Clay Christiansen

Clay Christiansen


in Emery, Utah, USA
Clay Christiansen is an American organist who previously played for the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He accompanied the Choir in Salt Lake City and when it was on tour. Christiansen gave organ recitals in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and the Conference Center.

Christiansen had a fascination with music from an early age. He was born in the small city of Emery, Utah, in 1949. He would play on the piano for hours on end. When neighbor children would come to play he would rather stay in and practice the piano. He played his first piano solo, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet", in church at the age of six. He played by ear until the age of eight when he took his first piano lessons. He was the accompanist for his church Sunday School and Priesthood services and a substitute ward organist at the age of eleven.

Christiansen has a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and masters and Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Utah (1988). From 1972 to 1982 Christiansen was the organist for St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City. Christiansen was also organist at Congregation Kol Ami, a Jewish synagogue in Salt Lake City. From 1982 to 2018 he had been one of the Tabernacle Organists.

Christiansen and his wife, Diane, are the parents of 13 children. Christiansen is also a composer. He wrote the music to the hymn "In Fasting We Approach Thee". He has written a broad variety of choral, piano and organ compositions and transcriptions. His works appear in the catalogs of MorningStar Music Publishers, Shawnee Press, Jackman Music Press and SDG Press.

Movies for Clay Christiansen...

20 Years of Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Title: 20 Years of Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Character: Organist (Archive Footage)
Released: November 26, 2021
Type: Movie
Former Tabernacle Choir guest artist and Tony Award-winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell, is back to remember and relive twenty years of inspiring Christmas concerts. From opera, gospel, and pop singers to Broadway and cabaret stars; from Shakespearean actors and movie and television stars, the Choir’s guest artists provide, not just formidable talent, but a little something for everyone.
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A Merry Little Christmas with Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville
Title: A Merry Little Christmas with Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville
Character: Organist
Released: October 12, 2018
Type: Movie
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was recorded over three nights in December 2017 in front of a live combined audience. Hosted by Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville.
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O Come, Little Children
Title: O Come, Little Children
Character: Organist
Released: October 17, 2017
Type: Movie
O Come, Little Children features classic Christmas songs beloved by children and adults everywhere. Performed by the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir, accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square, and featuring the singularly beautiful voice of acclaimed tenor Rolondo Villazon, this album takes the listener on a joyful journey through timeless classics that celebrate the season. Rolando's powerful tenor voice shines on classic carols "I Saw Three Ships," "Deck the Hall," and "We Three Kings." Delightful renditions of "Christmas Children" from Scrooge and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" are performed by the Orchestra at Temple Square, followed by Rolando's tender reading of the celebrated short story "The Little Match Girl," by Charles Dickens. This album will whisk you away to once again see the childlike wonder of Christmas.
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Hallelujah! Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Laura Osnes
Title: Hallelujah! Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Laura Osnes
Character: Organist
Released: December 19, 2016
Type: Movie
Broadway's Laura Osnes and British actor Martin Jarvis join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for a Christmas celebration that also features Metropolitan Opera soloists Erin Morley, Tamara Mumford, Ben Bliss and Tyler Simpson.
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Hallelujah!
Title: Hallelujah!
Character: Organist
Released: October 7, 2016
Type: Movie
In this recording, from the Christmas concerts held on historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square present the story of George Frideric Handel’s life through song. On the verge of being broke, Handel struggled to write his celebrated oratorio, Messiah. The story behind Messiah celebrates freed debtors, charitable giving, rescued children, and the Messiah's mission to save God’s children from spiritual death. With its Christ-centered focus, Hallelujah! invites listeners to feel the true meaning of Christmas. The music includes favorites such as “Do You Hear What I Hear?” performed by Osnes, “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” and many more, including a breathtaking rendition of “For unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Metropolitan Opera soloists. The Christmas story, as told in the book of Luke in the New Testament, is poetically narrated by Jarvis.
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Let The Season In
Title: Let The Season In
Character: Organist
Released: October 14, 2014
Type: Movie
Joined by world-renowned vocalist Deborah Voigt and charismatic voice actor John Rhys-Davies, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir ushers in the holiday season with music that celebrates the work of Charles Dickens, the story behind The Night Before Christmas, and many other classic Christmas tales.
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Home for the Holidays: Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square
Title: Home for the Holidays: Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square
Character: Organist
Released: October 1, 2013
Type: Movie
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square join with one of today’s brightest international singing stars, English tenor Alfie Boe, and internationally renowned TV personality Tom Brokaw, to celebrate being home for the holidays. This inspiring concert manifests the message of the Christmas season—that Christ came to earth to bring peace and joy to all people.
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Once Upon A Christmas Featuring Jane Seymour and Nathan Gunn
Title: Once Upon A Christmas Featuring Jane Seymour and Nathan Gunn
Character: Organist
Released: September 4, 2012
Type: Movie
In December 2011, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square were joined by Emmy-award winning actress Jane Seymour and famed baritone Nathan Gunn in a series of concerts that highlighted these stories of Christmases past. On this live recording from those concerts, the Choir continues some timeless musical traditions of its own.
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Glad Christmas Tidings Featuring David Archuleta
Title: Glad Christmas Tidings Featuring David Archuleta
Character: Organist
Released: September 6, 2011
Type: Movie
During December 2010, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square were joined by singing sensation David Archuleta and world-renowned actor Michael York in a series of concerts that gloried in the old-time pioneer Christmases of centuries past.
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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Featuring Natalie Cole
Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Featuring Natalie Cole
Character: Organist
Released: September 7, 2010
Type: Movie
Each year, the Christmas concert presented by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is seen by more than 85,000 people live and by millions more via television broadcast. This year the Choir was joined by none other than multiple Grammy-award winner Natalie Cole and Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough.
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Ring Christmas Bells
Title: Ring Christmas Bells
Character: Organist
Released: September 1, 2009
Type: Movie
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents Ring Christmas Bells, the next musical masterpiece in a series of highly acclaimed and commercially successful holiday albums. Featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell, dubbed by the New York Times as “Broadway’s last leading man,” and Edward Herrmann (Gilmore Girls; Nixon)
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Rejoice and Be Merry!
Title: Rejoice and Be Merry!
Character: Organist
Released: September 30, 2008
Type: Movie
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents Rejoice and Be Merry!, the next musical masterpiece in a series of highly acclaimed and commercially successful holiday albums. Rejoice and Be Merry! featuring special guests The King’s Singers, is presented with the originality and sophistication that have made each of these groups a household name.
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Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square featuring Sissel
Title: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square featuring Sissel
Character: Organist
Released: September 24, 2007
Type: Movie
Sissel joins with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs.
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Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square featuring Renee Fleming and Claire Bloom
Title: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square featuring Renee Fleming and Claire Bloom
Character: Organist
Released: October 12, 2006
Type: Movie
Internationally acclaimed American soprano Renee Fleming and British actress Claire Bloom join with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs. Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a holiday tradition the entire family will enjoy.
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Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves
Title: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves
Character: Organist
Released: September 15, 2005
Type: Movie
Four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and veteran movie and television star Peter Graves join with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in an extraordinary musical Christmas celebration. This spectacular performance of the Choir's 2004 Christmas concert will be a holiday favorite for years to come.
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The Wonder of Christmas featuring Frederica von Stade & Bryn Terfel
Title: The Wonder of Christmas featuring Frederica von Stade & Bryn Terfel
Character: Organist
Released: September 14, 2004
Type: Movie
An extraordinary musical celebration with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square and special guests, Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel.
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Silent Night, Holy Night with Walter Cronkite
Title: Silent Night, Holy Night with Walter Cronkite
Character: Organist
Released: October 7, 2003
Type: Movie
The story of Silent Night, Holy Night is retold by Walter Cronkite and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to thousands of concertgoers at their annual Christmas concert.
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The Joy of Christmas with Angela Lansbury
Title: The Joy of Christmas with Angela Lansbury
Character: Organist
Released: September 4, 2002
Type: Movie
The Joy of Christmas combines the talent of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square with one of the most enduring and beloved stars of film, theater, and television: Angela Lansbury.