Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved actress Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) inspire in this holiday special that weaves Christmas classics with the story of Victor Hugo to show that opening our hearts to all is the true meaning of the season. Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir aired on PBS on December 17th, and is available for streaming now.
Episodes
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Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
S2024 E1 - 1h 25m
Broadway star Michael Maliakel and beloved actress Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) inspire in this holiday special that weaves Christmas classics with the story of Victor Hugo to show that opening our hearts to all is the true meaning of the season. Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir aired on PBS on December 17th, and is available for streaming now.
Extras + Features
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Still, Still, Still
S2024 E1 - 2m 39s
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra perform “Still, Still, Still,” a 19th-century Austrian Christmas carol on the Nativity, set to a Salzburg folk tune. With new lyrics by David Warner, a longtime friend and collaborator of Mack Wilberg’s, this arrangement of “Still, Still, Still” sees beyond the smiles and sighs of the baby asleep in Mary’s arms to the wonder and promise of Christ, the Savior.
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Victor Hugo's Wondrous Feast
S2024 E1 - 17m 42s
Actress Lesley Nicol narrates the true story of Victor Hugo, author of Les Misérables, and his wife hosting a Christmas feast for impoverished children. Brought to life by actors on stage, this heartwarming story celebrates the transformative power of love and compassion.
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Sing We Now of Christmas
S2024 E1 - 6m 16s
Watch the spectacular opening to "Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir." This processional, "Sing We Now of Christmas" is based on a traditional French carol, “Noël nouvelet,” which dates from possibly as early as the 15th century. The new arrangement by Mack Wilberg was written especially for this Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert.
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An die Freude (Ode to Joy) excerpts from Symphony No. 9
S2024 E1 - 3m 37s
Independent of its original 1824 symphonic setting, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” has become an anthem of rejoicing, a call to replace division and confrontation with love, unity, and understanding. In this finale, performed by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra, the melody—an intentionally simple, folksy tune—is transformed through a series of variations into a climactic tour de force.
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I Wonder as I Wander
S2024 E1 - 3m 49s
American folklorist John Jacob Niles was visiting Murphy, North Carolina, in the summer of 1933 when he heard a young girl, Annie Morgan, sing a fragment of a haunting melody in the town square. Niles completed and published the song in 1934, it and quickly became a much-beloved Christmas carol worldwide. Watch Broadway star Michael Maliakel perform, accompanied by The Tabernacle Orchestra.
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God Help the Outcasts, (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
S2024 E1 - 3m 38s
Watch Broadway star Michael Maliakel perform "God Help the Outcasts" with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. Written by 8-time Oscar winner Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the song first made its first appearance in the 1996 animated feature 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', loosely based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel.
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Backstage with Michael Maliakel
S2024 E1 - 5m 11s
Broadway star Michael Maliakel invites us backstage with Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, and describes how this stunning production sets a new standard for Christmas celebrations. He shares what makes it different from a traditional Broadway show, and explains how Choir Director, Mack Wilberg made his experience into a singer's dream come true!
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Peace Be Mine
S2024 E1 - 2m 59s
This choral meditation was originally penned by Mack Wilberg in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when peace and hope seemed unattainable to so many. David Warner’s lyrics, adapted for this Christmas setting, invite the listener to put peace first, replacing all inner trouble and doubt. Watch as The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra perform this chorus into a Nativity lullaby.
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Joy to the World
S2024 E1 - 2m 9s
Broadway star Michael Maliakel joins The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra to sing "Joy To The World." The18th-century hymn writer Isaac Watts initially penned the lyrics for “Joy to the World” as a rhyming paraphrase of Psalm 98, and his poem was first published in 1719. It became a Christmas classic when it was set to music by Lowell Mason, the “father of American hymnody,” in 1836.
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The Christmas Story: Luke 2
S2024 E1 - 2m 15s
The beloved account of Jesus 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, Lesley Nicol’s narration of the Nativity is accompanied by an orchestral meditation by Mack Wilberg that incorporates musical motifs based on his arrangement of “O Little One Sweet.”
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Patapan
S2024 E1 - 3m 6s
While “Patapan” is often listed as a traditional French carol, its text and music are usually credited to the 18th-century French author Bernard de la Monnoye. This orchestral fantasy by Ryan Murphy combines the musical motifs of “Patapan” with references to the well-known English carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.”
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Angels from the Realms of Glory
S2024 E1 - 4m 36s
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.” In Mack Wilberg’s stirring arrangement,which traditionally features solos by the guest singer, (this year Broadway star Michael Maliakel) this carol has become the signature finale at The Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concerts.
Schedule
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Tuesday
Dec 24
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Tuesday
Dec 24
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Tuesday
Dec 24
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Wednesday
Dec 25
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Wednesday
Dec 25
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Wednesday
Dec 25
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Wednesday
Dec 25
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Wednesday
Dec 25
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Thursday
Dec 26
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music. -
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Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir
Monday
Dec 30
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square join Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol in performing classical and popular Christmas music.
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