Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir

This December, PBS and BYUtv, a nationwide family entertainment network, will air the 17th annual “Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir” holiday special featuring Tony Award-winning and Emmy and Grammy nominee Kelli O’Hara and Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas.

A 60-minute version will premiere on PBS on Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings). The full, 90-minute version will air on BYUtv on Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

The annual holiday program has been a PBS tradition since 2004 and it's been a top-viewed holiday program for 15 years.

“As a kid, I used to listen to the Tabernacle Choir on my grandparents’ record player, so I am proud and thrilled that I am able to take part in this Christmas special," O’Hara said. "Nothing could have prepared me for this experience, of hearing the voices of the choir filling the space behind me, of everyone coming together to be part of something greater than ourselves and to celebrate oneness, love and hope. It reminded me of why I started singing in the first place. This is an extraordinary program for our extraordinary times, and I hope that it can serve as a balm for our weary hearts this holiday season.”

“The Tabernacle Choir’s music was a part of all my childhood Christmases, so it’s just thrilling to be a part of this concert and to plug all of my love of Christmas into the experience," Thomas added.

"It was all one could ask for to perform with Kelli, who is one of America’s preeminent singing actresses," he continued. "Whatever faith tradition you come from, beautiful music is beautiful music, and expressions of caring and humanity and of aspiration are all the same for us. This program is filled with those sentiments and can bring all kinds of people together, especially in these difficult times.”

O’Hara and Thomas will join the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square along with Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells at Temple Square in an Americana-themed program that exudes the warmth and peace the season can bring.

The repertoire draws from a number of American musical traditions including folk, bluegrass, Broadway and African-American spirituals. It features well-known Christmas favorites as well as lesser-known holiday carols and ballads. As the program’s narrator, Thomas complements the music with nostalgic readings, including an adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s “Christmas Day in the Morning,” an excerpt from Robert Frost’s beloved poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” and the Christmas story from Luke 2.

“We’re very honored that both Kelli and Richard joined us for this concert,” said Mack Wilberg, music director of the Tabernacle Choir. “This year’s program powerfully reflects both of their remarkable talents and is completely different from years past, with music that will be familiar to many and some that may be enjoyed by people for the first time. The end result is a beautiful event that will leave people feeling well-fed, and I’m pleased viewers will be able to enjoy it from the comforts of their homes this Christmas season.”

The 2020 broadcast of “Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir” is co-presented by GBH, the largest creator of PBS content for TV and the web, and BYUtv, the television home of the Tabernacle Choir’s weekly program, “Music and the Spoken Word.” As has been done every year for the past 20 years, the special was filmed over three consecutive nights in December 2019 in front of a live combined audience of over 63,000 at the conference center in Salt Lake City.

In addition to the airings on PBS and BYUtv, the special is available for purchase as a DVD or CD titled “Christmas Day in the Morning.” Also available is a companion book of the same title with the text of the narration given by Richard Thomas. Info: https://tabchoir.org/shop/christmas or http://www.shoppbs.org