'My dream has come true': Rainn Wilson sings with the Tabernacle Choir

SALT LAKE CITY — Rainn Wilson said his "dream has come true" after he got to sing with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

He joined the choir and orchestra for a practice last week and watched their Music and the Spoken Word performance on Sunday. He shared his excitement in an Instagram post.

When standing with the men in the choir, Wilson joked that he has the "longest hair here," which is especially true when considering beards.

An Instagram post from the choir on Tuesday said they were "honored" to welcome Wilson. It explained that Wilson is working on a documentary exploring what God means in the modern world and is meeting with people from different faiths as part of the project.

The post included pictures of Wilson meeting with Elder Peter M. Johnson, General Authority Seventy, to discuss faith and the Book of Mormon, playing the tabernacle organ, and watching and interacting with members of the choir.

Wilson is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute in "The Office" and has made multiple comments about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the last few weeks.

One such instance was a video made at Wilson's Soul Boom studio Dan McClellan, who is a member of the church, and Dan Beecher, who hosts a podcast with McClellan. In the video, Wilson and Beecher said they would join the church if they were let into the Tabernacle Choir.

Wilson's "audition" may be a bit off-key, but he hadn't had time to practice.

In another video at the studio, Wilson said he watched missionaries reunite with their families for an hour and 15 minutes at the Salt Lake City International Airport and said the experience was "better than any nature documentary." He said, "maybe these Mormons have got something right" after seeing the families' "genuine adoration."

Wilson was also in Salt Lake City last week as a celebrity guest at the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention.

Members of the Tabernacle Choir said Wilson's visit was a welcome distraction at the ordinarily very strict, 2 1/2 hour rehearsal.

"They kept bringing him up the stairs and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, they're going to sit here next to me,'" baritone Andrew Barnett said. "And sure enough, they sat him right next to me, and he was so kind and just so down to earth and just happy to be there."

Kent Griffith sat on the other side of Wilson.

"My buddy Kurt, right next to me, 25 minutes in the rehearsal, he leans across me and he says to him, 'I own Sahara on DVD,'" Griffith said. "I was like, 'Kurt, play it cool.' And Rainn leans across me, grabs his hand and says, 'That's awesome. I can sign it for you.'"

The singers said Wilson could carry a tune and he had rhythm.

"He was keeping the beat, and then all of a sudden, I feel him starting to keep the beat on me on top of my shoulder," Griffith said.

They said they were touched by his genuine enthusiasm and interest in what they do and who they are.

I said, 'Is this everything you thought it would be?' and he said, 'So much more,'" Barnett said. "He said, 'This is a lot of work.'"

Griffith said he's excited about Wilson's documentary project.

"I can't wait for that to come out, hear what he has to say about faith in God," he said. "I think it's really amazing that he's doing that work."

Barnett says he's glad people think of the choir when they think of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We had one guest who said, 'I've never been prayed for by name before until I've been here,' so I think it touches their hearts and their souls, and really just makes them feel good about what they do and makes us feel good about what we do," Barnett said.

Though their time with Wilson was short, they feel bonded by the experience.

"I hope that he felt something in his time here, that he enjoyed being there and felt something about how we believe and worship Christ through our music," Griffith said.

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