How Latter-day Saint Youth Are Celebrating Faith in Jesus Christ Through Music

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From various stages to watch parties around the world, Latter-day Saint youth and friends are participating this year in “Festival: A Youth Concert” — spiritual and unifying celebrations of faith in Jesus Christ expressed through worship music.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encouraged areas worldwide to provide youth with an opportunity to gather to watch and sing along to featured songs from recent Strive to Be albums and singles.

A difference this year from 2024 was the offering of one of three options for adult and youth leaders involved in planning local events to select:

1. Use one of the pre-recorded concerts filmed in the US, Mexico, and Brazil (available online beginning Thursday, August 7, in English, Spanish or Portuguese).
2. Put on their own concert using local singers to perform the same songs.
3. Create their own music event.

Pre-Recorded Concerts

The English “Festival: A Youth Concert” was filmed at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on June 11, 2025, in front of almost 2,000 youth gathered on Cougar Field. Featured Strive to Be artists included Liahona Olayan, Benjamin Taylor, James Thorup, Reina Ley, Sister Ellie Barry, Ashley Hess, Pearce Morris, JRay Kuhn, Connor Austin, Rylee Paige, Jay Phung, Hanna Eyre and Patch Crowe

This is not about performance,” said Taylor during the concert. “This is about our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are His followers, right? We are His disciples. We choose to look to Him in every thought. So tonight, we celebrate our faith in Him. We celebrate our gratitude, we celebrate our praise. He is the reason why we’re all here.”

The Portuguese concert, filmed April 19 in São Paulo, Brazil, features Strive to Be artists João Daniel, Beatriz Marmelo, Nicole Luz, Gabrielly Lourenço, Patch Crowe, Vinícius Arevallo and Nicholas Shigekiyo. 

The Spanish concert was filmed June 14 in Mexico City, Mexico, and features Strive to Be artists Naxhieli Mellin Martínez Cruz, Christian Amanda Najera Inzunza, Jacob Abinadi Peralta Dominguez, Claudia Judith Mejía García, Sarai Marlem Barrera Garduño, Katia Noemi Parra Solís, Sandra Arenas Salazar, Sister Ellie Barry, Eylani Melendez Flores, Rodrigo Misael Ortíz Chacón, Ian Shezuaf Ramales Mejia, Alejandra Areli Enciso González and Eidyan Gabriel Medina Jaramillo.

“I have always thought that my favorite way to share my testimony is through music,” said Salazar, “and each of the songs in the concert reminded me of essential truths of the gospel. I am a light, God sustains me, I only have to believe in Christ and He can deliver me, heal me, and make me strong. ...

“The connection we felt with the young people in the audience gave us energy throughout the performance. The Spirit prevailed in a joyful way, and I believe that God delivered a personalized message to each of the people who participated in the event.” 

Another artist, Solís, said, “When I performed my hymn, I did so with a strength and confidence I had never sung before. ... That day, I wanted everyone to know that if we seek the Lord and trust in Him, we truly can accomplish anything.”

As Ortiz sang the song “Disciple of Christ,” and looked at the faces of the young people in the audience, he said he almost got too emotional to sing. “Seeing their faces filled with emotion and joy immediately made me think of all the love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them.”

Regional Concerts

The Church’s Philippines Area chose to put on its own festival youth concert in Davao City on Saturday, August 2, which was streamed on the Philippines Area’s Facebook and Instagram pages and YouTube. Awareness for the concert included several social videos and posts and highway billboard signs.

The concert, featuring artists Ysabelle Cuevas, Chanty Videla, Xia Vigor, Nevin Adam Garceniego, Daniel Costales, Noreen Nivera, Brandon Sorilla and Sariah Gayola, was viewed at watch parties throughout the Philippines.

In addition to those who attended in person, more than 15,000 viewers participated through livestreams on YouTube and Facebook from their homes and meetinghouses, according to the Philippines Newsroom.

“I feel really blessed for the opportunity to sing and perform,” Sorilla said. “Helping to inspire Filipino youth through music gave me the motivation to do this.”

“Through this experience, I learned to trust the Lord Jesus Christ more,” he continued. “He sees us. He knows us. He knows exactly what we need at exactly the right time.”

Music for Everyone

Pearce Morris, who performed in the English festival and other concerts, spoke about the purpose of the type of worship music featured in these concerts during a Church News Podcast in June.

“I think of worship music as music that helps us have a focus on Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. At the core is the message that leads us closer to Them. And I think there’s different styles of music that are worship music,” he said.

Expanding worship music outside of hymns helps reach a global audience that isn’t yet fully tapped into. This welcomes other Christian denominations to recognize that Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ, he said.

Strive to Be music can be found on the Church’s Children and Youth 2025 website, Gospel Library, Strive to Be YouTube channel, Spotify, the Sacred Music app and Gospel Living app. 

Morris told the Church News that Strive to Music isn’t just for youth. “This is as much … for someone who’s 74 who likes to listen to music on their walks as it is for someone that just got done with baseball practice that’s 16 years old. It points people to Jesus Christ. That message is for everyone.”

Learn more in this Church News article How Strive to Be concerts in Arizona were ‘the feeding of the 5,000′