Robert Sands was the first conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...

 after the building of the Salt Lake Tabernacle

Salt Lake Tabernacle

The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah along with the Salt Lake Assembly Hall and Salt Lake Temple.-History:...

 on Temple Square

Temple Square

Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...

 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

. Prior to Sands taking over as conductor, the choir was led by Charles J. Thomas and performed in the "Old Tabernacle", which was also on Temple Square.

Sands was born in Ballinascreen, County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He moved to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, where he was baptized

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

 a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849 and then served for a time as a Mormon missionary

Mormon missionary

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...

 in Scotland.

Sands emigrated to Utah Territory

Utah Territory

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....

 in 1863. He became director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in November 1865. In October 1867, he led the choir in its first performance in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. In 1869 he was succeeded as director of the choir by George Careless

George Careless

George Edward Percy Careless was a prominent Latter-day Saint composer and conductor.Careless was born in London, England. As a child he studied at the Royal Academy in London...

.

Sands died in Salt Lake City at the age of 44.

Sources

• Cornwall, J. Spencer
  J. Spencer Cornwall
  Joseph Spencer Cornwall was a conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the mid-20th century.Cornwall was born at Mill Creek, Utah Territory....
  
  . A Century of Singing (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1958) p. 351.