Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir

Arts and Music Series / 4 Seasons

The treasured “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” special returns to PBS for the 21st year. Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved British actress Lesley Nicol (from Downton Abbey, the MASTERPIECE TV series) join the iconic Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a stunning 90-minute theatrical program, illustrating that the real meaning of Christmas is opening our hearts to all.

Watch Latest: S2024 E1

1h 25m / TV-PG

Star in the East

5m 25s

The American folk carol "Star in the East" was first published in the 1830s. In Mack Wilberg’s arrangement, written especially for this concert, the carol becomes a candle-lit processional for the Choir. To complement the piece, acclaimed actor Richard Thomas recites an excerpt from Robert Frost’s beloved poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

The Birthday of a King

3m 47s

New York organist and composer William Neidlinger wrote his best known song, “The Birthday of a King"' while he was still a student. The song first became widely popular when Judy Garland recorded it in 1941. Here, Kelli O'Hara performs the piece with The Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra.

In dulci jubilo

3m 6s

Watch the Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square perform "In dulci jubilo," one of the oldest and most famous of the “macaronic” Christmas songs—carols that combine two or more languages. At the mention of ringing bells in the lyrics, the Choir, Orchestra, and Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble are joined by the Bells at Temple Square.

Hallelujah, from Cantata BWV 143, “Praise the Lord, My Soul”

2m 23s

The Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square perform Hallelujah, from Cantata BWV 143, “Praise the Lord, My Soul”. This Bach cantata was probably intended for a New Year’s Day service, but the soprano lyrics in this finale solicit Christ’s help as the “Prince of Peace,” connecting the cantata directly to Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming of a Messiah.

Richard Thomas: The Perfect Story

3m 2s

Award winning television and stage actor, Richard Thomas takes us backstage, as he performs with The Tabernacle Choir in their annual holiday musical spectacular. Richard, a self described 'Christmas kid', shares his thoughts on the Nativity, watching the children perform, and why he thinks the story that he reads is so perfect.

Kelli O’Hara: The Ultimate Invitation

4m 25s

Kelli O’Hara is one of the rare singers who has a home performing in Broadway musicals, concerts, and the Metropolitan Opera. Kelli takes us behind the scenes of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, as she performs in their annual holiday musical spectacular, showing the incredible complexity that goes into show, and what it feels like to be a part of it all.

Directors & Producers: Creating the Concert

4m 35s

Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir is a colossal production with many moving parts. Hear from the directors and producers about the making of this year's concert, from rehearsal time, to choreographing 360 singers, to the lights and camera crew. How does an idea become realized as a full production, and what's the secret to the ongoing success of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir?

Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, 2019 - Preview

2m 28s

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir, the annual holiday musical spectacular, welcomes Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth. Watch the preview for this one-hour holiday spectacular, which premiered in December, 2019, on PBS.

What Child is This?

3m 55s

The traditional English melody for this serene carol, widely known as “Greensleeves,” was once thought to have been penned by King Henry VIII, though it was probably written before Henry’s reign. Hear Kristin Chenoweth perform the song accompanied by The Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square.

Angels from the Realms of Glory

4m 41s

The tune for this popular Christmas song comes from the 18th-century French carol “Les Anges dans nos Campagnes.” In Mack Wilberg’s stirring arrangement, this carol has become the signature finale at The Tabernacle Choir’s annual Christmas concerts.

Behind the Scenes with Kristin Chenoweth

6m 44s

Go Behind the Scenes, of Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir, with guest star Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth brings her characteristic charm, style, faith and artistic prowess to Salt Lake City for an unforgettable night of Christmas celebration that was over a decade in the making.

We Need a Little Christmas

2m 58s

The song “We Need a Little Christmas” originated in Jerry Herman’s 1966 Broadway hit Mame, first performed on stage with Angela Lansbury in the title role, and then played by Lucille Ball in the film version. Here the Choir’s guest artist Kristin Chenoweth adds her own limitless enthusiasm for Christmas to the song’s bubbly mood of anticipation.

Come On, Ring Those Bells

2m 8s

Although this high-spirited Christmas song has a distinct “country” feel to it, “Come On, Ring Those Bells” was actually composed by an Englishman, and popularized by the daughter of Norwegian immigrants. Hear The Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square, with Kristin Chenoweth, perform "Come On, Ring Those Bells."

O Holy Night

5m 15s

The American music critic John Sullivan Dwight translated the lyrics of this carol, one of the most dramatically beautiful Christmas songs ever penned, into English in 1855. In this arrangement by David T. Clydesdale, Ms. Chenoweth pays homage to the great Sandi Patty, who performed this same arrangement with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in 2006.

Angels from the Realms of Glory

4m 48s

With Mack Wilberg’s stirring arrangement, this carol, "Angels from the Realms of Glory," has become the signature finale at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s annual Christmas concerts. The tune for this popular Christmas song comes from the 18th-century French carol “Les Anges dans nos Campagnes.”

Behind the Scenes with Hugh Bonneville

5m 25s

Hugh Bonneville talks about what Christmas means to him, and describes his experience making the annual holiday musical spectacular, 'Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir'. This one-hour holiday spectacular premieres Monday, December 17, 2018, on PBS.

Joy to the World

2m 21s

Isaac Watts’s 1719 paraphrase of Psalm 98, set to music by Lowell Mason, is now one of the most popular Christmas hymns in North America. In this high-spirited arrangement by Mack Wilberg, continuous running passagework in the orchestra and the addition of bells and herald-trumpet fanfares illustrate the excitement of the Christmas season.

Luke 2: The Christmas Story

2m 21s

The familiar, beloved account of Christ’s birth found in the Gospel of St. Luke has long been the traditional centerpiece of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concerts. In this concert, Hugh Bonneville’s narration is accompanied by a gentle orchestral meditation that incorporates musical motifs drawn from “Silent Night.”

Just Once a Year

4m 44s

Beginning simply with a solo violin playing a folkish jig, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs Wilberg’s processional "Just Once a Year." With lyrics from Wilberg's long-time collaborator David Warner, this dance tune gradually gathers strength into a bustling production number, a festive folk dance in which the concert’s guest artists, Sutton Foster and Hugh Bonneville, both participate.

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