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Show : ' . . - - : ,y ; , . , it - , I ' " " ' ' v " ' 5 " s J ' " J ! 4 ' 1 ' i i ' - 1 . , . - - J s J L .,ff- 4 ?- -Vlr, r ; -1 E v c S ' J Five IVlojor Pre-Christmos Events Schedoled for KistoricTemple Square Five major Christmas musical events will highlight high-light Christmas on Temple Square this 197. season. AH events are free to the public and everyone is cordially cor-dially invited to attend. Visitors also will enjoy the 1970 edition of Temple Square's famed Christmas lights, which transforms, the center block of Salt Lake City into a Yule cen. terpiece of Christas sound and light, in commerora-tion commerora-tion of the birth of the Savior. The Christmas season attractions at-tractions are bringing ever-increasing ever-increasing numbers of visitors visi-tors to the Crossroads of the West. Last year, December Dec-ember for the first time, was second only to August in total number of visitors to Temple Square. August 19G9 counted a total of 409,684 visitors, while December De-cember logged 374,442 visitors.' vi-sitors.' And this year of 1973 is running well ahead of 1969. August, 1970, for example, recorded 463,096 i visitors on Temple Square. Lead off event this year will be the annual Christmas Christ-mas concert of the Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus. Chor-us. Their "Glad Tidings fiom Temple Square" pro-giv.m pro-giv.m wnl be heard in the Tabernacle Friday evening, even-ing, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Musical Mu-sical d. rector and conductor conduct-or Dr. Jay Welch has prepared pre-pared a sparkling holiday tlfenng featuring excel ex-cel pis from "The Messiah," Berlioz, "The Childhood of Christ," Benjamin Britten's "Ceiemony of Carols" and other favorites, including traditional and contemporary contempo-rary Christmas Carols. Featured Fe-atured will be the 100-piece 100-piece Youth Symphony Orchestra Or-chestra and the 32j.voice Mormon Youth Chorus. The organizations, composed of Mormon youth ages 15 to 8 from as far away as Provo, Logan, Heber and Tocele, are by no means untrained. Some of the talented tal-ented youth have upwards of 15 years' musical experience. exper-ience. The groups were organized or-ganized in 1969 to 'record appropriate music for Church programs going out weekly to more than 500 radio and television stations sta-tions in the United States and Canada. Consequently they are rapidly gaining an international reputation. reputa-tion. Critics and composers compos-ers alike have lauded their professional polish, which will be evident in Friday night's concert. Second of the five events occurs Saturday night when more than 5,000 high school youth of all creeds nnrl vaPOCi lam t Vl P Tabe!- nacle for the Annual Youth Songfest. Time is 8 p.m. Musical director this year is Armont Willardsen, veteran vet-eran Salt Lake City high school vocal teacher. Accompanying Ac-companying the singers from 49 schools, ranging from Payson to Weber, will be the BYU Symphonic Symphon-ic Orchestra under the direction di-rection of Dr. Ralph Lay-cock. Lay-cock. Sunday afternoon, Dec. 13, KSL-TV, Channel 5, will present an hour-long program including 30-min-ute segments of each of the ' Friday and Saturday, night events, running from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The third musical at traction combines music with drama and another helping of the Spirit of Christmas in an offering which is becoming a holiday holi-day favorite of many area families. "Amahl and the Night Visitors" will be presented in the Tabernacle Taber-nacle Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, Dec. 14, 15 and 16 at 8:00 p.m. As in previous years, this light opera by Gian-Carlo Gian-Carlo Menotti will be produced pro-duced by the University of Utah Opera Company, under un-der the musical direction of Ardean Watts. The opera tells the touching story of a crippled shepherd shep-herd boy who wants to send a gift to the Christ child in Bethlehem. Scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 17, at 3:15 p.m. in the Tabernacle is tne fourth major musical event the annual Christmas concert ol the Tabernacle Choir. Richard P. . Condie, choir musical director, has pre-paied pre-paied a special program featuring many Christmas season favorites. The 375-voiicc 375-voiicc world renowned Choir will be accompanied by Dr. Alexander Schrei-ner Schrei-ner at the console of the great Tabernacle Organ. Choir President Isaac M. Stewart reports the Tabernacle Tab-ernacle door will open at 7:45 p.m. for the concert.. Final "Christmas on Temple Square" event is scheduled for Sunday, December De-cember 23, at 2 p.m. when the Salt Lake Oratorio Society presents its 55th annual rendition of Handel's Han-del's beloved "The Messiah." Mes-siah." As in all other events, ev-ents, admission is free to this inspiring program presented by the volunteer, non-profit Oratorio Society So-ciety but tickets are necessary nec-essary and can be obtained obtain-ed at Skaggs Drug Cen- onl of lii Vicin,a LCI o aim c i ui.v. '""""J Center on Temple Square. Guest director this year is the celebrated nationally known conductor Walter Susskind. The 1970 version Temple Tem-ple Square Christmas lights will be turned on officially by President Joseph Fielding Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints, at the beginning of the Youth Songfest in the Tabernacle, Saturday evening, ev-ening, December 12. Emphasis Em-phasis has been given this year to the Nativity Scene which has been a perennial favoriate of the Christmas visitors to Temple Tem-ple Square. The special Christmas lights will remain re-main on every evening from Dec. 12 through Sunday, Sun-day, January 3, 1971. Par. ents are encouraged to bring all members of the family to the Temple Square events and features featur-es to witness again the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus the Christ. |