SEATTLE — They're the most famous choir in the world. And one of the largest. Just ask Barry Anderson.
"I'm like the one guy who knows all the things that can go wrong," Anderson said.
He's the man responsible for feeding, housing and transporting the 550-member Mormon Tabernacle Choir and everything they own, from wardrobe to risers to instruments.
"It looks a lot easier than it is," Anderson said.
The same could be said for skillfully blending hundreds of voices to perfection, and occasionally joining them with special guests, like Angela Lansbury, American Idol's David Archuleta or, on this day, a Seattle TV host.
When the Tabernacle Choir invited KING 5 Evening's Jim Dever to join them for a rehearsal on their recent stop in Seattle, it was a high-stakes dare he could not resist.
"You'll have a good experience," promised Dana Cardon, a choir singer with Seattle roots. "It sounds immediately amazing. And you're kind of swept up in this swirl of sound around you."
With a group this size, music director Mack Wilberg needs every member to get up to speed immediately, so perfect pitch and the ability to read music are a must.
"Joining the choir is kind of like jumping on a moving train and they just sort of sweep you up with it," choir member Lori Hayward said. "Stay high in the pitch and don't use vibrato."
Dever immediately wanders off-key, and immediately looks to blame someone — anyone — other than himself.
"Somebody back there was a little off, I think," he said. "Four rows back and to the right."
But in the end, one slightly off-pitch voice among hundreds does not capsize the choir.
"Build that bridge and unite people through music," Hayward said. "It's what we do."
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