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SALT LAKE CITY — The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square's "Music and the Spoken Word" will premiere in Spanish later this month.
The June 25 premiere is part of the choir's push to increase its reach internationally. The choir will sing primarily in English, but all other components of the broadcast will be in Spanish, including the graphics and text. Narrated "spoken word" segments will be filmed on location in Mexico during the choir's tour in June.
Bonneville Distribution has secured new television and radio stations in Mexico to broadcast the weekly half-hour program to over 30 million viewers. The company is also attempting to partner with broadcast stations in South America and the United States.
"People around the world hear 'Music and the Spoken Word' each week. There are millions more that would listen if it were available in their language rather than a dubbed voiceover of the English-language version," Choir President Michael O. Leavitt said in a statement. "Likewise, we want the visuals which accompany our music to be more relatable to our audience. These changes will also motivate more television and radio stations to carry our program."
The broadcast will feature four Spanish-speaking narrators: Garna Mejia, Alex Melecio, Ana Yslas, and Pepe Valle. Mejia — a former KSL-TV reporter who now works for the church's communications department — will be the first Spanish narrator for the pilot and the first woman to narrate the "spoken word" portion of the broadcast.
"I am thrilled that viewers, like my mother, will soon hear 'Music and the Spoken Word's' inspiring messages in their own language. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful effort," Mejia said in a statement. "Since its beginning, women have lent their voices to the choir and been a driving force in the program's success. I feel humbled to know that I am building on their legacy as a female narrator."
A Portuguese broadcast of "Music and the Spoken Word" is also in the works.
"This is a pilot. We are confident it is going to be well received. When we are able to prove it successful in Spanish and Portuguese, we will go to other languages because our goal is to have 'Music and the Spoken Word' heard throughout the world," Leavitt said.
Correction: A previous version misspelled Alex Melecio's last name.
