The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will be performing their annual Pioneer Day Concert this weekend. The featured guest is Katherine Jenkins. I've never heard of her before so I did a quick google search. (Caution: It might be wise to make sure you use strict filters if you want to see the following images that come up for this star) As reported on KSL, the choir extended the invitation to Jenkins while she was performing on "Dancing With the Stars." The performances will feature the breadth of Jenkins' abilities: show tunes, opera, and even a Welsh song. The Mormon Tabernacle singers say they are thrilled to perform with the singer.
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As you know, Deseret Book always records these concerts and then sells the DVD and the CD's. Obviously inviting a certain entertainer/singer will boost sales. Recently Sheri Dew, President of Deseret Book stated in Bloomberg article, "How Mormon's Make Money":
“We here at Deseret Book think families are important, and kids are important, marriage is important, and values are important … and if there are ways we can communicate it, whether through nonfiction or fiction, we want to do it.”
So glad that we invite entertainers to sing at our 24th of July Pioneer Concerts that have the same values as we teach to our Young Women.
In case you missed last years Pioneer Concert. I wrote about it here:
http://barerecord.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post.html
I wonder how the Pioneers feel about how we are honoring them.
Last year's Pioneer Concert was co-opted by a celebration of US militarism. For a worldwide church, I found that inappropriate. Plus, I'm sure Lot Smith would've raised an eyebrow.
ReplyDeleteI don't know; I don't think there is anything wrong with the young woman (I hadn't ever heard of her), but--
ReplyDeleteI certainly could never afford such a thing; I can't afford the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CDs (or rarely; sometimes I get the cheap clips, but I only have a few)--
I don't want it to appear to be 'sour grapes' that I think the church is spending too much on these sorts of things, because I have nothing against musical art (have a family full of musicians)--
but when I think, "I couldn't afford that", I remember that I have good food to eat and a sturdy roof over my little house--
and I think of the many homeless (whether LDS or not) and the people in countries where there are not sturdy roofs overhead--
sounds overly simplistic, but I just wonder about it--
so, it's not about "me"; it's about . . . the financial standard that seems to be set in Salt Lake LDS 'circles'--