Patrice Tipoki To Sing With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

The September 2, 2018 weekly broadcast of Music & The Spoken Word over Labor Day weekend in the U.S. by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square will have a wonderful “Kiwi/Aussie” feel to it! On that date, Patrice Tipoki, a renown, accomplished vocal soloist, born in New Zealand but raised in Australia since her childhood, will perform with the Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square as guest artist and soloist on the Choir’s weekly TV/radio broadcast.

Patrice’s rich history of music and culture stems from her Maori/Irish background. Born into a musical family, Patrice’s love for music was fostered from an early age as she performed early on with her family throughout Australia. Her training continued in voice, violin, piano, saxophone and dance. Her musical debut was in 1991 as one of the royal children in an onstage production of The King & I. Patrice thereafter studied music at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and is one of the youngest to graduate from that university with a BA in Music Theatre.

As one of Australia’s leading ladies, Patrice has performed lead roles in numerous onstage musical productions, including performing the role of Fantine in Cameron Mackintosh’s recent production of Les Misérables in London, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Dubai, and alternating the role of Elphaba for the hit musical Wicked in Australia. Patrice also recently released her debut CD album, A Musical Heart, which has had great success.

Above her many other noteworthy accomplishments, however, Patrice expresses that she is most proud and thrilled to be happily married to Richard Arkins, and a loving mother of three children. Patrice and her family are members of the Sunshine Coast Stake (diocese) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Queensland. Anticipating her upcoming performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Patrice remarked, “For as long as I can remember, it’s been a dream of mine to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They are just heaven! So, to be planning it now feels unreal! I have to admit, when I’m practicing for it I get all teary. But I’m happy to get those tears out now so I can be fully present when we get over there. I’m so excited!”

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a world-renowned, 360-voice Choir founded in August 1847. Lead by Music Director by Dr. Mack Wilberg, the Choir’s members, as well as members of the Orchestra at Temple Square which performs regularly with the Choir, are all volunteers and are not renumerated for their services. Over its history the Choir has performed across the world on numerous world-wide concert tours for presidents, kings, rulers, and royalty, and has recorded over 300 albums.

Awaiting the Choir’s upcoming performance with Patrice Tipoki as guest artist and soloist, Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Ron Jarrett commented, “Patrice Tipoki is a beautiful young woman with a magnificent voice. Coming to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA to perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will become a cherished memory for Patrice as well as for the members of the Choir and Orchestra. It is an honor to continue to feature very talented singers on our broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.”

Music and the Spoken Word is the Choir’s trademark, weekly TV/radio broadcast that started on  July 15, 1929. On the air since that time for over eighty-nine years and thousands of weekly broadcasts later, the award-winning Music and The Spoken Word is the longest continuously-running weekly network broadcast in the world. The broadcast began to be televised in the early 1960’s, and today is carried, live or via tape-delay, by over 1,500 radio and TV stations worldwide.

As she awaits her initial performance with Choir, Patrice expressed, “I am so honoured to be a guest of the Choir and look forward to making music with  them".