For generations, it was known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But the tune changed Friday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it was formally switching the name of the world-famous choir to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, as part of a rebranding effort by the Utah-based church to eliminate the name “Mormon” as a general reference and to instead only call the faith by its formal name. “A new name for the Tabernacle Choir will represent a change after so many years,” said Ron Jarrett, president of the choir. “The name may change, but everything that people know and love about the choir will not only be the same but will get better and better.” Advertisement It’s one of the most high-profile name changes since the church’s president, Russell M. Nelson, announced in August that only the full name — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — be used. Nelson said in a talk in Montreal days after the August announcement that the “name of the church is not negotiable” and that it being called the Mormon Church was “an error that crept in over the ages.” “We know it’s going to be a challenge to undo tradition of more than 100 years,” Nelson said. “The Lord has told us what his church shall be called.” The new name for the choir references the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle at its location on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. According to the church, Mormon was one of the prophets who compiled the historical and religious records of the faith that were eventually translated by founder Joseph Smith and became the foundational text for the Book of Mormon. Irene Caso, spokeswoman for the church, said the Mormon term was a “nickname” that has been used as shorthand for decades. She said the new directive was a way to “reinforce” the name Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The rollout has been ongoing and Caso said “it is a big undertaking.” She said she wouldn’t be surprised if the topic was discussed among members at the chorus General Conference this weekend. The choir consists of about 360 members and has performed at many high-profile events including the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and at presidential inaugurations ranging from President Reagan’s to the 2016 inauguration of President Trump. Advertisement It also has a large recording catalog, including dozens of best-selling Christmas-themed albums, and ones based on show tunes and music performed in remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001. It continues to have its music carried on over 2,000 radio and television stations — more than 4,500 episodes in all — since it began broadcasting “Music and the Spoken Word” in 1929. Andrea Thomas, a marketing professor at the University of Utah, said the choir’s name change might seem dramatic to some, but noted that only one word was dropped in the new name and that the choir would still be found on the same broadcasts and would provide the same listening experience. She said the church’s name, however, was about brand discipline. “The members of the church are part of your communications channel,” Thomas said. “They are starting with the membership and they are hoping it catches on and others start talking about it using the full name.” Advertisement Thomas, who worked for more than 20 years in corporate branding for Pepsico and Walmart, said branding could take anywhere from six months to seven years to put into place. She said rebranding — whether it is Kentucky Fried Chicken changing to KFC or Walmart eliminating the star in its name — is often “a large undertaking.” She said there would be affiliated groups that might have to adjust their branding based on the new directive coming from the 16-million-member church, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City. The Los Angeles Times is monitoring the rebranding, but its stylebook still allows for the use of the word “Mormon.” The Associated Press also reported its stylebook would remain unchanged and the term “Mormon” was still acceptable as a reference — though the news-gathering organization is also monitoring the rebranding effort. Some members of the faith seemed relatively nonplussed by the changes. Advertisement Natalie Gordon, a 46-year-old from Salt Lake City, said although she might feel a little nostalgic about the name, it didn’t appear to change what it meant to her. “I’m not bothered by the name change. I think, in general, the move away from ‘Mormon’ helps members focus more on Christ, so it makes sense to change the name of the choir,” Gordon said. “We didn’t need the word Mormon to distinguish the Tab Choir from all the other tabernacle choirs. And I love making Temple Square more inviting.” The name change also generated a lot of conversation on Twitter, with some having fun with it. “MoTab is no longer MoTab. It is the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. But I will call them the Artists Formerly Known as The Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” tweeted a user identified as Ryan Hannah. Advertisement Caso said the branding change was an ongoing effort but couldn’t say what other announcements might be forthcoming. david.montero@latimes.com | Twitter: @davemontero<doc-sep>The iconic singing group known since 1929 as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir announced Friday that its name has changed to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Little else will change about the choir, according to a release. The name change comes as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is distancing itself from shorthand labels such as "Mormon" and "LDS." In August, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the "Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church." He issued guidelines saying that "Latter-day Saints" was acceptable shorthand. The choir said its new name pays tribute to the Tabernacle, which has been home to the choir since since 1867. The Tabernacle is "known for its one-of-a-kind signature sound shaped, in part, by the superior acoustics of the building where a pin drop can be heard 250 feet away," the release says. The Tabernacle is located on church grounds known as Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It is considered "a place of reverence and worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," the release says. Latter-day Saints believe the church's full name was given by revelation from God to founder Joseph Smith in 1838. "Mormon" refers to the Book of Mormon, the faith's signature scripture. Believers say it is the word of an ancient prophet named Mormon. More:Church leader wants people to stop using 'Mormon' and 'LDS' as substitutes for full name Contributing: The Associated Press<doc-sep>SALT LAKE CITY — The world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir will be singing the same tune but under a new name. The choir was renamed Friday to strip out the word Mormon in a move aimed at ending shorthand names for the religion that have been used for generations by church members and others. The singers will now be called the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a statement. It's a nod to the home of the choir for the last 150 years, the Tabernacle, located on church grounds known as Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. The group had been known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir since 1929, when it began broadcasting a weekly radio program to a wide audience. Church President Russell M. Nelson announced guidelines in August requesting that people stop using "Mormon" or "LDS" as substitutes for the church's full name. He said "Latter-day Saints" was acceptable shorthand. The faith holds that the full church name was given by revelation from God to founder Joseph Smith in 1838. The term Mormon comes from the church's signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, which followers believe is based on the record keeping of an ancient prophet named Mormon. A church webpage that was up before Nelson's announcement described the term Mormon as an "unofficial but inoffensive nickname for members." But Nelson in his August statement urged people not to use Mormon or LDS. The "Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church," he said. Speaking later in Canada, Nelson acknowledged that it would be a "challenge to undo tradition of more than 100 years" but said the name of the faith is "not negotiable," according to a video posted on a church website. He said church members need to use the proper name if they want outsiders to use it. "We're not changing names. We're correcting a name," Nelson said. "Some marketers change names hoping to be more successful — that's not our point. We're correcting an error that's crept in over the ages." In a different video from the trip, Nelson said, "It's not Mormon's church, it's not Moses' church, it's the church of Jesus Christ." The name change will be a big effort for the Utah-based faith that counts 16 million members worldwide. The renaming of the choir is the first step with many changes still to come. The church still uses Mormon in its Twitter handle. The faith's presidents are considered prophets who lead through revelations from God. Nelson, 94, ascended to the post in January after the previous president died. The choir renaming comes a day before Nelson and other Mormon leaders are set to provide spiritual guidance and deliver church news at a twice-yearly weekend conference in Salt Lake City attended by nearly 100,000 people and watched by hundreds of thousands of others on TV and online. The choir of about 360 men and women sings at the conferences and has performed worldwide and at inaugurations of U.S. presidents, including President Donald Trump. Choir President Ron Jarrett called the name change an exciting opportunity for the choir to start a new chapter that aligns the group with Nelson's request. He said the choir's website and social media pages will be updated to reflect the new name. "It is a huge brand for the church. It's been there for a long time and people recognize it," Jarrett said. He added, "I don't think we'll lose people. In fact, we may even gain listeners. ... It will look and feel and sound just like always, but maybe even better." The faith previously embraced and promoted the term Mormon, including with a 2014 documentary about its members called "Meet the Mormons." The church ran a series of "I'm a Mormon" ads on TV and billboards starting in 2010, aiming to dispel stereotypes by telling the stories of individual members. The church tried once before to insist on the use of its full name — in 2001 ahead of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The new effort says Mormon, Mormonism and LDS are not acceptable. Nelson did not speak Friday, and the church did not provide comments from him about the choir name change. Rechristening the high-profile choir puts teeth into the effort to shed the longtime nickname and signals more changes to come, said Patrick Mason, a religion professor who studies the faith at Claremont Graduate University in California. That doesn't mean it will be easy. "If they want to learn more about the religion, they are going to google Mormon," he said. Many members of the church have fond childhood memories of listening to the choir, sometimes affectionately dubbed as MoTab. "There really won't be much a difference. Same music, same beautiful sound. It'll just look different on the brochures," said Deborah McMullin of Stoughton, Wisconsin who visited Temple Square on Friday. Weeding out use of Mormon and LDS completely, though, is going to be difficult, said Chad Guertin, 32, of Magna, Utah. "You want to, you know you should, but it's so habitual in how we've referred to ourselves for so long," Guertin said. "Putting it into practice is harder because we have an awfully long name."<doc-sep>
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was renamed as the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square on Friday, the Associated Press reported. The rebranding of the world-famous choir is part of a broader effort by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to avoid abbreviated names for the church. Its new title is a reference to the choir's home for the past 150 years. The announcement followed an August statement that urged use of the church's full name when referring to the institution. "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," President Russell M. Nelson said in the August statement. "We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months." The religion previously accepted the name Mormon, according to the Associated Press. In addition to creating a 2014 documentary about its members called Meet the Mormons, the church previously ran "I'm a Mormon" ads about its devotees. According to the faith, founder Joseph Smith received the church's full name during a revelation from God in 1838. Mormon derives from the religion's scripture, which is called the Book of Mormon. The choir's music will not be altered despite the name change, president Ron Jarrett said on the organization's website. "The world-class musicianship, the inspiring arrangements and programming will continue," he said. "The name may change, but everything that people know and love about the Choir will not only be the same but will get better and better." The group has performed at seven presidential inaugurations, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Over 16 million people are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to church statistics through the end of 2017. Over 233,700 converts were baptized last year, and as of December 2017, the church had more that 30,500 congregations set up across the world. It also had over 67,000 full-time missionaries and more than 36,100 church-service missionaries at the time. Adherents of the religion are heavily concentrated in the western part of the country, the Associated Press reported in 2014, citing a Gallup survey. Utah had the highest concentration of worshippers, with 60 percent of residents belong to the church. Idaho had the second-highest proportion, and Wyoming had third-greatest concentration.