David talks about the MoTab shows

Singer-songwriter, “American Idol” finalist and Murray native David Archuleta will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concerts, titled “Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.”

In an interview, Archuleta (who turns 20 on Dec. 28) said he began rehearsing with the Choir Tuesday, and admitted being star-struck. As a child he grew up listening to “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcasts, and day-dreaming about how “cool [it would] be to be in the Choir, especially for the Christmas shows,” he said.

When Archuleta was approached earlier this year, he was surprised, and said, “There was a little bit of time when I freaked out.” And then when he rehearsed with them for the first time, he said he told himself, “Wow.” He continued: “You feel so small. It was humbling.” Archuleta’s biggest challenge, he said, is to “complement all those other voices and instruments,” and to avoid being “self-indulgent.”

He considers this to be one of the highlights of a signing career that has only just begun. After tonight’s performance, he will be the downtown Deseret Book (45 W. South Temple) from about 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. signing copies of his latest album, “The Other Side of Down.”

Salt Lake Tribune