KUED Extends "Gift of Music" to National Audience

From the historic Mormon Tabernacle comes a new holiday special, "Utah Symphony and Mormon Tabernacle Choir - The Gift of Music," airing on KUED-Channel 7 Monday, December 24, at 8:00 p.m. and on PBS nationwide.

The 90-minute concert of classical treasures, produced for PBS by Brandenburg Productions in conjunction with KUED-Channel 7, was taped during a live performance of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony under the direction of Keith Lockhart, internationally acclaimed conductor of the Utah Symphony. Lockhart, who has been the orchestra's music director since 1998, also is conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has conducted more than 200 concerts and made more than 25 television shows.

The Gift of Music concert features three soloists and the International Children's Choir. The major orchestral-choral work on the concert program is "Hodie," a Christmas cantata by the late British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The program also includes selections from Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors," the Hallelujah from Beethoven's cantata, "Christ on the Mount of Olives," and two choruses from Rachmaninoff's "Vespers," conducted by Mormon Tabernacle Choir Director Craig Jessop.

Featured soloists in the "Hodie" are Canadian soprano Henriette Schellenberg, who is recognized as among the finest oratorio singers; tenor Robert Breault, whose concert career has included 250 performances with major American and international orchestras; and baritone Robert Honeysucker, internationally acclaimed for concert and opera performances with leading orchestras and companies around the world.

"This Christmas special, featuring works by Beethoven and Ralph Vaughan Williams under the direction of Keith Lockhart, makes a wonderful addition to the regional arts lineup," says PBS Senior Vice President John F. Wilson.

The Gift of Music marks the fourth concert that KUED has filmed for national broadcast on PBS. KUED has previously produced "An Easter Gift of Music" with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony, "A Christmas Gloria with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Canadian Brass," and "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Shirley Verrett."

"Utah Symphony and Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Gift of Music" was taped during a Tanner Gift of Music concert in the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square November 3 and 4, 2000 and edited into a 90-minute program. Phillip Byrd of Brandenburg Productions is the Producer/Director. KUED's John Howe is the Executive Producer. The Tanner Gift of Music concerts, which have become a cherished Utah cultural tradition, were established in 1983 by a generous endowment grant from the late Obert C. Tanner, his widow, Grace A. Tanner, and the O.C. Tanner Company. The free concerts have been presented every two years, featuring the Utah Symphony, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and internationally prominent guests.

"KUED is proud to extend this 'gift of music' to a national television audience," says Larry S. Smith, KUED General Manager. "Presented on the eve of the 2002 Winter Olympics, this concert special promises to capture the essence of Utah's cultural heritage and the talents of our state's most prized artistic institutions."

"Utah Symphony and Mormon Tabernacle Choir - The Gift of Music" is made possible by Sid W. and Mary Foulger, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and viewers like you.

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