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For centuries they lay hidden in clay jars in remote cliff-side caves near the Dead Sea, but now you and your family can see the Dead Sea Scrolls in 10 US cities, including at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City right now through April 2014.  And even if you can't go in person, you'll find amazing ways to be involved from wherever you are at the website (TheLeonardo.org) with podcasts of lectures, book clubs, and picture books.In this audio interview, Bryton Sampson, communications specialist at The Leonardo, takes us on a quick tour of the possibilities and what you'll experience at the exhibit. From a 3-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall of the Temple Mount to everyday objects and sections of the actual Dead Sea Scrolls, you'll find plenty to pique your interest.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

What was temple worship like in Old and New Testament times?  What ancient symbolism might be enlightening to us as we  worship in our Latter-day temples?  The 2013 Sidney B. Sperry Symposium taking place this Saturday on the BYU Provo campus addresses these and many other aspects of "The Mountain of the Lord" in ancient times.  And if you can't attend in person, the book containing nearly all of the presentations has just been published.In this audio interview, Dr. Jeffrey Chadwick of the BYU Jerusalem Center and the department of Religious Education at BYU shares the history and purpose of the symposium, gives some passionate advice to Gospel Doctrine teachers everywhere,  and lays out a preview of his own presentation at the upcoming gathering -- "The Great Jerusalem Temple Prophecy."  The symposium begins at 9:00 am in the Joseph Smith building on the Provo campus and it's completely free.  Click Here for symposium details online.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

So here’s a question; if you could visit Israel and go to all the places you’ve read about and dreamed of experiencing, using every sense but sight--meaning you wouldn't see a thing--would you still want to go? Would it be worth it? Kyle Woodruff has been blind since birth, but on a recent tour of the Holy Land with a choir, he “saw” the land of Israel and the places Jesus walked and taught, in very different ways than everyone else in the group--and came up with some amazing and surprising insights. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull

Motivating and inspiring young people to do their best is always a good thing, but how to do it?  In the case of the members of the Lyceum Philharmonic Orchestra, director Kayson Brown seems to have found just the right formula for inspiring excellence. In this interview he talks about high expections, love, and an over-riding sense of purpose; traits which apply to much more than music, although we’ll be sure to hear lots of great music along the way. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

What if you wanted to paint the being you worship? You might worry that you don’t have the skill, but what about an even more basic consideration; is it right to even try? If you do try, then what kind of representation should you use?  Classical, realistic, or abstract?  You’ll find all these questions and a lot more to think about and see in this excerpt from J. Kirk Richards’ recent keynote address at the 2013 conference of The Association for Mormon Letters, titled, “Seek Ye the Face of Christ: Considerations in Depicting the Savior.” And, because it’s such a visual presentation, we’ve made this a video podcast.  Click here to view the presention. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

The word “banquet” conjures up the image of a feast; delicious food and lots of it, but for the past 22 years, students at BYU have hosted a Hunger Banquet – a banquet where the goodies are not doled out equally.  In fact, most of the attendees go away hungry, at least physically, but filled with a very tangible vision of the scope of global poverty. This event is truly “thinking globally while acting locally,” not only by raising awareness, but also by benefitting a local organization which helps international refugees in Northern Utah. Click Here to listen!  That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

It’s the middle of winter here in North America – the time for snow and freezing temperatures, and the time when nothing grows in the garden.  At least that’s what most of us have come to think.  But you might be surprised to know just how much you can grow all winter long.  In fact, the skills of winter gardening were common knowledge and even common practice up until just 50 or so years ago. This week we’ll talk to an expert on Winter Gardening – a man who manages to feed his entire family from his garden all winter long.  In this interview you’ll learn how a winter garden works, and you’ll also learn a simple secret to always having a garden no matter where you live. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

There’s nothing like a hometown Christmas — a Christmas when you were together with family, when the high school choir set the mood for the season with their concerts, and when you saw and waved to your neighbors as they scurried among the downtown shops seeking treasures for their loved ones.A hometown Christmas is a bit harder to find these days — strip malls and canned holiday music which starts around Halloween have seen to that, but they still do happen.  In this case we’ll listen in on a few numbers from a hometown Christmas concert by Utah singer-songwriter Cori Connors, herself one of just two recipients of this year’s Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards for artistic contributions to the state and her community.  We’ll hear a Christmas story or two, a tribute to a real-life hometown hero, a song about the reason for the season, and finally, a sing-along “Silent Night” with all the people crammed into the Farmington Arts Center to celebrate the season.  I hope you’ll sing along.Here’s to a hometown Christmas — that's this week on The Cricket and Seagull!

The "Arab Spring” has swept across the Middle East this year, bringing new freedoms to people in a number of nations, but in Syria, the winter approaches and hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the fighting by crossing into Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan – nearly half a million and growing in number – are finding life more difficult than ever. In one of the many refugee camps, you’ll find Jim and Karyn Anderson, two Utahns who have been serving as humanitarian workers for LDS Charities in Lebanon and now in Jordan, trying to bring relief and encouragement to the fathers and mothers who have made their way from Syria over the Jordanian border by night, often through gunfire with their children, seeking any kind of safe haven. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull!

It used to be that if you wanted hear music, you had to make it yourself, or find someone else who could make it.  Nowadays we can carry thousands of the greatest recordings ever made right in our pocket.  That part has changed.  What hasn't changed is what music does to us; what it makes us feel and remember. Come do a little time-traveling and musical exploration with the hosts of Classical 89, BYU's music station, now streaming worldwide at Classical89.org. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull!

When Calee Reed lets go with her big, hearty, infectious laugh, you can't help but laugh along.  And when she sings of joy or of holding on through heartbreak, it's hard not to feel that you know exactly what she means.  I guess that's the beauty of "The Waiting Place," the new album of songs that marks Reed's recording debut. With imaginative pairings of familiar hymns and lots of originals, Calee Reed hits the mark nearly every time.  Her runaway success of a music video (which you can see here) shows a gift for finding the divine in the mundane and the everyday; the perspective that suddenly snaps everything trivial into it's proper proportion when something really important is suddenly at stake. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull. Playlist: Give My Heart Your Peace Better Than a Hallelujah Called to Serve Closer to You Time for Love Trust in God The Waiting Place Where Can I Turn for Peace?/Be Still, My Soul She Put the Music in Me Come, Thou Fount/I Am a Child of God

"Next year in Jerusalem!" The Jews have said it for centuries. For all who love the scriptures, visiting the Holy Land fills your heart and mind with feelings and images which rush back every time you open those sacred pages. And some of the most moving memories come from singing the hymns at the very places they speak of; the little town of Bethlehem, a green hill far away, and not-so-far-far away on Judea's plains. To lift your voice in "He Is Risen!" at the Garden Tomb, to sing "I Stand All Amazed" among the ancient olive trees of the Garden of Gethsemane; these truly are sacred moments. In this audio interview, renowned choral director Brady Allred invites experienced choral singers to combine voices and form a choir for a 10-day tour of Israel, including exchange performances with the Kolot Hasadeh Choir at the Harduf kibbutz, and at the acoustically gorgeous Scottish Church in Jerusalem with one of Shimon Levtov's accomplished choirs.Along with the choral events, our experienced guides will make sure we still explore all of the important historical and religious sites which can make a visit to the Holy Land a life-changing spiritual experience in 2013 — "Next year in Jerusalem!" Click Here for dates and details, including a full day-by-day itinerary.  If you’d like to join us, please act quickly, the tour has already begun to fill.

For decades Clive Romney has been a solid session player, writer, producer, recording engineer, arranger and performer on the Utah music scene, but it wasn't until a change of heart in his 50's that he found what he describes as his true calling in life.In this audio interview Clive tells both personal and universal stories that show the richness a connection with our ancestors can add to our lives.  And, like most good guys in westerns, you can always pick out Clive in a crowd; he's the one wearing the white hat.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

Summer is a busy season in Nauvoo, Illinois, especially if you are in charge of letting everyone know about the various events and shows happening every day.In this audio interview, Elder Verl Doman talks about the work he and his wife, Sister Sue Doman, do every day as public affairs missionaries in Nauvoo, and how the church reaches out in friendship to Latter-day Saints and other people alike in the area.  Also discussed, is why the growth of the church in Nauvoo puts the LDS Church is a position similar to the 1840's when the influx of saints began to affect the balance in government and politics in the area.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

Recently retired BYU theater professor Eric Samuelsen has always connected spirituality with art, but he finds that connection in a lot of places where most people wouldn't think to look—like a ballgame or a rap song, or even zombie movies.In this audio interview Samuelsen talks about his background in the arts and shares some eye-opening ideas about what expressions of the human soul can mean to someone with the gospel in their lives and the willingness to take a second look.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

You've heard his songs for nearly two decades, but maybe you didn't know that songwriter, arranger, and producer Tyler Castleton was the man behind the music.This new 17-track collection album includes some of Tyler’s most requested songs, as well as a few brand-new offerings, performed by Tyler himself.  With performances from the likes of Gladys Knight, Hilary Weeks, Jericho Road, Jenny Phillips, Kenneth Cope, Cherie Call and many others, "When I Can't Speak," features music that closes the gap between heaven and earth.Playlist:When I Sing (Tyler Castleton)When I Can't Speak (Julie Yardley)Love Will Find You There (John McVey)Again (April Meservy)Just Like a Father Would (Mercy River)I Will Not Be Still (Kenneth Cope)Blessed Be His Name (Jenny Phillips)Sometimes He Lets It Rain (Katherine Nelson)For the Love Of a Woman (Jericho Road)You Can Change (Julie Yardley)You Give (Hilary Weeks)Walk With Me (Tyler Castleton)I Just Knew (Cherie Call)Sisters In Christ (Gladys Knight)Let Him Heal Your Heart (Dave Kimball)In the Meantime (Jessie Clark Funk)Shine On (David Osmond)

LDS pianist William Joseph is known for being a protegé of super producer David Foster, and his first two albums have wowed listeners and audiences alike with virtuosic performances.  Now his new release, "Be Still," features an entirely different approach.Filled with thoughtful, liquid-sounding piano and joined at times by cello and violin, "Be Still," is a collection of reverent interpretations of favorite hymns with a two original pieces which match the mood of the project.  In this audio interview you'll hear samples of the music and William's thoughts on choosing and arranging the pieces.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull.

Whether you're finding an apartment for someone newly homeless, explaining to a foreign refugee what a flush toilet is, or connecting addicts with resources for recovery, the Inner City Project has something nearly anyone can do to fulfill Christ's call to serve "the least of these" right when it matters the most.Mike and Allene Ross—Elder and Sister Ross right now—are assistant directors for this innovative program which is changing the lives of both recipients and those who serve in downtown Salt Lake City.  In this audio interview they share amazing stories about this program which lets you serve for a number of hours each week while still living at home, sleeping in your own bed, and even before you retire.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull!

She's been writing music for decades, but never loses her enthusiasm for writing for children. Ever wonder what her favorite song is from her catalog? How she combines research and relaxing to create?In this audio interview about her new album "As a Child of God," Janice Kapp Perry talks about writing for kids, the song that came in a day, balancing life and writing, and answers questions from Facebook fans.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull!

What would you do if you were the only Latter-day Saint you knew in your entire country and the only way to attend sacrament meeting was to get over, around, or through a massive wall meant to keep you and your people out?  And how would you make peace with your situation and learn to forgive?Sahar Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, found unorthodox ways to attend her meetings for 12 years until a job at a UN agency allowed her to pass through the checkpoints freely.  As Relief Society President in the Jerusalem District, she shares the same responsibilities as her counterparts throughout the world, but with an added challenge of a wall which prevents many of those in her care from ever meeting.  Through it all, she has learned to trust the inspiration and peace of the Holy Ghost, giving her the peace Jesus promised; a peace not of this world.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull—be sure and Click Here to listen.