Multistake Choir Performs in “Mongolia’s Got Talent”
Contributed By Po Nien Felipe Chou, Church News contributor
The Ulaanbaatar Mongolia East and West Stakes recently performed in the semifinals for Mongolia’s Got Talent. The choir was first inspired to participate after a BYU choir visited Mongolia in 2008.
Article Highlights
- A Mongolian multistake choir reached the semifinals of the televised show “Mongolia’s Got Talent” last December.
- Choir members said the experience increased their faith and testimony.
“We were obedient to an assignment by our priesthood leaders, and the Lord prepared a way. … Now the whole city talks about the Mormon choir’s participation in Mongolia’s Got Talent.” —Odgerel Ochirjav, president of the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia West Stake
ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA
The combined Ulaanbaatar Mongolia East and West Stake choir reached the semifinals of the second season of the nationally televised show Mongolia’s Got Talent in December 2016. Seminary and institute students ages 14–28 comprised much of the choir, with the exception of a few young married adults. Approximately half of the choir members were returned missionaries.
Television audiences were curious about the choir and how it made it to the national stage. Odgerel Ochirjav, president of the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia West Stake, recalled when this local multistake choir was first organized following a visit from a Brigham Young University choir in 2008. The idea to showcase the choir in Mongolia was something far from his mind at the time.
In January 2016, the stake president’s brother-in-law, Tsogtbayar Samandari, had finished watching the first season of Mongolia’s Got Talent and felt impressed to call President Ochirjav.
“I was watching Mongolia’s Got Talent … and remembered your BYU choir, which was fantastic,” the stake president's brother-in-law told him. “I had a strong impression that your church choir should participate and it would be very interesting because it would be something new.”
President Ochirjav discussed the idea with Sister Unurjargal Purev, the choir director, who in turn discussed it with the choir members. Everyone was enthusiastic about the opportunity. The choir became known as Zion or SION, which was an acronym for Spirit, Faith, Mind, and Union in the Mongolian language.
SION prepared a mash-up of two songs, “Winter Hymnal” and “Rather Be,” which they sang during the first round of competition in March 2016. They needed the votes of three out of four contest judges to move to the next level, and the choir successfully earned all four votes.
“This is new and refreshing to have an a capella choir that moves and dances with the music. In the past I have only seen groups singing without moving in Mongolia,” one judge said.
“I see your faces light up! … We need to put your video on YouTube to showcase this show to the world,” another judge remarked.
Choir members were asked what they would do with the $50,000 grand prize if they won. A judge was impressed when the choir responded by saying they wanted to donate it all as a special Christmas gift to an orphanage. In competing against 400 other contestants, SION was among the 200 talent acts who advanced to the second round, overcoming challenges along the way.
A multistake youth conference was planned for June 2016, and about half of the 35 choir members were involved with it. They had not heard from the producers of Mongolia’s Got Talent until a week before the conference to inform them that they needed to be at the TV studio the following week—the same day of the youth conference.
The youth conference was 480 km, or about eight hours by bus, from the TV studio. The choir discussed the dilemma and decided to go to the second round. A bus was hired, and following the second round, they traveled directly to the youth conference, which started on the same day.
The second round was a series of interviews with the judges, and of the 200 acts, SION was among the 32 to advance to the semifinals.
Following the youth conference, the choir spent the rest of the summer preparing a song in English for the semifinals. However, with only two weeks before the recording in September, the TV producers told the choir they would not be allowed to sing in English and would have to instead sing in Mongolian.
In addition, the size of the choir was reduced from 35 to 29 because four left to study at BYU–Hawaii and two left on missions. The TV producers said that if any others left, the choir would be removed from the semifinals. There was a lot of exposure on social media about the show and the group, and there were many late nights to practice and prepare. The season for this TV show ran from September to December. The choir woke up at 4:00 a.m. to -34C temperatures to participate in the semifinal.
The faith and testimony of choir members increased through this experience. They gained self-confidence, developed friendships, and learned unity.
“By being in the Mongolia’s Got Talent show, I have learned that I should never doubt myself or think that I can’t do something. Singing in the choir has helped me to make many friends,” Sister Bilguunzaya Tungalagtuul said.
“Singing in the choir has helped us to learn how to forgive and support one another,” Sister Nomuungerel Enkhtuvshin added.
Although the choir did not receive enough votes to move on to the finals, the Church received exposure throughout Mongolia. The choir was among those featured in the televised Christmas concert. Many organizations extended invitations for the choir to perform at various events, including the 2016 New Year’s Eve concert in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, with almost 1.4 million people or half of the country’s population.
President Ochirjav said, “We were obedient to an assignment by our priesthood leaders, and the Lord prepared a way. … Now the whole city talks about the Mormon choir’s participation in Mongolia’s Got Talent.”
The Ulaanbaatar Mongolia East and West Stake choir pose for a photo for Mongolia's Got Talent, when the multistake choir performed during the first and second rounds of the competition. Photo courtesy of Po Nien Felipe Chou.
