Thousands of Utahns — many of whom have never set foot inside the LDS Conference Center — will attend a private concert there Saturday honoring the U.S. military.

Christian music star Sandi Patty will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the U.S. Air Force Band of the Reserves for the evening, dubbed, "A Salute to the Armed Forces," that will feature tributes to the families of Utah soldiers killed in Iraq.

The concert, which choir director Craig Jessop said is a mix of "Fourth of July and Christmas in August," is directed not only toward Utah's military community, but will be taped for broadcast on Christmas Day to U.S. military personnel worldwide via Armed Forces Radio.

Jessop said the concert, which will be ecumenical in nature, came together after the choir was invited to give a concert for local personnel at Hill Air Force Base. Because there is no venue on the base for such an event, Jessop invited the soldiers and their families to the Conference Center and extended the invitation to other branches of the military.

Jessop retired from the Air Force Band music program before joining the Tabernacle Choir as assistant conductor several years ago, and has many friends in the military.

The concert combines the local performance with an invitation for the choir to participate in the Air Force Band's annual Christmas radio show, which is normally recorded in Nashville.

No tickets are available to the general public, though a stand-by line will form at the north gate of Temple Square for the 7:30 p.m. concert.

Jessop hopes to fill the 21,000-seat Conference Center, noting that when he directed the Air Force Singing Sergeants in the nation's Capitol for what became the annual "Christmas in August" concert at the Jefferson Memorial, some 30,000 to 40,000 people showed up. "Many times people didn't know if they would be around for Christmas that year because of illness, so they would show up in cutoffs and a Santa hat" to celebrate.

While dress for the Saturday event won't be that casual — best dress is requested for ticket-holders — he said many people are fond of Christmas music year-round. That portion of the evening will be sandwiched between military anthems and tributes to fallen soldiers.

Jessop led the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band in Germany for four years from from 1987 to 1991, and though he lived there with his immediate family, he knows what it's like to be overseas during the holidays, away from extended family and friends. "I know what kind of impact this program will have.

"It will be seen in their apartments in Germany and in their tents in the deserts of Iraq, as well as locations all over the globe. It's our gift to the military here, and we hope it will be a touch of home for our fellow citizens serving abroad."