Tag: general conference

This article was written for BYU-I’s news organization, Scroll.

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On the corner of the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, a man in a kilt plays hymns on his bagpipes.

“I’m happy to do it — it’s a workout,” said Tim Fowers, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Centerville, Utah. “About 20 hymns I can do, I know nine notes on the bagpipes so I have to kind of pick.”

Fowers began playing for neighbors in 2020 when COVID-19 hit Utah.

“I started going out and playing (the bagpipes) in the community,” Fowers said. “I would post on (a city’s) Facebook and say, ‘Hey, I’m in the neighborhood playing,’ because we were all stuck. So every week, every Sunday, I would get out and play.”

Once in-person conference began again in 2022, Fowers played hymns at the corner of the Conference Center, right next to where protestors shout their message.

“I’m not trying to make money, I’m not trying to sell DVDs,” Fowers said. “I’m just playing for people. This is a great audience.”

According to Fowers, the best part of playing the bagpipes is the connection he feels in Salt Lake City.

“We just had a whole bunch of people packed in here and they started singing,” said Fowers. “That meant a lot.”