Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir

Watch the spectacular opening to "Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir." This processional, "When the Shepherds Saw the Light" is based on an old Provençal noël, “Allons bergers, allons, tous.” In this new arrangement by Mack Wilberg, David Warner’s lyrics retain the original noël’s pastoral themes while expounding on the narrative and emotional power of all Christmas stories.

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

Felix Mendelssohn began plans to write an oratorio on the subject of the Old Testament prophet Elijah in 1837. This final chorus, "And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth," from Elijah emphasizes the triumph of the faithful, setting scriptural words drawn from Isaiah and the Psalms of David.

The familiar, beloved account of Christ’s birth found in the Gospel of St. Luke has long been the traditional centerpiece of The Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concerts. In this year’s concert, Sir David Suchet’s narration of the Nativity is accompanied by an orchestral meditation that incorporates musical motifs drawn from the “Rocking Carol.”

Famed actress and singer Lea Salonga takes us behind the scenes of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir. Lea knew that she was in for something extraordinary when she joined the Tabernacle Choir for their Christmas special. In this video she describes her experience and how it transcended her expectations.

The Christmas poem “Minuit, chrétiens,” written by a French merchant Placide Cappeau, was set to music by famed French composer Adolphe Adam. It was first performed at a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, 1847. Watch Lea Salonga, with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra, perform 'O Holy Night', which remains one of the most dramatically beautiful Christmas carols ever penned.

Watch The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra perform "Rocking Carol", a traditional 1920's Czech carol that was made popular in 1965, when Julie Andrews popularized it on a Christmas album. This arrangement by Mack Wilberg was written especially for The Tabernacle Choir’s 'Season of Light' Christmas concert.

Lea Salonga joins The Tabernacle Choir to perform "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". In this song, first recorded in 1963, actor and songwriter Eddie Pola and orchestra leader Wyle paint a charming, traditional portrait of Christmas, replete with caroling, Dickensian “ghost stories,” mistletoe, and convivial gatherings to illustrate the magic of the season.

Watch this stunningly beautiful choral adaptation performed by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. Johann Pachelbel was principally an organist, but also wrote vocal and chamber music, including the well-known Canon in D. Mack Wilberg’s new choral adaptation of this music sets a text drawn from Matthew 21:9, “Hosanna in the highest!”

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square join with award winning artists Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet for Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, a festive and uplifting Christmas special. Filmed with a live audience, this concert will illuminate your holiday experience with timeless carols, treasured Christmas songs and a story of heroic service.

This orchestral arrangement of “Ding Dong! Merrily on High” was written especially for this concert by the Choir’s Associate Director, Ryan Murphy. “Ding Dong! Merrily on High” is a melody drawn from Johan Tabourot’s 1588 dance manual Orchésographie, where it functioned as an example of the “branle,” a lively commoner’s dance.

The finale of Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Organ” Symphony No. 3, composed in 1886, juxtaposes the solo organ with the orchestra in a dazzling display of majestic fanfares and triumphant melodies. Watch the organ showpiece of this year’s Christmas concert, where Principal Tabernacle Organist Richard Elliott borrows the Saint-Saëns model and extended this same treatment to the tune of the “Sussex Carol".