New LDS hymns performed at 2025 general conference

In the April 2025 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, choirs introduced seven new hymns from the global hymnbook, “Hymns—For Home and Church.” The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, a youth choir from Northern Utah, and a combined choir from Brigham Young University performed these new additions which include “Come, Hear the Word the Lord Has Spoken,” “Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,” “Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise,” “Were You There?”, “Welcome Home,” “It Is Well with My Soul,” and “Close as a Quiet Prayer.”

Geoff Anderson, directing the youth choir, selected two of these hymns for their performance. He remarked, “There’s a lot of really great inspiration going into choosing these hymns for the new hymn book. We’d hit rehearsals, and we'd be working, working, working, and I’d say, pull out ‘Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,’ and there was an audible, ‘I love this one,’ and [the youth] connected immediately.”

Among the chosen hymns, “Were You There?” stands out as it originates from African American spiritual tradition. Jorge Rojas, a member of the BYU combined choir, provided insight into its significance, saying, “‘Were You There?’ is a traditional African American spiritual, and it just invites us to contemplate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.”

Mia Walker, also a choir member, expressed appreciation for the diversity in the hymnbook. “I love that we're involving different cultures or genres in our Church and in our new hymnbook, because I think it adds so much variety,” she noted.

“Welcome Home” is another noteworthy hymn, authored by Andrea Brett, who attended the conference to witness the performance of her work by the Tabernacle Choir. She shared, “This is the thrill of a lifetime. When I was a young girl, I actually dreamed of having a hymn in the hymnbook.”

Since 2024, a total of 37 songs have been introduced as part of the new hymnbook, with more planned for future release. These new hymns are available online and on the Gospel Library app.