin” and “Zorba the Greek.” He has sung for world leaders like former U.S. President Bill Clinton and earned multiple awards like the Konex Platinum Award, Estrella de Mar and the Gardel Lifetime Achievement Award.
Maggie Cullen
Cullen is from a generation of singers who put a new spin on Argentina’s folk music, and she performed for the third time at one of the country’s most important folk festivals in 2024, the Cosquín. She has toured Spain and performed specifically in Barcelona and Madrid.
For her debut album, “Canciones del viento,” she won the 2023 Gardel Award for Best Folk Album and the Gardel Best Folk Song. Her music is described to have a “rich diversity of Argentina’s traditional music.”
Dos Más Uno
This Argentine trio of popular Latin American music is made up of Marcelo Dellamea, Hugo Dellamea and Ariel Sánchez. They began in 2012 and for eight years have been the resident band for the popular TV show “La Peña de Morfi.”
Dos Más Uno are acclaimed for their versatility, musicianship and vision of folk music. They perform all over Europe and in festivals across South America with artists like Soledad, Fito Páez, Diego Torres and Yamandú Costa.
Soledad Pastorutti
Pastorutti is an iconic singer-songwriter who hosts and judges “La Voz Argentina” and “Rising Star.” She has won multiple awards over her three decades. She has earned many Gardel Awards, gold and platinum records, two Diamond Awards and many nominations for Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.
She has been nicknamed “La Sole.” Some notable audience members include Pope Francis and Lionel Messi after Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win.
Alex Melecio
Melecio is a writer, performer and storyteller who has performed with the Tabernacle Choir in the past. He has sung all over the Americas and his home country of Mexico. He sang along with Disney’s “Encanto” star Adassa as a guest artist with the Tabernacle Choir in Mexico City.
