Domenico Ballo: An Italian Convert and Musician of Early Utah (c. 1850s)

Domenico Ballo was an Italian convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a clarinetist, and a former bandmaster at the United States Military Academy at West Point. After his conversion he gathered with the Saints to Utah, where he formed and led a military band of the Nauvoo Legion (active by 1852) and wrote music for the Salt Lake Temple. Brother Ballo is one of the faith-promoting early Saints who consecrated his gifts of music and discipline to the building up of Zion—leading the Saints' bands and lending his art to the dedication of the Lord's holy house. His life is a witness that the Lord gathers the faithful of every nation and every art to build His kingdom.