David Archuleta was endearing; Michael York, distinguished; the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, spectacular.

The music was glorious; the setting, magical; the messages, powerful. The dancers, the orchestra, the bells all added to the special flavor of the night.

It was, in fact, the very essence of Christmas. The annual Christmas concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had all the joy, the reflection, the tradition, the emotion that make the season so meaningful.

Archuleta, who rose to fame as a finalist on “American Idol,” brought youthful exuberance to the task. “It’s mind-boggling to stand in front of the choir, and in front of you — and there are a lot of you,” he told the audience. “I’m so grateful to be here.”

His rich voice was equally at home with traditional carols such as “Joy to the World” and “Gesu bambino”; the sweet and tender “Cat and Mouse Carol,” which talks of how “love came down to earth”; and a soulful “Silent Night.” Archuleta also shared some of his own “pioneer heritage” with a Spanish carol, sung in Spanish: “Los pastores a belen.”

Heritage played an important part in the narration, “Sing, Choirs of Angels,” given by York. As all the best stories do, he said, it begins in the middle, in a humble Welsh home when a child named John Parry was born. The story goes on to tell the story of the beginning — but not the end — of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As both a mason and a musician, Parry set out to build things that last.

The opening “Processional: A Christmas Roundelay” also carried a pioneer flavor. The dancers, choreographed by Carol Iwasaki, were splendid whether they were dancing at an old-fashioned celebration, an elegant ball, in the center of a music box or as if they were angels.

Richard Elliot’s “A Holiday Hoedown for Organ (Deck the Halls)” featured amazing hand and footwork. York’s reading of the Christmas story from Luke, the signature “Angels, from the Realms of Glory,” the rest of the musical tribute to the season all proved the truth of York’s musing that “we feel the presence of our ancestors and of generations after whenever we are joined in song.”

At a press conference Friday morning, Archuleta and York talked about the “extraordinary experience” of appearing on the Christmas concert.

Archuleta grew up listening to the choir, and even now plays their songs on iTunes. And to be joining them at Christmas makes it “even more special,” he said. “What we are celebrating, what we share with the music, what we talk about — at no other time of the year do you feel this way. You can’t deny it. We are singing about and celebrating Christ’s birth. It’s very humbling to think about that.”

For York, who has spent more than 45 years on stage and screen, the concerts provide a sense of continuity, he said. This past year he has spent 550 hours of recording time narrating the Old and New Testaments for a project called “Word of Promise.”

Then he was asked to narrate Luke for a new Catholic Bible project. “I love Luke. He’s such a great recorder. So to get to do Luke on this stage is like a dream fulfilled,” said York. He also just released an album of prayers, “so in my mind, it’s only natural to be here,” he said. But, he added, it’s also “a privilege and an honor to be here, to be part of one of the great celebrations of Christmas that the world puts on.”

Narrating a story involving Welsh heritage was a moving experience, York said. “I’m half Welsh, so I feel that keenly. The courage they had to cross the ocean, the great faith they had. That’s another reason why I want to be here. It’s an extraordinary story worth the telling.”

York is the only one who “could tell that story,” added choir president Mac Christensen. “We are so pleased to have him here. He’s a true, kind, brilliant genius.”

As for Archuleta, “we’ve been trying to get him ever since he was on ‘American Idol.’ He’s just gotten better, so now we have him at his best.”

Choir director Mack Wilberg added his delight in this year’s guest artists. It’s great to feature “one of our own,” as well as to have someone who brings “such stature to storytelling” as Michael York. Noting that it will again be filmed for release on PBS stations next year, Wilberg said, “the concert is our gift, not only to the community, but to the nation.”

We were lucky enough to win again (thanks to Mel, Kris and Mer) in this year’s annual version of the Mormon lottery — tickets to the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. This year’s featured guests were David Archuleta and Michael York.

The tickets are given away by the Church in a lottery to registered applicants, then (particularly this year) some were resold for ridiculous prices on E-bay. Having a big family with lots of applicants scattered all over the country is all you really need to win, we’ve discovered.

It was a delicious treat for the eyes, ears and soul. It’s hard to put into words what you feel when you settle into your seat on a cold winter’s night with 21,000 of your closest friends to feast on the Christmas spirit with the MoTab. The orchestra and choir is sufficient, but throw in David Archuleta and Michael York for good measure and it’s hard to compare!

The music is heavenly, the stage was a brilliant splash of a Christmas fantasy land (I especially loved the houses that looked like gingerbread houses, one of our favorite holiday traditions at our house), and Michael York’s narration of the story about the early beginnings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was moving and emotional. John Parry is not a name I had ever associated with the choir, and that’s why it was so inspiring.

Here’s the story in the Deseret News this morning about the concert.

David Archuleta
Of course, the featured artist was Utah’s own David Archuleta. Wow, what a voice! It’s about as pure as it gets. I loved his rendition of the not-too-familiar carol, the “Cat and the Mouse.” It was a magical evening filled with song, dance, narration, orchestration, lighting, stage decorations and uplifting and inspiring music. Mack Wilberg’s peerless arrangements (seven on this year’s program) continue to impress and delight.

Wow! We were able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert last night by the generosity of my sister-in-law, Juanita. She gave us four free tickets and Scott, Kael, Kalli and I went up to Salt Lake last night. We left at 4 p.m. and decided to take the Trax up. I am so glad we didn’t have to worry about parking up in Salt Lake.

It was cold but we were able to get up there by 6 p.m. and in our seats by 6:20 p.m. Then we could sit back, admire the wonderful set that they put together, watch the camera cranes move around and watch the people fill in 21,000 seats.

The choir filed in at about 7:15 p.m. As a side note, at about 7:25 p.m., President Monson entered with his wife and the whole conference stood and just was quiet. it is a reverent feeling when the prophet comes into a room and makes 21,000 people stop all conversation and stand up to respect him! Kalli really thought that was neat. He sat down and a few minutes later, the concert started promptly at 7:30 p.m.

I wish I could find the words to describe how wonderful it was to be in the conference center. The dancers and orchestra and of course the Choir was just fantastic!!! I had heard of David Archuletta but I wasn’t really into American Idol and hadn’t really followed his career but WOW! I can see why they invited him. What a charasmatic, cute, talented singer!!! It was fun where we sat because one of the cameras on the crane would occasionally pass over our heads, sometimes so close if we reached out, we could touch it. It was such a wonderful concert and so great to be there in person. I am sure that next year, we will want to get the DVD so we can be reminded of the wonderful memories we made last night.