by Keith L. Brown | Mar 13, 2014 | About Mormons
Lexi Walker is an eleven-year-old sixth grader from Sandy, Utah, who has been blessed with the extraordinary ability to capture the hearts of audiences with her amazing singing voice. Her musical talents have gained her merit and accolades worldwide as she has performed on television, on stage, and in different venues.
Included in her repertoire are such classics as “Pie Jesu” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Requiem” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the first-rate movie The Wizard of Oz. Add to her credits a most recent success of recording “Let It Go” from the Disney movie Frozen with world renowned singer Alex Boyé and the One Voice Children’s Choir which received around half a million views in its first day on YouTube, and 11 million views in the first 5 days.
A Professional Singer
Lexi Walker launched her professional singing career about a year ago. She first made headlines after singing the National Anthem at a Real Salt Lake game in 2013. The YouTube video has gone viral. She has also performed at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and Stadium of Fire. In an interview with Fox 13 News, Lexi was asked when she began singing, and she replied that she has been singing her whole life. She has remarked, “I’ve always loved the performing arts. I love the message that’s in songs… that the world is so fun.” [1]
Lexi is a young girl with a powerful voice and is definitely well beyond her years in being able to interpret music in such an astounding way that has left audiences awestruck. After the Disney movie Frozen was released and the song “Let It Go” became popular, millions of people around the globe began to become familiar with the name Lexi Walker after she teamed up with Alex Boyé to cover the song. The YouTube video is a viral sensation with over 24.5 million views.
The Today Show did a cover on “Let it Go,” because of how popular it is with young girls all over America, who seem to be singing it 24/7. The show featured video clips from YouTube.com of little girls belting the song, showed skaters skating to the piece in Central Park, and featured the New York Children’s Choir performing the song with three accomplished youth soloists, and Lexi was one of them, the youngest and smallest of the three talented girls.
When it comes to music, she loves everything Broadway, Jazz, Pop and Classical. Some of her favorite performances include singing the national anthem for the Stadium of Fire, the Jacksonville Jaguars, being a guest performer at Temple Square and singing for President Monson. She was also named the 2013-2014 Canyons School District K-12 Idol. Lexi is especially grateful for her family and all the support they give her! [2]
A Normal Sixth Grader
Lexi’s family, including her grandmother, have been a major influence in helping her learn to sing. In addition to performing, she also likes to sing for fun.
However, her life is not just about the music, she is a sixth grade student and like most other students, she has her share of homework and school projects which keep her quite busy. Her favorite subjects are math, science, and art. She also loves Thai food, sushi, and lots of vegetables.
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Aug 2, 2013 | About Mormons
For the first time in the ten years the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been online, the official website has been updated. It now has a clean, modern look that offers far more information than the previous version.
Fans of the Choir can quickly find upcoming appearances at the top of the front page. This is followed by news highlighted in bright, colorful boxes—a history of the choir, a study on the impact of organ music, and information on choir auditions highlighted this section the day I visited the site.
Need a quick dose of Mormon Tabernacle Choir music? There are videos right on the website you can watch, including an entire televised special. Putting together a holiday wish list? The site offers a complete listing of products with links for sites that sell the music. You can listen to brief clips of each song on the albums. There is also a listing of places on which to find televised appearances.
A blog keeps fans up-to-date on new developments and offers fun insights into the unique choir and visitors can find out about other related programs, including the orchestra and the bell choir.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is popular with people around the world, regardless of faith. While some of their music is uniquely Mormon, others are of general religious origin and some are just fun or culturally popular tunes. Their concert tours consistently sell out and include a variety of musical styles that surprise many people. They also include impressive soloists, including the very popular Alex Boyé. (more…)
by megan | Jul 31, 2013 | About Mormons
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir represents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the Mormon Church. The Choir is based in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and was established almost as soon as the wagons stopped rolling in the Salt Lake Valley. When the Choir was first started in 1847, it consisted of only a few voices; now, the Choir numbers 360 Latter-day Saint voices.
History of the Choir
Brigham Young, second president of The Church of Jesus Christ, directed a small choir to be formed soon after the Latter-day Saints arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. This choir performed for the Church’s first general conference, or church-wide worship meeting, in the Salt Lake Valley. Since then, the Choir has continued to grow and perform for the Church and the world. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Apr 5, 2013 | Mormons in the News
Rebecca Pedersen, age 21, is one of six winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, one of the most important opera contests in the country. She is a sophomore at Brigham Young University. Rebecca caught the opera world by surprise because she has only been singing for three years and is the second-youngest winner in the sixty years the contest has been running. This was her first opera competition.
She only intended to do the local Salt Lake City audition for the experience. She felt it would help her in the future when she was competing seriously. However, she won, so she then went on to the next level, held in Denver, Colorado and finished up with two rounds in New York, where she also had the opportunity to receive training with the Met’s professional coaches. There were 1800 contestants this year and only two women made it into the final ten candidates. (more…)
by nora | Feb 22, 2012 | About Mormons
by Mike Taylor
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons) are called as missionaries. Members of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Orchestra At Temple Square are all volunteer missionaries. They are called to bear their testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, and are blessed in their callings.
My sweet sister, Susan, was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for twenty years. She volunteered to become a member of that group and traveled the world. Once while the choir was on tour she fell and seriously cut her leg. Elder Russell M. Nelson, a physician who was also an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was on tour with the choir at that time and was able to stitch up the gash. She was able to continue on the tour. She said that she had many spiritual experiences come to her as she sang in the choir. (more…)
Lexi’s family, including her grandmother, have been a major influence in helping her learn to sing. In addition to performing, she also likes to sing for fun.