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SPANISH FORK — More than 600 musicians will pay tribute to God and our country Friday in their concert, To Be an American.
Comprised of choirs and orchestras from Utah, Arizona, California and Texas, The Millennial Choirs & Orchestras (MCO) is a faith-based choir involving entire families, with participants ranging from 5 to 75 years old, the associate dean and musical director of the Utah Valley Millennial Choirs & Orchestras (UVMCO), Cory Mendenhall said.
The concert will include new arrangements of religious and patriotic songs and will be narrated by Glenn Beck, who will provide historical context that will help the audience understand what the choirs are singing about, Mendenhall said.
"Millennial Choirs & Orchestras just really believes that we need more sacred music," Mendenhall said. "We need more of an appreciation for sacred music that focuses our hearts and minds on the higher things of life that help us become more tolerable of one another and truly American citizens."
The choirs and orchestras will perform classics such as "How Great Thou Art," "God Bless America" and "America, the Beautiful."
"All of our music really focuses on helping our participants and audiences alike appreciate deity through the power of music that praises Christ, and also really focuses on an appreciation for patriotism, for freedom and for the gifts that God has given us, one of them being our country," Mendenhall said.
All of our music really focuses on helping our participants and audiences alike appreciate deity through the power of music that praises Christ, and also really focuses on an appreciation for patriotism, for freedom and for the gifts that God has given us, one of them being our country.
–Cory Mendenhall
Hosted at the Spanish Fork Rodeo Arena on the Utah County Fairgrounds, the concert will kick off Spanish Fork's Fiesta Days.
Mendenhall said the Fiesta Days organizers saw the performance last year in Abravanel Hall and wanted something that focused on God and patriotism to open their event.
Though MCO doesn't normally perform during the summer or in an outdoor arena, Mendenhall said they felt it was something they should offer the community.
"We feel it's important that we offer the community a common tread through music, that we can build upon our commonalities and focus on the things that bring humans together," Mendenhall said.
Tickets for this event range from $14 to $18 for adults and $9 for children ages 3 to 11. Children ages 2 and under are free of charge. To buy tickets to this event, visit millennial.org or sfcitytix.org.
MCO was founded in Orange County, California, eight years ago by brothers Brandon and Brett Stewart. With the motto "all ages, all faiths, one voice," the organization's mission is to praise God and the freedom of the country.
This concert is hosted by UVMCO, but many MCO participants from California (OCMCO), Arizona (EVMCO) and Texas (DMCO) are also attending the event. This fall, a new MCO will open in Idaho (TVMCO).
