Temple Square is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediately adjacent to Temple Square. Contained within Temple Square are the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake Assembly Hall, the Seagull Monument, and two visitors' centers. The square was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1964, recognizing the Mormon achievement in the settlement of Utah.
The Conference Center, in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the premier meeting hall for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Completed in 2000, the 21,000-seat Conference Center replaced the traditional use of the nearby Salt Lake Tabernacle, built in 1868, for the church's biannual general conference and other major gatherings, devotionals, and events.
The Salt Lake Tabernacle, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the location of the church's semi-annual general conference until the meeting was moved to the new and larger LDS Conference Center in 2000. Now a historic building on Temple Square, the Salt Lake Tabernacle is still used for overflow crowds during general conference. It is renowned for its remarkable acoustics and iconic pipe organ. The Tabernacle Choir has performed there for over 100 years.
The Salt Lake Tabernacle organ is a pipe organ located in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Along with the nearby Conference Center organ, it is typically used to accompany the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and is also featured in daily noon recitals. It is one of the largest organs in the world. Jack Bethards, president and tonal director of Schoenstein & Co., describes it as an "American classic organ" and "probably one of the most perfect organs ever built."
The Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus (MYSC) was an official musical organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1969 to 1999, composed of young musicians aged 18 to 33. In its 30-year history, MYSC was credited with many television specials, numerous recordings, concerts, and several major tours throughout the United States. The group was disbanded during the 1999 reorganization of the Tabernacle Choir and resulting creation of the Orchestra at Temple Square. The choral arm of the group provided music for the church's annual and semi-annual general conferences, usually during the Saturday morning sessions.
John Parry Sr. was an early Welsh convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the first musical conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
John Jasper McClellan, Jr. served as the chief organist of the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1900 to 1925.
Robert Sands was the fifth conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; however, he was the first after the building of the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to Sands taking over as conductor, the choir was led by Charles J. Thomas and performed in the "Old Tabernacle", which was also on Temple Square.
Edward Partridge Kimball was an American organist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a Latter-day Saint hymn writer.
Fred Lewis Markham was an American architect in the early 20th century who designed movie theatres and many buildings on the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.
Joseph John Daynes was the first organist at the Salt Lake Tabernacle and for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Daynes was born in Norwich, England, to John Daynes and Eliza Miller. The Daynes family later joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then immigrated to Utah Territory in 1862.
The Schoenstein Organ at the Conference Center is a pipe organ built by Schoenstein & Co., San Francisco, California located in the Conference Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organ was completed in 2003. It is composed of 160 speaking stops spread over five manuals and pedals. Along with the nearby Salt Lake Tabernacle organ, it is typically used to accompany the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Schoenstein & Co.'s president and tonal director, Jack Bethards, describes it as "an American Romantic organ" that is "probably more English than anything else."
Frank Wilson Asper was an American composer and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served as Mormon Tabernacle organist from 1924 to 1965.
Clay Christiansen is an American organist who previously played for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Choir), often on the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ. He accompanied the Choir in Salt Lake City and when it was on tour. Christiansen also provided organ recitals in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and the Conference Center.
A magnum opus or masterpiece is the greatest work of a writer, artist, or composer.
Schoenstein & Co. formerly known as Felix F. Shoenstein and Sons, is the oldest and largest organ builder in the western United States. It was founded in 1877 by Felix F. Schoenstein in San Francisco, California; the company is now based in Benicia, California.
The Provo Tabernacle was a tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to 2010 in downtown Provo, Utah, United States. It was a historic icon of Provo and had been home to many religious and cultural events. All but the outer walls of the building were destroyed by fire in December 2010. The LDS Church preserved the remaining outer walls and built a new foundation and interior as part of the Provo City Center Temple, completed in 2016.
The Old Salt Lake Tabernacle, was a tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that was built in 1852 in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. It stood on Temple Square where the Salt Lake Assembly Hall now stands. The building was 126 feet long and 64 feet wide and seated 2,500. It was constructed of adobe bricks. It was also called the Old Tabernacle and the Adobe Tabernacle. It was the original home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Improvements were made in 1860s, but it was demolished in 1877 and replaced with the Assembly Hall, a larger structure.
General Conference is a gathering of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held biannually every April and October at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. During each conference, church members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to the faith's leaders. It consists of five general sessions. From April 2018 to April 2021, the priesthood session was held during the April conference, with a General Women's Session held during October's conference. The Saturday evening session was changed to a general session in October 2021. The conference also generally includes training sessions for general and area leaders. Although each general conference originates from Salt Lake City, the conference is considered an international event for the church. The sessions are broadcast worldwide in over 90 languages, primarily through local and international media outlets, and over the Internet.
The Pioneer Style was a popular style of Utahn architecture most utilized during the years 1847 to 1890. The pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly referred to as Mormons, trekked west into the Utah Territory to seek refuge from religious persecution in the mid-Western and Eastern United States. Because the Latter-day Saints were some of the earliest and significant settlers in the Utah area, the foundational architecture in Utah is largely influenced by these early settlers. Architecture in Utah is highly religious, consisting of temples and church meetinghouses, and European-influenced due to the origins of many of the settlers. Members of the Church valued the institution of education, an idea they carried with them from the Northern States, which resulted in many schools being established for their children. Entertainment was another highly appreciated and valued aspect among the early members of the Church which resulted in the establishment of many theatres and music halls.
