BYU-Idaho Choirs and Symphony to premiere sacred music work

in Rexburg, Twin Falls and Salt Lake City 

Brigham Young University-Idaho choirs and orchestra will premiere a new sacred work in November with music written by Robert Cundick and text by Elder David A. Bednar in Rexburg, Twin Falls and Salt Lake City.

Cundick, a well-known Utah composer, has written the oratorio-like work entitled “God’s Everlasting Love” based on text written by Elder Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former president of BYU-Idaho.

In Rexburg, the premiere performance will be held on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium, and a final performance on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Barrus Concert Hall. In Twin Falls, the performance will be held Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Roper Auditorium.

Complimentary tickets for concerts in Rexburg and Twin Falls are available at the BYU-Idaho Ticket Office at (208) 496-2230 or (800) 717-4257, or at www.byui.edu/tickets. Standby tickets will be available at the door.

In Salt Lake City, the performance will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Complimentary tickets for the Salt Lake concert are available at the Temple Square Events Ticket Office at (801) 570-0080 or toll free at 1-866-537-8457.

Under the direction of Robert Tueller, the BYU-Idaho Symphony Orchestra will combine with more than 250 voices from the Collegiate Singers and the Men’s and Women’s Choirs to present this musical performance.

Cundick, who retired as a Salt Lake Tabernacle organist in 1991, was commissioned by BYU-Idaho to write the work. It is patterned after another choral work that he wrote for BYU in Provo, Utah, in 1978 called “The Redeemer.” Thus, it also is performed continuously without pause or applause.

The structure of the work is much like a church service, with a prelude and postlude, invocation and benediction, the main body of the work, and two hymn arrangements.

“It’s worship through music,” Cundick said. “I hope this work will serve as a catalyst for each listener to meditate on God’s love for them. I feel strongly that a combination of music and spoken word intensifies the spiritual experience.”

Sacred oratorios are generally based on scriptural text. “The text for this work was written by a living apostle,” he said. “This has not been done before, so we are plowing new ground.”

Cundick said that he personally asked Elder Bednar to write the text. As former president of BYU-Idaho, “I was struck by the fact that he was and remains so close to the university.”

Robert Tueller, director of the Symphony Orchestra at BYU-Idaho, will conduct the orchestra and choirs in this musical presentation.

In 1989, BYU-Idaho began commissioning Latter-day Saint composers biennially to create religious oratorios based on scripture. The sacred music series has since contributed significantly to the body of sacred music works.

Editor’s Note: For more information about the performance or BYU-Idaho call Don Sparhawk at (208) 496-1152 at BYU-Idaho. Please visit our website at www.byui.edu/sacredmusic .

Brigham Young University-Idaho is a four-year private university located in Rexburg, Idaho. The university, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offers both baccalaureate and associate degrees; integrated degrees and internships that are tailored to fit students' interests; a year-round track system allowing more students to attend; and an extensive Student Activities Program that provides leadership and growth experiences. It is the largest private university in Idaho, with more than 13,000 students enrolled for Winter Semester 2008.

Style Note: When reporting about Brigham Young University-Idaho, please use the complete name of the university in the first reference. On second reference, BYU-Idaho is preferred.