Church Music Festival
Perhaps not widely known, the Church Music Festival is held annually in November. The live concert originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City and is streamed online on the Church’s broadcast page.
The Church Music Festival began in the 1970s and typically features original compositions by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have submitted their original music and lyrics through the Church Music Submission. The Church Music Submission encourages the development of musical talent and brings new musical works to light by inviting Latter-day Saints to submit original music for consideration, including hymns and children songs, hymn arrangements for choirs, soloists and instrumentalists, and choir anthems. Awards of Distinction, Awards of Merit, and special recognitions may be given in the various categories.
The focus of the festival is to highlight sacred music of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that can inspire faith, teach gospel doctrine, bring joy, offer comfort and foster unity. In 2024, the 90-minute annual global broadcast from the Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City will include performances of current hymns and songs, selections from the new hymnbook, submitted music by members, and music from various regions of the world. Pre-registration is required for the live music training workshops that will be held during the afternoon.[1]
One thing that makes the Church Music Festival unique, said Katie Bastian, music manager in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, is that many of the original composers and lyricists attend in person to hear their creations come to life — some for the first time.[2] The winning submissions are archived in the Church Music Library.
Another purpose of the festival is to help members worldwide feel comfortable with diverse music styles by including members from multiple countries representing different cultures, languages, instruments and ensemble types.
The live stream can be viewed on Broadcast.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the YouTube inspiration channel, Sacred Music app, and Gospel Stream app. The concert will also be recorded for on-demand viewing later on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
