David Archuleta to perform in Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square
Jive Records recording artist David Archuleta will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concerts, titled “Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.” Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy will conduct the concerts.
The concerts will be presented in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 8 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 17, and Saturday, Dec. 18, both at 7:30 p.m. The weekly half-hour CBS radio broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word” on Sunday, Dec. 19, at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Center will also feature David Archuleta. This will be followed by additional music from the previous performances in a mini-concert.
The singer/songwriter rose to instant stardom in 2007 when, at the age of 16, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of “American Idol.” In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, having received 44% of the 97 million votes. Later that year he released his self-titled debut album that contained the hit song “Crush,” which has sold over 2.3 million digital units to date, and went on to sell over 750,000 albums. Last year, he released a seasonal album, “Christmas From the Heart” and recently released his new album “The Other Side of Down.” He also released a memoir “Chords of Strength” earlier this year, which made the New York Times best seller list.
“I am so excited to have this opportunity of performing with the choir,” the young performer said. “I have enjoyed listening to their music all of my life, and feel very honored to be a part of this unforgettable experience.”
Music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Mack Wilberg said, “We are very pleased that David will be able to join us for our concerts this year. We’ve watched his growth as a performer from our own community to his now international acclaim. We are delighted to join his talents with those of the Choir and Orchestra for our Christmas performances.
Random Ticket-Selection Process
Free tickets for these concerts and the “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast are required. Because of high demand for tickets to this event in past years, tickets are distributed through a random selection process.
Those interested may register on the Internet at www.lds.org/events for the opportunity to receive tickets from Saturday, Oct. 9, at 12:01 a.m. through Monday, Oct. 18 at 11:59 p.m. Those without Internet access may register over the phone at (801) 570-0080 (local) or at 1-866-537-8457 (toll free). All registrations received during those two weeks will have equal chances at receiving tickets in the random selection process.
Not all registrations will be selected to receive tickets, and only one registration per household can be accepted. The maximum number of tickets that a household may request is four. Tickets will be mailed to those selected shortly after the registration process closes. Persons not selected to receive tickets will be notified by e-mail.
Standby tickets for those without tickets will not be issued. However, patrons are invited to stand by for last-minute seating each evening and on Sunday morning for the “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast. The standby line will form at the North Gate on Temple Square at 6 p.m. for the evening performances and at 7:30 a.m. for the Sunday broadcast.
The doors of the Conference Center will open at 7 p.m. for the Dec. 16 performance, at 6 p.m. for the Dec. 17-18 performances and at 8 a.m. for the Dec. 19 broadcast. The length of the evening performance will be approximately 90 minutes. The broadcast and mini-concert on Sunday should last roughly an hour.
Seating is limited to those 8 years of age and older. Given the increase in traffic due to other scheduled downtown holiday events, guests are asked to allow extra time for travel and parking in order to be seated 30 minutes before the performance begins.
