mike and ruth

The choir visited St. George Saturday afternoon for a concert that evening in the basketball arena at Dixie College. This was to celebrate the anniversaries of the college and of St. George which are being celebrated together in the community. The audience was very large and appreciative of our efforts. It was nice to have a short tour experience for the new members of the choir, allowing them a “taste” of what is coming up in the summer. We stayed that evening and went to a Sacrament Meeting that was specially organized for the Choir and Orchestra on Sunday morning in the St. George Tabernacle. This is the very building where President Lorenzo Snow spoke about the importance of tithing to the members of the church in St. George. The rains did come, as those who know the story will remember. The same pulpit has been preserved and is still in use although it appears that other physical features in the front of the building may have been updated since that time.
The group filled the entire main floor and part of the balcony of the building. We had two very inspirational talks from choir members and a very nice musical number from members of the Orchestra at Temple Square. The choir president gave us a few remarks at the end of the meeting which we very much enjoyed. Rick Elliott really made the 10-rank pipe organ there sound much more full than one would have expected. Thank you everyone for a wonderful Sabbath experience.

The Utah Music Educators Association held their annual mid-winter clinic in St. George the first weekend in February. There was a virtual smorgasboard of activities for everyone. There were performances, demonstrations, classes on many subjects, and inservice training for both active and retired professional educators in the music profession. The subjects of Choir, Orchestra, Band, General Music, and Jazz Band were included for teachers of classes from Elementary to College. This was one of the best varieties of educational opportunity for the music teacher we have seen for a while. A great experience. Makes me proud to be a UMEA member.