Genesis
My earliest memories are associated with my father. He took me to the Tabernacle where I heard the choir sing when I was a child. I was amazed at the sound and the feelings I felt. The fact that my father took me and we shared that experience has always stuck with me.
My father was a gifted musician in his own right. He played a lot of instruments (piano, bass, banjo, guitar, trumpet, drums and anything else he could get his hands on) My father's love for music and to get more education lead him to the United States from the small island kingdom of Tonga. It was apparent early on that music was something he wanted to pursue. His first transcripts and grades from BYU are in music. Music was his declared major. It's neat for me to look on his report cards now. He played music by ear and he could read notes. I can't help but wonder what he would have done if he could have finished his education at BYU.
His music aspirations were cut short though. With a growing family and the need to provide for them he focused his attention on their physical needs. This did not hinder his interest however in music. He continued to sing and play the guitar to us as a family on Sunday evenings. It was a family tradition of sorts.
My father was a stickler for our singing, which is why we probably avoided it mostly. We would sing together and my father would point out how we were "under" or too "high" on the note even though to our ears it sounded perfectly right.
As anyone can guess my father naturally shared this passion with us. I began to play the piano and the trumpet at a very young age. My older sister started on the piano and violin. My two brothers play the guitar and bass. My siblings randomly play various instruments.
When he passed away it was as if some of the music of my life died too.
Immediately after my father passed away my mother began serving missions. On her 7th mission she was called to Nauvoo, Illinois. This is a short video when she opened her mission call. I still remember the excitement of her going to Nauvoo. I love that place.
It was there in Nauvoo that it seemed like the old familiar feelings from my childhood memories came back. Watching my mother sing, dance and perform with the other missionaries kindled a fire within me that I felt was lost when my father died. The music was always there I think I just didn't really hear it until then.
It was then, in Nauvoo that I decided to try out for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the next audition process. That would begin the following year in August 2013.
Little did I know that everything, and I mean everything, would fall into place to make this happen.
My father was a gifted musician in his own right. He played a lot of instruments (piano, bass, banjo, guitar, trumpet, drums and anything else he could get his hands on) My father's love for music and to get more education lead him to the United States from the small island kingdom of Tonga. It was apparent early on that music was something he wanted to pursue. His first transcripts and grades from BYU are in music. Music was his declared major. It's neat for me to look on his report cards now. He played music by ear and he could read notes. I can't help but wonder what he would have done if he could have finished his education at BYU.
His music aspirations were cut short though. With a growing family and the need to provide for them he focused his attention on their physical needs. This did not hinder his interest however in music. He continued to sing and play the guitar to us as a family on Sunday evenings. It was a family tradition of sorts.
My father was a stickler for our singing, which is why we probably avoided it mostly. We would sing together and my father would point out how we were "under" or too "high" on the note even though to our ears it sounded perfectly right.
As anyone can guess my father naturally shared this passion with us. I began to play the piano and the trumpet at a very young age. My older sister started on the piano and violin. My two brothers play the guitar and bass. My siblings randomly play various instruments.
When he passed away it was as if some of the music of my life died too.
Immediately after my father passed away my mother began serving missions. On her 7th mission she was called to Nauvoo, Illinois. This is a short video when she opened her mission call. I still remember the excitement of her going to Nauvoo. I love that place.
It was there in Nauvoo that it seemed like the old familiar feelings from my childhood memories came back. Watching my mother sing, dance and perform with the other missionaries kindled a fire within me that I felt was lost when my father died. The music was always there I think I just didn't really hear it until then.
It was then, in Nauvoo that I decided to try out for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the next audition process. That would begin the following year in August 2013.
Little did I know that everything, and I mean everything, would fall into place to make this happen.
