Clay Christiansen is an American organist who previously played for the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He accompanied the Choir in Salt Lake City and when it was on tour.
Christiansen gave organ recitals in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and the Conference Center.
Christiansen had a fascination with music from an early age.
He was born in the small city of Emery, Utah, in 1949.
He would play on the piano for hours on end.
When neighbor children would come to play he would rather stay in and practice the piano.
He played his first piano solo, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet", in church at the age of six.
He played by ear until the age of eight when he took his first piano lessons.
He was the accompanist for his church Sunday School and Priesthood services and a substitute ward organist at the age of eleven.
Christiansen has a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and masters and Ph.
D.
in Music Composition from the University of Utah (1988).
From 1972 to 1982 Christiansen was the organist for St.
Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City.
Christiansen was also organist at Congregation Kol Ami, a Jewish synagogue in Salt Lake City.
From 1982 to 2018 he had been one of the Tabernacle Organists.
Christiansen and his wife, Diane, are the parents of 13 children.
Christiansen is also a composer.
He wrote the music to the hymn "In Fasting We Approach Thee".
He has written a broad variety of choral, piano and organ compositions and transcriptions.
His works appear in the catalogs of MorningStar Music Publishers, Shawnee Press, Jackman Music Press and SDG Press.
Former Tabernacle Choir guest artist and Tony Award-winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell, is back to remember and relive twenty years of inspiring Christmas concerts. From opera, gospel, and pop singers to Broadway and cabaret stars; from Shakespearean actors and movie and television stars, the Choir’s guest artists provide, not just formidable talent, but a little something for everyone.
Joined by world-renowned vocalist Deborah Voigt and charismatic voice actor John Rhys-Davies, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir ushers in the holiday season with music that celebrates the work of Charles Dickens, the story behind The Night Before Christmas, and many other classic Christmas tales.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square join with one of today’s brightest international singing stars, English tenor Alfie Boe, and internationally renowned TV personality Tom Brokaw, to celebrate being home for the holidays. This inspiring concert manifests the message of the Christmas season—that Christ came to earth to bring peace and joy to all people.
Each year, the Christmas concert presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is seen by more than 85,000 people live and by millions more via television broadcast. This year the Choir was joined by none other than multiple Grammy-award winner Natalie Cole and Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents Ring Christmas Bells, the next musical masterpiece in a series of highly acclaimed and commercially successful holiday albums. Featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell, dubbed by the New York Times as “Broadway’s last leading man,” and Edward Herrmann (Gilmore Girls; Nixon)
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents Rejoice and Be Merry!, the next musical masterpiece in a series of highly acclaimed and commercially successful holiday albums. Rejoice and Be Merry! featuring special guests The King’s Singers, is presented with the originality and sophistication that have made each of these groups a household name.
Internationally acclaimed American soprano Renee Fleming and British actress Claire Bloom join with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs. Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a holiday tradition the entire family will enjoy.
Four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and veteran movie and television star Peter Graves join with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in an extraordinary musical Christmas celebration. This spectacular performance of the Choir's 2004 Christmas concert will be a holiday favorite for years to come.