LIMA, Peru — The cheering in the National Stadium began well before The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square took the stage during the “Songs of Hope” concert in Lima, Peru, on Saturday, Feb. 22 — and only stopped as people left the stadium hours later.
Music in the two-hour concert ranged from hymns to pop songs and featured guest artists connected to four South American countries — including Latin Grammy winner Fonseca singing a Primary song. Performance also wove together elements of the cultures of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia.
People lined up outside the stadium in the afternoon, waiting in long lines to get into the stadium where the national soccer team plays. For many, it was the first time they were seeing the choir and orchestra perform live. Once the doors to the stadium opened at 4:30 p.m. and people found their seats, the stadium began to fill, and sections of people would cheer or clap as they waited for the preshow performance and concert to begin.
About 34,000 people filled the National Stadium — the largest open air stadium that the choir and orchestra have performed a full concert in. The stadium seats all appeared full more than 30 minutes before the preshow began, with only some spots in the chairs set up in the field open. Large screens were set up in the front and back of the stadium, so all could see the performers.
Elder Rafael E. Pino, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Church’s South America Northwest Area presidency, welcomed not only the audience in the stadium but also those gathered at watch parties in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified at the beginning of the concert that Jesus Christ is the source of hope and light.
“Lasting hope and peace is possible because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which He carried out in love for us all. His example and teachings illuminate the path on which we must walk in our lives,” Elder Soares said in Spanish. He added, “Tonight, we honor Him, celebrate His love, and give thanks for His blessings in our lives.”
Sariha Moya, the minister of planning for Ecuador and the country’s former acting vice president, said before the concert: “We really love the spirit of music of the Tabernacle Choir. And members of the Church have shared that emotion and those feelings with those friends,” she said.
The first time Moya, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, heard the choir and orchestra live was at an interfaith concert earlier in the week.
“When I heard the choir singing the hymns in Spanish — the hymns I grew up with — I felt the love of God,” she said, adding that it’s a different experience hearing the hymns sung in a person’s native language. She hopes people can feel hope and unity.
Peru is the fourth stop on the all-volunteer Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s multicity, multiyear “Songs of Hope” tour. There are 320 members of the 360-voice choir on tour and 68 members of the orchestra, along with choir leaders and staff.
The concert was streamed on the choir’s YouTube channel and is available for on-demand viewing. There were more than 85,850 views by early Sunday.
‘Canciones de Esperanza’ concert in Peru
In addition to singer Fonesca of Colombia, guest artists included Adassa, known as the voice of Dolores in Disney’s “Encanto” movie and whose parents are from Colombia; Mauricio Mesones of Peru and a former member of the band Bareto; and the Fabre Family trio from Ecuador. Alex Melecio, of Mexico and whose wife’s parents and grandparents are Peruvian, and Yanina Murga, one of the choir’s global participants who is from Ecuador, were the masters of ceremonies.
The 17-member Bolivian band Los Kjarkas played a nearly hourlong preshow, with youth dancers. The audience danced and sang along to the upbeat and lively Andean music.
The “Canciones de Esperanza” — Spanish for “Songs of Hope” — concert began with the sound of a conch shell and feet running as the bells from the opening “Alleluia” rang out and the choir and orchestra performing “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” in both English and Spanish and “Come, Ye Children of the Lord” in Spanish. And the audience responded when they heard the choir singing in Spanish and sang along throughout the events.
Four youth portrayed chasquis — the messengers of the Incan Empire — run through the stadium, each with a traditional costume and details from Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia or Colombia. As the four ran toward the stage, dancers in traditional costumes from the four countries brought out large branches — each with ribbons colors of blue, red, green and yellow representing the forth northwest South American countries. The branches and the trees on the stage represent the ceiba tree, which is found throughout Latin America and is considered sacred in several cultures.
Melecio said: “Tonight, the choir and orchestra have come to us like the noble chasquis of the Incan Empire — messengers who crossed the Andes to deliver important news and precious truth.”
A trio of alleluias followed with the peaceful “Alleluia” by Italian composer Gulio Caccini. Then the soaring “Alleluia,” from “Psalm 150,” by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera that has seemingly disjointed individual parts building before coming together to fill the space with music. The audience stood as the choir and orchestra performed “Hallelujah” from “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel.
After the choir sang the hand-clapping “¡Ah, El Novio No Quiere Dinero!” a Sepharic wedding song in Ladino, a Spanish Judeo language, Adassa came to the stage.
Adassa said in Spanish that her grandmother would say, “Faith and love go together because faith is hope’s best friend.”
“Tonight, we are celebrating hope,” Adassa said. She sang “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto.”
The choir and orchestra, under the direction of director Mack Wilberg and associate director Ryan Murphy, performed three songs from the American songbook: “Music Everywhere,” “What a Wonderful World” and “Cindy.”
Applause and cheers welcomed Mesones to the stage, who is known for his cubmia music. He said, “When the choir told me they were coming to sing about hope, I said: ‘That’s great! Because we are also people of hope, and hope can be expressed in so many ways.”
He sang “La Cumbia del Amor,” to which the audience sang along.
Melecio and Murga did video check-ins with watch parties in Guayaquil, Ecuador; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; and Cali, Colombia — talking live with people at the parties and showing them on the screen in the National Stadium.
Murga introduced her friends Ivan Fabre and his wife, Jenny Hidalgo, on violin, and their daughter Valeria Fabre on cello, all of Guayquil, who performed with the orchestra’s Rodrigo Betancourth, who is also a native of Ecuador. Murga, Ivan Fabre, Hildago and Betancourth all studied together at the same music conservatory.
The Fabre family, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Betancourth played a medley of “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” and “A Child’s Prayer” as the choir sang in Spanish — and the audience sang along.
Singer Fonseca sang “Arroyito,” meaning little stream, a pop song about missing a loved one as they are away.
“When I sing about the arroyito, it’s easy to think about one special person. But actually, there are many special people in our lives. And no one is more important than family,” he said. “Tonight, being with you, I’m reminded that we are family. We are all brothers and sisters.”
He sang “I Am a Child of God” — and he didn’t need to invite the audience to join him as it was already singing along.
Fonseca also sang ““Te Mando Flores” (“I Am Sending You Flowers”) as youth dancers spread out across the stage. He dedicated it “to the first love of our lives: to our mothers and everyone who has been a mother to us.”
Melecio gathered with six youth and young adults — Sebastian Vanegas of Colombia, Mariel Mendoza of Bolivia, Dasha Barrerio of Equador and Jhonatan Vergara of Peru and missionaries Elder Thiago Melo of Iquitos, Peru, and Sister Alisson Miranda of Arequipa, Peru — to share two stories of followers of Jesus Christ in two storm. One is of Jesus Christ calming the water and the other of apostle Peter walking on water. As they shared the stories, Melecio sang “Color Esperanza,” or “Color of Hope.”
“The promises of God are found throughout all the holy scriptures, and they are personal. He has promised to be with us,” Mendoza said.
They invited all to turn on the lights on their phones to let their light shine, and the stadium was filled with thousands of lights.
As the choir and orchestra performed “Let Us All Press On” in English and Spanish, a video showed youth serving in a variety of ways in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia.
Murga noted this year marks the 100th anniversary of when South America was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel.
“Beginning tonight, the choir is helping to commemorate this important anniversary with three historic concerts. You’ve been part of the first one,” she said. The choir and orchestra will go to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in August 2025 and Brazil in February 2026.
Dancers in native dress danced as the choir and orchestra performed songs for each country: “Colombia Tierra Querida,” “A Mi Lindo Ecuador” and “Viva mi patria Bolivia,” and Mesones sang “Contigo Peru” with a standing ovation. The choir reprised the bell ringing “Praise to the Lord, Almighty.”
Melecio added his testimony that Jesus Christ is the Savior and hope of the world. “May our songs of hope always show our praise and love to Him tonight and always.”
The strains of “The Spirit of God” in Spanish and English filled the stadium as the concert ended with the traditional encore farewell of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” also in Spanish.
‘Big blessing for Peru’
Julio Ramirez and Cynthia Reyes Alvarez of Lima came with their two daughters. “Very beautiful,” Ramirez said of the performance. He, like many in the concert, had seen the choir and orchestra perform online and during general conference.
Ramirez said the music, hearing them live and the stage design made it a unique concert.
Alvarez said there was more emotion in the live performance than watching the choir online.
Sofia Yupauqui Prieto of Lima said the concert was “amazing,” “wonderful” and “very beautiful.”
She appreciated the song selection, screens with images that correlated with song, and the international guest artists. Also, Prieto appreciated the sound of a live performance over a recorded one.
Peru Lima West Mission leaders President David Falabella and Sister Sucely Rodas de Falabella came with their children, and the missionaries from the Lima West Mission brought friends they are teaching along with recent converts.
Sister Falabella said: “The concert was amazing. It’s a big blessing for Peru.”
President Falabella said: “I think this concert brought a lot of unity. … For me personally, it brought me closer to the Savior.”
The concert was the first time the Utrillo family — parents and all eight children — were able to be together in their native Peru and be in the same place for the first time in more than 35 years. Elena Utrillo joined the Church more than 60 years ago in Peru, and many of their family now live in the U.S.
Ismael Utrillo, the youngest of the eight children, said: “The concert gives a message of hope and a message of peace and a message of inspiration. … It’s something people need so much.”
Editor’s note: The number of attendees has been updated.
