Katherine Jenkins Sings with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I first heard of Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins when she appeared on the Doctor Who Christmas special in 2010. I didn't know at the time that she was one of the most popular singers in Great Britain. I next heard of her when she joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars for their 12th season. She came in second in the competition.

This weekend I was able to attend the second night of a two night concert where Katherine Jenkins sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I knew that she was an great singer from buying some of her songs, but now I know first hand that she really has an incredible voice. She has a lovely mezzo-soprano range. I was also impressed with how genuine she seems. Katherine seemed excited to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and she had no trouble holding her own with that large choir behind her.

The theme of the concert was the joy of music, and it truly did celebrate how music can make us feel joy, and so many other emotions. It is amazing how music can create emotions that mere words cannot. Many of the songs performed were from musicals, and if you have read many of my posts you know how much I love musical theatre. One of my favorite musicals is Kismet. Many of the songs from the musical are based on the music by classical composer Alexander Borodin. Katherine sang one of my favorite pieces from the musical, "And This is My Beloved." It is such a beautiful song, and Katherine's rendition was so moving.

Katherine sang "The Prayer" written by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster. The song has been sung by many famous singers, including Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, and Charlotte Church and Josh Groban. Katherine sang it with the men in the choir, and her part was beautiful. I didn't like the choir's part of the song as much as I like it when it's sung by just a single voice, but it was still beautiful. Prior to the song, there was a video segment that featured David Foster. He talked about writing the song and what it means to him. I love one thing he said: "The best songs come through you, not from you."

Katherine mentioned that many of the first members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir were from Wales, and when Katherine asked the choir how many of them had ancestors from Wales, the majority of the members raised their hands. Then she introduced her next song, a Welsh patriotic hymn, and she asked her "cousins" to join her. The hymn was very moving, and you could tell that she is proud of her heritage.

Another highlight of the evening was Katherine's rendition of "Habanera" from the opera Carmen. Following the piece, Katherine informed us that a special guest joined her after that song the night before. Mark Ballas, Katherine's partner on Dancing with the Stars, joined her to dance the Paso Doble they performed on the reality competition show. She said that Mark had a family wedding to attend so he wouldn't be performing for us. However, they did play a video of the performance from the night before. It was fun to see the performance.

The concert ended with Rodgers and Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone." It's such a beautiful song, and it's one that really makes the tears well up for me. Carousel isn't one my favorite musicals, even though I've been in it, but I think this piece is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and it has such a great message. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful concert.