5 Questions about General Conference and the Choir

I get asked a lot of questions about the choir and General Conference. The following are five questions I am often asked. This is based on my experience and I speak only for myself.

1. Do you get to talk to --name of General Authority--?

No. The choir loft is separate than where the General Authorities come in. We arrive early to the Conference Center to rehearse and have a short break before the session begins. Time is tight. General Authorities also come through part of the Conference Center. Believe me, it's tight security and there are a lot of people but everything is organized to maximize people getting in and out of the building. So, no.

That being said, sometimes your paths do cross. I remember walking up the ramp back to the Tabernacle and President Uchtdorf and his wife came by on a cart. He said a quick "Thank you!" and "Great job!" as they were whisked away. I smiled and waved back. There was also the time I almost ran over Elder Oaks in the parking garage. That would have been awful. He just smiled and waved.

2. What is like to sit up there (in the choir loft)?

Amazing and sometimes very tight.

That amazing part is seeing so many people in the Conference Center. Sometimes you can see their faces and reactions to announcements. It's also neat to see some behind the scenes interactions with General Authorities. The handshaking, the conversations, the real connection these people have in associating with each other. This is the amazing part.

The tight part is because the seats are very close together so there is not a lot of room. You can't tell when we are standing but some of the seats in the choir loft are actually smaller than other seats. For the men's section where the basses sit, row 6 has more seats than it should. The seats are not as wide. So, if you are assigned to row 6, you know it will be tight. The benefit though is that you get to know your fellow seat-mates very well.

For General Conference, they have smaller monitors at the bottom of the choir loft for people to see what is on the screen but it's hard to see if you sit higher up in the choir loft.

3. How do you not cry during a song that is emotional?

Sometimes I do. Sometimes the music is overwhelmingly powerful. Unfortunately, I think some of that power is lost when it is broadcast to a screen. There is something about hearing the music live that makes a huge difference.

I also want to point out that many of us are focused on good choral singing techniques we learned in choir school. These include things like: posture, breathing, diction, interpretation of the musical line, dynamics, attention to the conductor, singing with high vowels, blending your voice with those around you, blending with the entire choir, presentation, etc. All these things go on in the mind of a choir member during a song so it's not merely standing up and singing a song as a group. These things occupy a choir members mind. It's about being smart, implementing these things and being cohesive.

4. Why do they always show the men and women (the middle section) and not the other parts of the choir on tv?

They show a lot, actually. I do know they show the middle section more but if you ask me why I don't know. I can guess but I'd probably be wrong. My guess though is that it's nice to see men and women on the screen. Women especially. They look better anyway. No offense to my brothers. LOL.

5. When do you start learning music for General Conference?

It varies but it is usually a week or two weeks before General Conference. That's it. Considering we only hold one rehearsal a week (and an additional rehearsal on Tuesday before General Conference) that isn't a lot of time for us to put things together.

The music for General Conference is specific for the occasion. Yet, we sing all kinds of music. If you want to see what kind of music the choir sings, watch Music and the Spoken Word for a taste. Yet, there are pieces we only perform on tour. There are songs we only sing once in a while for special occasions. There is a lot of music and a lot of genres.

This answers questions I have received.