Hear it. Feel it. Live it.
Experience the restoration again - for the first time!
Hear it. Feel it. Live it.
Experience the restoration again - for the first time!
The Project
Why Joseph Smith?
Why Joseph Smith?
BROTHER JOSEPH is an immersive musical presentation of the inspiring story of Joseph and Emma Smith as they labor to restore the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their story is told through song, dance and dialog. It is currently a work-in-process launching as a moving three-album musical concept recording - a 4.5-hour spiritual j
BROTHER JOSEPH is an immersive musical presentation of the inspiring story of Joseph and Emma Smith as they labor to restore the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their story is told through song, dance and dialog. It is currently a work-in-process launching as a moving three-album musical concept recording - a 4.5-hour spiritual journey supported by an elaborate underscore and a global cast of recording professionals. Once the concept-albums are released, it will be condensed into a 2.5 hour theatrical production.
Why embark on such an endeavor?
Words alone can be beautiful, but music delivers those words directly to the soul. So, while the many wonderful books published on Joseph, Emma and the Restoration are replete with facts and details, and the numerous testimonies of Joseph's divine mission are beautifully articulated, I am compelled to present his story in a new musical presentation to deliver the experience of the restoration directly to the souls of all those who have ears to hear.
Writing and producing the songs has been a sublime spiritual experience for me. Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” I hope you will hear the music and begin to understand why Joseph and Emma's story needs to be experienced this way.
(Picture of "Eternally Bound" courtesy of Julie Rogers at JulieRogersArt.com)
Why Joseph Smith?
Why Joseph Smith?
Why Joseph Smith?
Born in 1805, Joseph Smith Jr. is clearly the most controversial religious figure ever to have graced the American stage. Claiming to have been visited by God the Eternal Father and his son, Jesus Christ, when he was just 14 years old, Joseph’s contemporaries fell squarely and passionately into one of only two camps: Joseph Smith was a pr
Born in 1805, Joseph Smith Jr. is clearly the most controversial religious figure ever to have graced the American stage. Claiming to have been visited by God the Eternal Father and his son, Jesus Christ, when he was just 14 years old, Joseph’s contemporaries fell squarely and passionately into one of only two camps: Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and the mouthpiece of the Lord – or he was a dangerous charlatan who needed to be locked in prison or, better yet, killed. When it came to Joseph Smith, there were no fence-sitters. In the end, the latter camp eventually succeeded in effectuating his murder. Joseph Smith was killed for his testimony of Jesus Christ when he was just 38 years old.
Nevertheless, in those intervening 24 years between his first vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ and his martyrdom, Joseph was able to establish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He restored a number of doctrines to Christianity, many of them controversial to mainstream Christian believers, such as Christ’s “Plan of Salvation” which is so merciful that it provides salvation even to those who are non-believers; the belief in Heavenly Parents, both a Heavenly Mother and a Heavenly Father; and the doctrine of eternal progression. In other words, achieving a place in heaven is not the ultimate objective for our souls. There is more work to do and more things to learn after this life on earth.
Today, the church Joseph established has a total membership of more than 17 million members worldwide; has published the Book of Mormon in 113 languages and provides more than a billion dollars in humanitarian aid in over 180 countries annually.[1]
Joseph was continually persecuted for his beliefs and teachings. He was poisoned, beaten, tarred and feathered, unjustly imprisoned, sentenced to die by firing squad, arrested at least 42 times and saw six of his children die in infancy. Financial difficulties plagued him and his wife all the days of their lives, seldom having a home they could call their own.
Indeed, Joseph led an epic life. Poor and barely educated, the odds against Joseph doing anything worth remembering were substantial. Yet, from the time he was just 14 years old, hardly a day passed that something extraordinary did not happen to him. His journey is one worth remembering and the trials, travails, and prejudices he experienced have meaningful lessons for us even in our day.
This is why I work to tell his story. There is something in Joseph’s story for all of us.
[1] See: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2023-statistical-report-church-jesus-christ and https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-jesus-christ-caring-summary-2023
Who I Am
Why Joseph Smith?
Who I Am
First, I am a believer.
I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Since joining, I have spent an enormous amount of time studying the life of the Prophet which has only strengthen my belief that he was in fact everything he claimed to have been and indeed he saw everything he cla
First, I am a believer.
I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Since joining, I have spent an enormous amount of time studying the life of the Prophet which has only strengthen my belief that he was in fact everything he claimed to have been and indeed he saw everything he claimed to have seen.
For me it simply boils down to this: living the precepts of the Gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith has enriched my life. I find that my life is infinitely better and happier than it was before I joined the church. So then for me faith becomes a conscious decision. I choose to believe and as I seek to draw my soul closer to the Lord, I continually seek for and find more reasons to continue to believe.
As I see it, Jesus Christ did not qualify his promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”[1]. In other words, if one seeks for reasons to believe, one will find them; contrariwise, if one seeks for reasons to not believe, one will find those as well. So I choose to seek for and find reasons to believe. I find that my faith makes me happy and fills my heart with hope and love.
I feel my Savior’s love every day and I am grateful to Joseph and Emma Smith for suffering through all their afflictions so that I could come to experience the joy of knowing Jesus Christ through His restored gospel... and I want to share their story with all those who are willing to honestly listen.
[1] Matthew 7:7,8; KJV
I love Joseph Smith!
Welcome!
Thanks for stopping by to check us out! We sing the story of the Prophet Joseph Smith, his devoted wife Emma, and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The music is still being developed, so you can only find it here until it is officially released!