- The Tabernacle Choir began its São Paulo tour with a powerful concert on Thursday.
- Brazilian choir members Alvaro Martins and Alan Silva expressed joy performing at home.
- Famous artists joined the choir, delighting the audience with memorable collaborations.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square kicked off its first of four concerts in São Paulo, Brazil, delivering an awe‑inspiring performance in one of the city's most unique venues — a renovated historic train station transformed into a grand music hall.
This stop marks the choir's sixth destination on its "Songs of Hope" world tour.
For two choir members from Brazil, it was a homecoming they never dreamed would be possible and a chance to sing in their home country.
"It's been a feeling that I can't even describe. I'm filled with joy," choir member Alvaro Martins said. "I've saw some people (in the audience) I knew before and they were here, and it was just, you know, an occasion that you won't forget. It's just unforgettable."
"It was an honor for me to sing in my country, to my people, and to people that I love," Alan Silva, another Brazilian choir member, said. "I could see faces when I was singing the first song in Portuguese. Their face is just, like it was incredible. It was incredible."
One standout moment of the evening came when two well‑known Brazilian cast members from the musical "Wicked," Fabi Bang, who played Glinda, and Myra Ruiz, who played Elphaba, joined the choir onstage to sing "For Good." The moment was a crowd‑pleasing collaboration that blended Broadway with the choir's signature style.
Bang also sang "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, and Ruiz sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" composed by Paul Simon.
Nathan Pacheco, another famous musical artist, also joined the choir onstage toward the end of the program.
Brazil — the largest country in South America — is known for its vivid landscapes, music, dancing and vibrant colors. That energy was on full display as locals welcomed choir members with traditional dancing at a culture celebration dinner the day they arrived.
The choir last visited Brazil in 1981, more than 40 years ago. Its opening concert in São Paulo was attended by political, religious and government leaders, many of whom described the experience as unforgettable.
Among them was Rabbi Uri Lam.
"I felt like I was in the sky, on the clouds. It was beautiful, beautiful, beautiful," Rabbi Lam said.
Monge Ryozan, a Buddist monk, also attended.
"The beauty was so wonderful, that we just experienced, it reflect the sacred," he said. "Like symphony and harmony between choir and all the instrument. Most important thing I've seen in my life."
The choir is now preparing for three additional concerts in a much larger venue, at the Ginasio do Ibirapuera, where performances are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
