The opening song of “The Morning Breaks” during the “Music & the Spoken Word” on Sunday, July 13, was one of the songs in the first broadcast 96 years ago.
During the final song of the 5,000th broadcast Sunday — “High on a Mountain Top” — music director Mack Wilberg used the baton director Anthony J. Lund used in that first broadcast on July 15, 1929.
The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra and Bells at Temple Square celebrated the 5,000th episode of “Music & the Spoken Word” — the longest continuously running network broadcast in history — on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City with a tribute to the history of the program and those who have participated in and have been impacted by the show.
“‘Music & the Spoken Word’ continues each week as a beacon,” said choir President Michael O. Leavitt during the pre-show. “A beacon of peace, a beacon of light to the world.”
The milestone events included a pre-show, the regular 30-minute “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast followed by an encore musical celebration. The pre-show and the encore celebration were presented to the more than 11,500 people gathered in the Conference Center. The post-broadcast encore celebration concluded with many former choir and orchestra members in the audience coming onstage to sing the final two songs.
Attendees includes two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Elder David A. Bednar and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar; and Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Gong — along with other Church officers and religious, community, business and political leaders.
The choir was also recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters with a commemorative proclamation and crystal, presented by Perry Sook, chairman of the association’s joint board of directors and the CEO of Nexstar media.
“‘Music & the Spoken Word’ is not just the world’s longest running continuous network broadcast,” Sook said. “It’s one of the most meaningful across generations and across the globe.”
He added: “And today’s 5,000th broadcast recording represents more than longevity; it represents unwavering excellence, a commitment to public service, the enduring power of faith and music and the ability of faith and music to unite us.”
For the first episode — done on a Monday afternoon — a single microphone for the choir and announcer was attached to the ceiling, with a long cable connecting it to KSL’s radio controller, located a city block away. Nineteen-year-old Ted Kimball, son of organist Edward P. Kimball, climbed a 15-foot-tall stepladder and announced each song that was sung by the choir.
Sunday’s “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast from the Conference Center was broadcast on the radio and television and streamed online. The show is seen or heard by about 6 million people in 50 countries around the world.
“Music & the Spoken Word” is broadcast on more than 2,000 stations, available on the Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel and on a variety of social media outlets, with captions available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. The Spanish version — with Spanish-speaking narrators and other features — is on the El Coro del Tabernáculo YouTube channel and also broadcast by Telemundo Utah.
‘Music & the Spoken Word’ pre-show
During the preshow, Derrick Porter, who is executive producer, principal writer and presenter of “Music & the Spoken Word,” recognized several people who had contributed to the “Music & the Spoken Word.”
One of those was Lela Christiansen, 98, the oldest known living choir alumni, who sang with the choir from 1964 to 1987.
Others Porter introduced included:
- Elizabeth Ashton, violinist with the Orchestra at Temple Square, who joined when it was created in 1999. Since then, she and her husband, Brigham Ashton, have welcomed 10 children to their family.
- Charles and Florence Rose met in 1900 when they sang together in the choir, became engaged and got married. Now, their great-great-grandson Nathan Givens and his wife, Deborah Givens, sing in the choir.
- Kyle Woodruff, who joined the choir in 2023, is “here each week, contributing and sharing his talents with the world and doing it all while being totally blind,” Porter said.
- Choir member Sarah Clayton represents six consecutive, uninterrupted generations of choir members in her family. Her third-great grandmother, Sarah, was part of the choir in 1883.
- The families of Jane Hillier Clark and Elliott Clark bring together more than 130 years of combined service between them and across both sides of their families as 40 family members have performed with the choir and orchestra, including their niece who sings first soprano. Jane Hillier Clark, who plays violin in the orchestra, was using a violin Sunday that was made by her great-grandfather 112 years ago.
- More than 150 family members of presenter Richard L. Evans, the first presenter of “Music & the Spoken Word” were asked to stand and be recognized. Later in the celebration, past presenter J. Spencer Kinard and his family and the family of Lloyd D. Newell were recognized. Newell is serving as a mission leader for the Church in Los Angeles, California.
5,000th broadcast
After singing “The Morning Breaks,” the choir and orchestra performed “When in Our Music, God is Glorified,” directed by Wilberg. Organist Richard Elliott performed an improvisation on “Hymn to Joy,” based on “Ode to Joy,” and the choir and orchestra performed the thoughtful “Pilgrim Song,” directed by associate music director Ryan Murphy.
Earlier this year, Porter invited people to send in their stories of experiences with “Music & the Spoken Word” and received more than 1,200 responses. One of those was about Caden Simpson, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 6 and how the choir’s “Consider the Lilies” helped comfort him.
Porter said: “The story we share today is emblematic of hundreds of other stories we’ve received and together, these experiences combine to witness that God really is in the details of our lives.”
Former choir music director Craig Jessop, who served from 1999 to 2008, led “Consider the Lilies.” Wilberg used Lund’s baton as he directed the boisterous “High on a Mountain Top” to conclude the broadcast. The Bells at Temple Square joined in on “High on a Mountain Top.”
Celebrating 5,000 episodes
The post-broadcast encore celebration included music, a video tribute, recognition by the National Association of Broadcasters Joint Board and more of the stories. It opened with “O Come Ye Nations of the Earth,” directed by Wilberg.
Porter presented a video tribute that included the voices of previous presenters — Evans (from 1930 to 1971), Kinard (1972-1990) and Newell (1990-2024); music and video from past “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcasts and several of the experiences of those who were impacted by the weekly show, including those from Brazil, Ivory Coast and across the United States.
One of those was Warna Huff, 101, who recalled listening to the first broadcast when she was 5 years old. “What is this?” she asked. Her aunt told her: “This is something you don’t want to forget.”
Porter said that one of the hymns that came up frequently in those responses was “It Is Well With My Soul” — with text written by Horatio Spafford after the death of his daughters on a trans-Atlantic voyage — and the choir and orchestra performed it.
Prior to presenting the recognition to the choir leaders, Sook said that being part of the episode was a “full-circle moment” for him. In the mid- to late 1970s, he worked for a local radio station to pay for college. He was assigned the 6 a.m. to noon shift on Sundays.
“At the appointed hour, I would string up the reel-to-reel tape on the station’s ancient player, and soon thereafter, the dulcet tones of Spencer Kinard would fill the airwaves of southeastern Ohio,” Sook said, noting that the station still airs the program.
For the last two songs —”Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” — Porter invited the former choir, orchestra and bells members to come up on the stage to join the 360-voice choir and orchestra. There were so many choir members that they stood in front of the stage.
“It was very moving to sing with former members of the choir to reflect on the legacy of this organization and the people who came before us,” said soprano Julia Darley.
Tera Nelson, an alto, said it was “unforgettable” to sing in the milestone broadcast and that she was emotional throughout the broadcast and celebration.
“It felt different today. The energy and the emotion of the congregation was palpable. It was so moving. I had tears streaming down my face, pretty much from start to finish,” she said, adding that it was “wonderful” to sing with “friends that I love and miss.”
Todd Russell, who sang tenor with the choir for seven years, said it was “an amazing experience” to be there not only for the 5,000th episode milestone, but to sing with former and current choir members.
“I saw what connects us all in certain pieces of music that I saw every former member of the choir sing. ‘The Battle Hymn’ and ‘God Be With You’ are definitely special to all of us,” he said.
“I’m excited to see what comes next,” Russell said, looking ahead to the 100th anniversary of “Music & the Spoken Word” in a few years.
Porter concluded the celebration: “On this milestone 5,000th episode, we lift our voices collectively in heartfelt gratitude, thanking God for His constant presence and for the blessings He pours out upon the world and for the assurance that He is always with us. And so, in the words of Richard L. Evans, we leave you from within the shadow of the everlasting hills, may peace be with you, this day and always. And may God be with you until we meet again.”
