Hi! I'm Holly Brimhall, a newborn photographer in Gilbert, AZ. I am the mother of 4 and a lover of ALL things baby. This blog is where I share the life of my family and favorite pictures of my newborn photography sessions.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

A once in a lifetime opportunity....


When the director of the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization announced that they would be combining with the Orange County Mormon Choral Organization to perform at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, we were excited for our oldest, J-Bear, to be able to participate.

We knew that tickets would go quickly once they became available, but little did we know that they would sell-out in record time. Less than 25 minutes to be exact! Luckily, with the help of my little sister, Mindy, we were able to get 3 tickets. One for Brett, one for me, and one for Mindy.

We arrived in Utah just in time for two days of rehearsals and CD recordings and a group picture...
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Dang I love this kid! He turned 12 on our drive to Utah and I need to do a special birthday post for him. He makes being a parent REALLY easy!!!
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While Bear was in rehearsal we spent the day touring church sites with the kids. Later that afternoon Brett took the kids over to play with cousins, while I spent a couple of hours with Bear before the performance at the Tabernacle. We got some early dinner and then spent the rest of our time walking around Temple Square. (Oh my heck, why am I crying already?) He told me how excited he was to be able to go to the temple and how much he just loved the feeling of being close to a temple. He slipped his hand into mine and we walked. We walked around both of the visitors centers, learning about how the pioneers had worked so hard to build the Salt Lake City Temple. As we ended up at the large Christus statue, my heart was so full of love for my son. We sat at the feet of our Savior, his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, and I let the moment engrave an image on my mind that I never want to forget.

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That evening's performance of "Messiah in America" was even better than the first time they performed it. Toward the end of the performance as the children descended down the stairs, joining with the adult choir, I sat in awe with tears streaming down my cheeks. A critic reviewed the event and said that "this performance of 'Messiah in America' was the most profoundly moving musical experience of his life". He added, "Angels were not participating, but listening in awe." After the performance, the audience jumped to their feet, clapping and clapping, while wiping tears. The children sang an encore performance of "Beautiful Savior"... que more tears. The adult choir performed an additional encore and then finally the director just dismissed the choir. I wondered if the audience would ever stop clapping!

And since Mindy was there with her camera, she took a few pictures for me....
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The following day, they spent some more time recording their CD with a matinee performance at Abravanel Hall. I heard wonderful things about that performance, as well. Although, our handsome J said they "didn't get as many claps as the night before".

I'm grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity!

3 comments:

Valora Hintze 9:29 AM  

I was at the Sat. afternoon performance. That was one of the most amazing performances that I have ever seen My heart was touched and my testimony strengthened. Please thank your son for me for being a part of one of the most beautiful experiences of my life!

hcrjfrandall 7:03 AM  

That is so special! What an honor :)

Janelle 9:17 PM  

i would have loved to have been there! i have a sister, an uncle and a good friend in choir, and my mom and another sister in the orchestra. And one more cousin in the children's(teens) choir

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