- The Tabernacle Choir concluded its world tour with Hollywood Bowl benefit concerts.
- Performances on June 24-25 raised funds for charities focused on women and children.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will match ticket sales revenue.
LOS ANGELES — On a stage dedicated to legendary composer John Williams, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square opened its Hollywood Bowl performances with the stirring "Call of Champions," which Williams wrote for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and recorded with the choir.
As the sun set over the canyon cove, guest artists Donny Osmond, Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Daniel Emmett and the Bonner Family joined the choir in music centered on a singular message.
"Tonight is all about hope," said host Sebastian Arcelus.
A fitting theme, as the concerts on June 24 and 25 were the final stop on the choir's "Songs of Hope" world tour, and the performances — in collaboration with the O.C. Tanner Gift of Music Trust — raised money for three global charities focused on women and children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said 100% of ticket sales for the event would be donated to CARE, Helen Keller Intl and The Hunger Project, charities that work with the Relief Society organization. The church plans to match revenue from ticket sales to double the impact.
It has been 100 years since the choir's first performance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1926.
"I think the last time I played the Hollywood Bowl I was about 10 years old," said Donny Osmond.
This time, he brought his coat of many colors to share the example of Joseph of Egypt, who overcame despair. Osmond sang two songs from the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," a role he has performed over 2,000 times.
As the choir and orchestra performed "It is Well with My Soul," Block and Arcelus narrated the story of Horatio and Anna Spafford. Horatio wrote the hymn after the loss of his children in a shipwreck. The couple later founded a hospital that cared for mothers and children.
"It's interesting, isn't it? How a local action like buying a concert ticket can actually have global impact," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Relief Society General President Camille Johnson. But she said the concert should serve as a call to action. "It's an invitation to identify the needs of those in our own communities that could use our help."
The performances wrapped the choir's four-year "Songs of Hope" tour, which began in Mexico City and included visits in Manila, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Lima, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
Church leaders encouraged everyone to listen to the recorded music, which would help bring "renewed hope in their lives," said Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
"Music is such a unifying way to get communities together," he said, adding that the joy and excitement of this week's events were palpable.
"This concert is a way to testify of Christ because caring for those in need is at the center of the gospel," Elder Caussé said.
