Lead singer Hope Hansen said the group from the Emmanuel Baptist Church in the northern Utah community of Hyrum made clear its mission before Thanksgiving with a demo song called “Breathe” - a Christian song that officials used as a basis to recruit the volunteer band.

Earlier this month, when Joyful Noise keyboard player Winnie Gray was interrupted by a Cache Valley Mall security guard amid the band's third song - a rendition of “We Three Kings” - and told to stop playing religious or Christian music, Hansen said she was “unbelievably shocked.”

“Especially in Cache Valley, I never in a million years would have thought this would happen,” Hansen said. “Christmas music is religious by nature.”

Joyful Noise also was asked by the guard to turn down the volume during the group's first song. Next, the guard asked the band leader to provide security identification. Finally, the guard said the group could play “only traditional holiday music.”

At that point, Hansen said the band went home.

“We just wanted to play and share our music. That's what we love to do,” Hansen said. “We never play anything but religious music.”

The Rev. Rob Parsons, of Emmanuel Baptist, said he was pleased to receive an apology from David Keating, director of communications at General Growth Properties, owner of the Cache Valley Mall property.

“We want to move forward from this,” Keating told The Tribune on Friday, “and I want everyone to have a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday they celebrate.”

Dewey Richardson, property manager for the Cache Valley Mall, said on Thursday that the “unfortunate event” was a result of “miscommunication” or “misunderstanding.”

“We asked them to stick to the traditional Christmas music. We felt that they had strayed away from that somewhat.”