Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings at Trump Inauguration

Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Inauguration

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang at the swearing-in ceremony of the nation’s 45th president, Donald J. Trump, just before noon on January 20, 2017. According to a Choir press release, the 215-member choir were dressed in crème-colored coats with matching turtleneck sweaters accented with red-plaid scarves. Conducted by music director Mack Wilberg, they sang his inspiring arrangement of “America, the Beautiful.”

The Choir was accompanied by “The President’s Own®” United States Marine Band® led by director Lieutenant Colonel Jason K. Fettig. The United States Marine Band®, founded in 1798 by an act of Congress, is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization today. This celebrated band performed with the Choir in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on the September 21, 2014 broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. (Watch “The Armed Forces Medley” and “Let Freedom Ring.”)

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed for U. S. presidents of both parties in many settings, including six previous presidential inaugurals. The previous inaugural performances have included swearing-in ceremonies, appearances in the inaugural parade and at the inaugural opening ceremony as well as at a devotional program. The Choir’s participation in these events is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics, but rather a demonstration of its support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power. The 2017 participation in the swearing-in ceremony of the 45th president is the Choir’s seventh inaugural performance.

“The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a great tradition of performing at the inaugurals of U.S. presidents," said Ron Jarrett, president of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. "Singing the music of America is one of the things we do best. We were honored to be able to serve our country by providing music for the inauguration of our newest president."

Because of space limitations on the platform at the U.S. Capitol, the normally 360-voice Choir was limited to having just 215 members perform.  Because so many more Choir members volunteered to sing than the number required, Choir leaders used a random selection process to choose those who would travel to Washington DC to perform.

For more coverage about the Choir’s performance at the 58th inaugural and for detailed information about the Choir’s previous inaugural performances, see the following:

• Mormon Newsroom inauguration coverage
• History of Choir Performances at Presidential Inaugurals
• Blog: How the Choir Almost Missed the 1965 Johnson Inauguration
• Listen to the Choir sing "America the Beautiful" at the Inauguration Ceremony