SALT LAKE CITY — “Music & the Spoken Word” has been providing peace and comfort to millions of people around the world for almost a century, and on Sunday, the program will celebrate its 5,000th episode.
During a press conference on Friday ahead of the event, its leaders called the program a gift to the world from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“This is a big moment,” choir President Mike Leavitt said. “Decade after decade, through whatever the condition of the world, there was this sense of constant, constant value.”
He said it was still there through conflicts and world wars — something he said will be true for another 5,000 episodes. Leavitt said continuing to provide “this gift” is a priority for the church, and he does not see any reason for the program to stop.
Reaching the 5,000th broadcast
Sunday’s broadcast will include one of the songs from the very first broadcast, “The Morning Breaks,” and Mack Wilberg, director of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, will be conducting the final hymn with the same baton used in the first broadcast.
Leavitt said the broadcast will feel like all other broadcasts, but it will have some differences. Giving one example, he said that having choir members from the last 50 years join him on stage will be a tender moment for them and their families.
“I think we will all have a chance to reflect on what this has meant to us,” Leavitt said.
Mack Wilberg, music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, smiles after an interview during a press conference on Friday about an upcoming milestone as “Music & the Spoken Word” prepares to air its 5,000th episode at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Individual responses to the program —the unique feelings tailored to each listener’s situation — are why he said the program endures. Leavitt said there are “far too few” programs that produce peace right now, and it’s something the world needs.
“It does connect them to the divine in them, and they respond to it. We all do,” he said.
Wilberg said such a high number of broadcasts is “almost unheard of.” He said it is an honor to be celebrating the milestone, knowing they are standing on the shoulders of thousands of people who participated throughout the years.
He said the continuity is partially due to the “magic and the wonder” of technology,” citing his experience picking episodes to rebroadcast during the COVID-19 pandemic when the choir could not gather.
Derrick Porter, executive producer and host of “Music & the Spoken Word,” said reaching this milestone shows the choir and the church have something to offer the world that is unique and sought after.
Decade after decade, through whatever the condition of the world, there was this sense of constant, constant value.–Mike Leavitt
“This is something that is universally accepted and appreciated by all,” he said.
He said the pre- and post-show for Sunday’s broadcast — which are only available live at the conference center — are “mini concerts” that will tell the stories of orchestra and choir members and listeners around the world. He said clips of the first broadcast will also be played.
“There is a treasure trove of history that is being unrolled as we remember where we’ve been, as we recognize where we are, and as we now focus and look to where we hope to go,” he said.
The pre-show begins at 9 a.m., preceding the main broadcast at 9:30 a.m.
‘Blessing to all’
Wilberg said when he became involved in the program in 1999, it was primarily viewed in the Intermountain West area.
“I think that our predecessors would be completely amazed at the scope of the program now,” he said.
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square perform in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Wilberg said thousands of volunteers have made the program happen, and says when people ask about auditioning for the choir, he warns them it is pretty encompassing for both them and their families. The choir performs between 350 and 400 songs a year, with almost everything sung by memory,
“I have come to just a great appreciation and admiration for the great sacrifice of those who make ‘Music & the Spoken Word’ happen every week,” he said.
He said not just the choir members, who arrive at 7:25 a.m. every Sunday, and the orchestra members, but their families. He said many of the members drive long distances for each practice and event.
Wilberg said they are not trying to reinvent the program, but are trying to make it as appealing as possible to as many people as they can, and are always trying to improve it.
“It never gets old, from week to week. When I program several weeks in advance, I’m always excited about what’s coming. … It’s a great joy, and again a blessing to all,” Wilberg said.
The future of ‘Music & the Spoken Word’
Porter said over the last few weeks, they have received over 1,200 emails with stories about how “Music & the Spoken Word” has impacted people around the world. He said one woman wrote about watching the very first broadcast when she was 5 years old.
“When you read them, they read as a book detailing out the impact that this program has made the world over, beginning on July 15, 1929, coming through to today, this weekend, July 13, 2025, and certainly on into the future,” he said.
Porter said they recently released the broadcast as a podcast for those who find it easier to listen to in that format, and they are also releasing behind-the-scenes interviews on the podcasts. He also said that people can subscribe to receive the spoken word portion of the program via email every Monday.
Leavitt said they want to program to spread geographically and expand the program’s availability. Right now, they have about 6 million listeners and broadcast in 50 countries, but they are working with other languages, time zones and technology issues to spread further.
He said they are starting to expand into Portuguese and have plans to expand into French. Recently, the broadcast became available weekly in Spanish on YouTube and Telemundo Utah.
Leavitt said the program is a partnership between the choir and media outlets, as well as social media and internet companies, who carry it around the world.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.