Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel, a traditional holiday concert, comes to PBS December 22 at 8 PM and December 24 at 9 p.m. EST *. The world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square are joined by America’s beloved mezzo-soprano and Europe’s pre-eminent baritone in the hour-long special that includes sacred and secular holiday favorites, as well as carols from around the world.

The high-definition, surround sound production was recorded during concerts performed December 11, 12 and 13, 2003 in the state-of-the art LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Featured selections performed by the Choir, Orchestra, and soloists include “Joy to the World,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “The First Nowell,” “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Still, Still, Still,” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory.” Also on the program is “A Yuletide Festival,” a medley arranged by Michael Davis, with sentimental holiday favorites such as “Winter Wonderland” and others. The concert also features Terfel reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke accompanied by the Choir and Orchestra.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, conducted by Craig Jessop, is a 360-voice group that traces its roots to the arrival of pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The Choir is best known for its weekly national Sunday broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word, which originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The program, the longest continuous network broadcast in the world, has been a weekly American tradition since 1929 and is carried on hundreds of radio, television and cable stations.

The Choir is also known for its recordings, which have won a Grammy Award, as well as two platinum and five gold albums. It has recorded with some of the world’s great orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. It now performs regularly with the Orchestra at Temple Square, a 110-member symphony – all volunteer, like the Choir – formed in 1999. Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg conduct the Choir and Orchestra, with many of the arrangements for the concert done by Wilberg, one of America’s premiere choral arrangers.

Frederica von Stade’s career has taken her to the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. She has appeared with every leading American opera company and has had an impressive career in Europe as well. She is invited regularly to appear in concert with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, and the Orchestra of La Scala. In 1983 she was honored by President Ronald Reagan in recognition of her significant contribution to the arts. She was awarded France’s highest honor in the arts in 1998. She has appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir twice before, most recently during the Cultural Olympiad of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Bryn Terfel was born and raised in Northern Wales, where he was singing onstage in Eisteddfod singing competitions by the age of four. He graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and in 1989 he won the Lieder Prize in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He has appeared in all the major opera houses in the world and has recorded several award-winning CDs. In 2003 he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the opera by Queen Elizabeth II. His repertoire includes a diverse range of music from opera to German lieder to his beloved Welsh songs.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a production of KUED-Salt Lake City, whose projects have included the PBS primetime music specials The Gift of Music and A Christmas Gloria starring Roma Downey from Touched By An Angel. John Howe is executive producer.

*Check with your local PBS station to confirm broadcast times in your community.