Performing Arts Management Tour Updates by Randy

Each week Randy sends a report to the Performing Arts Management offices at BYU. All of the touring groups do this and the updates are sent out to the other groups that are out. We thought it would be nice for you to read more about our experiences like the other groups did. Some of this is from the beginning of tour so you may already have heard about what happened. We hope you enjoy. We are now in Helsinki, our last city on tour. We have two shows on Friday then we leave and get home on Saturday.

Outreach at hospital in Copenhagen

The Young Ambassadors performed to a sold out crowd this week in Copenhagen’s Staerkassen Royal Theater for numerous officials who were hosted by BYUs Associate International Vice President, Dr. Erlend Peterson, for a special dinner before the performance. Among the influential Danish citizens attending the event were Copenhagen University lecturer and president of Vor Frue Kirkes Council, Karsten Fledelius. As president of the Vor Frue Kirkes, the home of Thorvaldsens famous Christus statue, he reminisced with BYU group members on his experience of hosting former President Gordon B. Hinckley when he came to see the Christus statue. Mr. Fledelius was obviously deeply affected by his meeting with President Hinckley. Undervisningsminister Bertel Haarder, Denmarks Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, spoke with The Young Ambassadors in their pre-show meeting after the dinner. At the end of the show, he and his wife were deeply touched by the encore, I Am a Child of God, which was sung in Danish and commented on how appropriate they felt this song was when visiting with university officials after the performance. Also in attendance were Royal Ballet dancers, Christina and Sebastian Michanek. Young Ambassador, Jordan Dickison, who served his mission in Denmark, taught and baptized Sebastian in 2007. Earlier in the day, Christina invited Young Ambassador dancers into a dance class taught by the Artistic Director, Master choreographer of the Danish Royal Ballet. Upon arrival in Denmark at 5:30 p.m. after the flight from Salt Lake City through Chicago and London, the group was taken directly to the Copenhagen Stake Center where they presented a fireside for 350 local saints. Two Young Ambassadors who served their missions in Denmark, Jordan Dickison and Lars Bjorn, both bore testimony as the group sang four songs in Danish for a very appreciative capacity congregation. The Young Ambassadors are constantly working on their languages along the way since they will sing those same four songs in Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish as they progress through the tour. In Esbjerg, the company performed under the sponsorship of the local Lions Club. The audience consisted primarily of influential citizens of the surrounding community. These gracious hosts also welcomed The Young Ambassadors into their homes for the night after the performance. The performance was met with a standing ovation and an invitation to return next year when they insist the group must perform two nights, and next time in the largest performance venue in the city. The Young Ambassador students have enjoyed many cultural visits along the way. Highlights included visits to the Vor Frue Kirches and the Christus statue, the Copenhagen Temple, the Little Mermaid statue, and Hans Christian Andersens home and museum. Tour guide, Ronni, who was also baptized by Elder Jordan Dickison while on his mission provided amazing insights into the history of Copenhagen. He also mentioned that his testimony was rejuvenated as he interacted with these enthusiastic ambassadors from Brigham Young University.

Young Ambassadors tour the Norwegian Parliament with leader of the Christian Democratic Party

As The Young Ambassadors began the second week on tour, we left the gentle rolling countryside of Denmark behind, and Anders, our very competent and friendly Swedish bus driver drove our big yellow bus on to the ferry in Hirtshals, Denmark. A few hours on the water and we landed in a new world. Norway’s majestic mountains and rocky shoreline was a magnificent contrast to the landscape of our first week on tour. Arriving in Kristiansand, we drove off the enormous ferry with our two equipment trucks behind us for the lengthy ride to Stavanger. We traveled through 21 tunnels, and our eyes saw unparalleled beauties of nature. The saints in Stavanger came out in full force to participate in our first Norwegian fireside. The transition from the Danish language to Norwegian in our singing for the fireside was amazingly smooth. Host families took such care to provide a comfortable home stay for each Young Ambassador. Eight of our men were invited to participate in early morning seminary at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. It was a thrill to see the youth of the church in Stavanger making sacrifices for gospel knowledge.

Monday morning we traveled on two more ferries and took in some of the most spectacular fjords ever witnessed. How did the early saints leave behind such beauty to gather to our desert Zion? Our debt of gratitude for those early pioneers cannot be easily dismissed. Upon arrival in Bergen we visited Edvard Grieg’s home at Troldhaugen and then to an ancient Stave Kirke that was in the neighborhood of the Bergen LDS Chapel. Our fireside in Bergen was preceded by a delicious American meal prepared by the Relief Society of the Bergen Ward. In The Young Ambassador fireside program, new settings of beloved hymns are interspersed with short speakers who address the subjects: Latter-day Prophets, God So Loved the World, and Heavenly Father’s Plan for His Children. One student, John Hadlock, wanted to honor his Norwegian ancestors and made the commitment several weeks before departure on tour to prepare his entire talk in Norwegian. Those in attendance were on the edge of their seats helping him with his pronunciation as he went along. They seemed to be so thrilled that he was making such an effort in honor of his family’s heritage.

The visit to Bergen’s historic wharf and the Finnish funicular railway, Floibanen, that took the group straight up the side of the highest peak in Bergen was a highlight for The Young Ambassadors. The incredible view from that mountaintop inspired students to present the best performances ever in the Bergen mall later that afternoon and that evening at the Forum Theatre. Bergen’s award winning television producer, Ole-Bjorn Kringstad, who discovered Norway’s singing star, Sissel, loved the performance and commented on the high level of talent among both singers, dancers and musicians. He said we should hang on to our saxophone player, Chris Wilson, who doubles on alto, tenor, clarinet and flute. We’ll miss Chris as he has graduated and will begin his new job as Director of Bands at the brand new Maple Mountain High School this fall.

The bus ride from Bergen to Drammen took us along switchbacks with waterfalls cascading 80 meters down the sheer cliffs on the sides of the road. We passed through 57 tunnels, drove through snow-packed roads with snow swirling around the bus, and an hour later found ourselves once again passing by the evidence of Spring on every side. So many homes are so high up on the mountains, one wonders how they ever make it up the side of the mountain to return home each night. We took the Hardanger Viida route that included a stop and hike to the famous Vorring Fossen (waterfalls). Norway is certainly a land of many contrasts in landscape, in temperature, and in climate. In one bus ride we went from Bergen’s breathtaking spring through the dead of winter and back again as we arrived in Drammen. In Drammen, another fireside was presented to the welcoming members of the Church.

So far on tour, the day in Skien wins all the awards for greatest impact on tour. In one day, we gave a full performance, performed and greeted guests in a VIP Reception before the show, conducted a Music Dance Theatre and a Band workshop with local students, delivered two lectures (Ron Simpson on Media Music and Jeanette Lefrandt on Broadcast Journalism), visited over lunch and dinner with the students at the Hjalmar Johansen School, enjoyed playing ball with handicapped children, participated in the school’s Idol talent performance and taped a television documentary to be broadcast after our departure. All of this was in a city 90 miles away from where we started the morning and after a very informative visit to the childhood home of Henrik Ibsen personally guided by local member and Ibsen scholar, David Isakson. What a day to remember!

Oslo was certainly a highlight. The dignitaries invited to attend the performance and reception prior to the concert, were the elite of Norwegian government and society. Erlend Peterson, who was knighted by the King of Norway, hosted this influential group for the evening. Earlier in the day, the group was greeted in the Norwegian Parliament chambers by Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Carl E. Haugen, where the group sang in response to his welcome. We were guided through the Parliament Building by Dagfinn Hoybratten, current leader of the Christian Democratic Party and former Norwegian Minister of Health and Labor. Later in the afternoon, a performance and three-pronged workshop in the Lillestrom High School with students who emphasize music, drama or dance proved to be one of the tour’s highlights. These students are preparing to take the lead in Norway’s musical theater in the 21st century. Their training was excellent, and they participated throughout the afternoon with great focus and discipline. In the evening, most of those students also attended the performance in Oslo’s prestigious Oslo Konsert Hus. One of the outstanding performance venues in Scandinavia, the standing-room only crowd enthusiastically took in The New Music Makers concert, which would serve as The Young Ambassadors’ fond farewell to the beautiful land of Norway.


The Young Ambassadors sang their sacred repertoire in the United Nations Family Day Concert at the Osterhaninge Kyrke in Sweden.

Leaving Norway and crossing into Sweden, the group traveled directly to Jonkoping. On hand to welcome us to Sweden was a member of the stake presidency, President Sture Nillson, who also hosted the group in 1981. Restored to its former beauty, the beautiful Jonkoping Theater was acoustically and visually the perfect venue for the Young Ambassador show. The intimate nature of this theater allowed audience members even up in the second balcony to see faces and feel the energy of the show. The capacity crowd provided lively and enthusiastic response throughout the performance. On Sunday, preparations were made by local church leaders to translate Priesthood and Relief Society meetings, Sunday School lessons and Sacrament meeting talks into English in order to include our students in their regular worship services. After a delicious potluck lunch with ward members, the fireside Sunday evening was filled with a very receptive group of saints and friends of the Church. One sister from the Jonkoping Ward strongly urged our tour leadership to broadcast this fireside program on BYU Television because of its capacity to strengthen the saints in many parts of the world.

Borlange was selected by local priesthood leaders as the second stop on our tour of Sweden. Bishop Michael Holmgren of the Borlange Ward worked tirelessly to arrange for and provide extensive technical support, catering and marvelous sightseeing experiences for the group not only in Borlange but throughout Sweden. His wife personally sewed a Swedish overnight bag for every Young Ambassador for their ferry ride to Finland. Arriving in Borlange, we pulled up to the Cozmos Theater adjacent to Rock Huset (Rock House) where organizing member, Esa Ahonen, teaches rock music as a means of reaching 90 “at-risk” students in the community. The Young Ambassador Show Band under Ron Simpson’s direction, conducted a band workshop, encouraging students to practice hard to develop strong musicianship and technique. Simultaneously, Randy Boothe and the company participated in a vocal workshop with the local girls’ choir and their director. They were excited to explore contemporary singing as they learned about mix, belt and musical theater classical vocal placements. The next morning, the group visited a Swedish home built before Columbus discovered America. We also donned slickers, shoe coverings and helmets as we descended down a 1600 meter walk into Falun Mine, the oldest copper mine in the world. The evening concert was filled to capacity and local media hailed the performance as full of joy and energy, specifically commenting on the professional quality of our show band.

On Wednesday morning, we visited the world famous Dala Horse factory and watched as carvers shaped the wood and expert painters decorated the horses which have become a world renowned symbol of Sweden. The group was presented with a large Dala horse as a token of appreciation from the Borlange saints. After a lengthy drive, the group arrived in Gavle where the performance was set for Wednesday night. Thursday, we traveled to Sundsvall where the group continued in the Nordic tradition of multiple outreach experiences, dividing the group into two performance/workshop units for 4 visits before our evening performance. Performances at a rest home for the elderly who were joined by a group of handicapped children, outdoor performances on the city square, and a fast-paced workshop with dance teachers from Sundsvall rounded out the day of workshops. Both that evening’s performance and the daytime outreach activities caught the attention of the local media. Both major city newspapers covered BYU’s experience in Sundsvall.

Finally arriving in Stockholm, the group first performed in the US Embassy for embassy personnel and their families. Later that evening, we sang as part of a concert held in the 12th century Osterhaninge Kyrka. This performance of sacred music was an official event for the United Nations Family Day. Started just seven years ago with a few hundred participants, UN Family Day has grown in the past seven years to welcome over 30,000 participants. The Young Ambassadors shared the church venue with children’s choirs who sang with striking beauty and clarity of expression. That same night, the YA Show Band and Technical Crew presented a regional fireside for the Stockholm Single Adults, featuring familiar hymns played by a wind quartet, guitar, piano as well as vocal soloists and speakers. The last full day in Sweden was filled with shopping, an outdoor performance of selections from The New Music Makers at the beautiful Kungstregarden, once again as part of the UN Family Day Celebration. Finally, the evening performance at Stockholm University was a miracle. It was only possible to present our performance with the needed lighting and staging requirements because of a handful of hard-working, responsible young single adults from Stockholm who worked with Bishop Holmgren from Borlange, providing hours of technical support for what turned out to be an outstanding finale for our visit to Sweden. One Single Adult, Thomas Olergard, spent 19 hours on Saturday transporting, building and striking the stage and still attended the Sacrament Meeting in the Gubbangensvagen Ward at 10 a.m. the following morning. Host families from previous cities traveled many hours to once again attend a Young Ambassador performance before we left Sweden. One brother commented to group director, Randy Boothe, “I attended your performance in 1981 when you were here. I enjoyed it very much, but tonight was perfect. When you return to Sweden, I know I will see your next performance even if I must travel many hours to see it.” Swedish Parliament member, Alf Swensen, who is scheduled to speak at BYU in October, attended the evening VIP reception and performance at Stockholm University. Former national director of public affairs for the church, Per Akebrand, sat with him and reported his very favorable response to the entire evening.

Sunday, before departing on the overnight Viking Line ferry to Turku, Finland, Young Ambassadors visited the Stockholm Temple and presented the Sacrament Meeting program in the Gubbangensvagen Ward. Many friendly single adults from Stockholm region toured The Young Ambassadors around the picturesque Old Town section of Stockholm, including the changing of the royal guard and brass band on horseback. Many familiar faces of host families from our week in Sweden were in attendance. We will miss our dear new Swedish friends.