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SALT LAKE CITY — The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square announced Friday it will be visiting the Philippines for the first time as part of the choir's world tour.
The choir is embarking on a multiyear "Hope" world tour that started off in Mexico City in June. The next stop for the choir will be in the Philippines on Feb. 20-29, 2024. This trip will mark the group's first ever visit to the country.
"We are pleased to join with the people of the Philippines," choir President Michael O. Leavitt said. "We are confident the choir's concerts will provide a sense of hope by reflecting God's love for all his children."
The concerts will feature guest artists from the Philippines alongside the choir who will be performing "a repertoire that reflects, in part, the musicality of the country. Filipinos are a nation of singing people whose choral tradition started in their Indigenous origins and continues to this day," a statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said.
The Philippines has one of the highest international viewerships of the choir's weekly broadcast, "Music and the Spoken Word," according to the church.
"Music is a universal language and can transcend cultural and language boundaries," said Mack Wilberg, the choir's music director. "We hope our musical message of hope will be felt in the hearts of the Filipino people."
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square has plans to travel at least once a year to a new country for the next four years. Historically, the choir would only travel every other year.
"The goal is for the choir to be more visible globally and to reach as many people as possible with its music," the church statement said.
Information on the venues and how to obtain free tickets to the concerts will be released at a later date.
