The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Chrismas Concert Series

Stage and screen actress and four-time Tony-award winner Angela Lansbury joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for a 2001 Christmas program, The Joy of Christmas. Her performance included “We Need a Little Christmas" and “Not While I’m Around” as well as holiday classics “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “For Unto Us a Child is Born.” Of her experience she said, “I didn’t realize that I was going to be hit by this extraordinary spirit. I haven’t experienced this before. It’s quite, unique, people doing something for the love of it.” Born in East London, England, in 1925, Lansbury studied acting from her youth and left for the United States when World War II began. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film, Gaslight, while she was still a teenager. She holds the record for most Golden Globe nominations (10), and the most Emmy® nominations (12) for the lead actress categories. Her long-running television series Murder She Wrote, in which she starred as Jessica Fletcher, was one of the most successful shows in history.

December 1914 was grim for the thousands of soldiers who had dug into the frozen trenches on either side of Flanders Field. What lay between them in the early months of the First Great War was a field of sorrow—No Man's Land—littered with barbed wire and decaying corpses. But somehow, amidst the fear and anger, a miracle occurred. As Christmas Day approached, the weapons of war fell silent, men ventured out of the trenches, gifts were exchanged, and the sober duty of remembering the dead was commenced. For two days, the spirit of Christmas filled the air, and a remarkable "Christmas Truce" brightened spirits. When night fell, and that memorable Christmas slipped into the past, one last sound broke the silence: a chorus, from either side, singing, in native tongue, "Silent Night." Nearly a century later, this remarkable story was retold by Walter Cronkite and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to thousands of concertgoers at their annual Christmas concert. Silent Night, Holy Night is a commemoration of that presentation.

Frederica von Stade, one of the world’s foremost mezzo-sopranos joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the 2003 Christmas special. Frederica von Stade has enriched the world of classical music for more than three decades with her appearances in operas, concerts and recitals. She appeared with the Choir during the 2002 Winter Olympics when she described the experience as “just amazing. . . . I can’t quite believe how they make these amazing sounds. Her concert appearance included “The First Nowell,” “One December, Bright and Clear, “and Czech carol “A Bethlehem allons vite!” Bryn Terfel, world-renowned Welsh baritone, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square began a lasting friendship in 2003 when he accepted the invitation to sing in the Christmas concert. That year Queen Elizabeth II awarded him with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for service to opera. Terfel was born and raised in northern Wales, where he was singing onstage in Eisteddfod competitions by the age of four. He graduated from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the rest is history. He shares a Welsh connection with the Choir—many of the original members of the Choir emigrated from Wales.

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald joined the Mormon tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the 2004 Christmas Concert in the Salt Lake Conference Center. She is a wonderful cross-over artist who is classically trained and consistently demonstrates great vocal technique and consummate artistry. She regaled the audience “Sweet Little Jesus Boy,” “I Wonder as I Wander,” and “Children Go Where I Send Thee” as well as joining with the Choir for holiday favorites “We Need a Little Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Deck the Halls.” Veteran movie and television star Peter Graves, best known for his role in the series Mission Impossible, joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in 2004 for the celebrated Christmas concert. He presented a memorable narration of "In Search of the King" based on story by Henry Van Dyke as well as reading the Christmas story from the New Testament.

Internationally acclaimed American soprano Renee Fleming and British actress Claire Bloom join with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs. Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a holiday tradition the entire family will enjoy.

Following the success of their #1 Billboard and Grammy-nominated album Spirit of the Season, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents Rejoice and Be Merry!, the next musical masterpiece in a series of highly acclaimed and commercially successful holiday albums. Rejoice and Be Merry! featuring special guests The King’s Singers, is presented with the originality and sophistication that have made each of these groups a household name.

Dubbed “The Last leading Man” by the New York Tie, Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career on Broadway, television, and film and in concert halls across America. In 2008 he added Christmas guest artist for “Ring Christmas Bells” with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square to his impressive list of performances. Singing holiday favorites “Sleigh Ride,” “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” “The Friendly Beasts” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” and audience-favorite “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” he was a sensation making Ring Christmas Bells one of the all-time Choir programs.

Grammy Award-winner Natalie Cole joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in 2009 for a Christmas celebration, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," featuring some of the season's most beloved songs. She shared both traditional carols and more contemporary holiday favorites including “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." “Christmas is the defining season of the year,” Cole explained, “and for me, after a very emotional year, I’m grateful to close it out with such a feeling of goodness, the goodness of the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ that is so pervasive throughout the entire performance. That’s what this season is all about.” Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian David McCullough joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the 2009 Christmas special, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” He shared a story connected with the carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and a narration of the little known moment in American history titled “In the Dark Streets Shineth: a 1941 Christmas Eve Story.” David McCullough speaking from his historical perspective reminded the audience, “History is not only politics and military events but also includes art, music, literature, drama and architecture. To leave out music and these other elements leaves out the soul of the human story.”

Singing sensation David Archuleta performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the 2010 Christmas concert. Archuleta’s tenor vocals and boyish charm brought the combined 80,000 plus audience to its feet at each performance. His performance left no wonder about why he wowed audiences with his second place finish on American Idol in 2008 with 44 percent of the 97 million votes cast. Michael York, British actor with more than 60 film credits and stage performances of Shakespeare and other noted works, joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in the 2010 Christmas concert, “Glad Christmas Tidings.” His narration of “Sing, Choirs of Angels” was a highlight of the evening as well as reading the Christmas story from Luke in the New Testament. Having visited Salt Lake previous times, and observed the Tabernacle and other Conference Center, he said of his experience on stage that it was special to actually be inside, “to belong as a part of this extraordinary entertainment. But it’s more than entertainment because there’s a great sense of fellowship and worship at this time of year.”

Jane Seymour, recipient of multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards and recipient of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) bestowed by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, brought her remarkable talents to the stage of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s 2011 Christmas program. For the annual concert, “Once Upon a Christmas,” now a PBS special, she narrated the classic tale “Good King Wenceslas” as well as reading the Christmas story from the New Testament. She described the experience with the Choir as being “a part of a big family” with such “a joy and sense of collaboration of all the people involved.” A powerful operatic baritone Nathan Gunn joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the 2011 Once Upon a Christmas, a majestic performance filled with the magic of the holidays. A recipient of numerous operatic awards including the first annual Beverly Sills Artist award, Gunn delighted the audience with “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “A Wintry Mix: Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Let It Snow!” “Silent Night” and the Choir’s stirring finale “Angels from the Realms of Glory.”

In 2011 Brokaw accepted a Choir invitation to record a Music and the Spoken Word broadcast special, “9/11: Rising Above,” presented 10 years after the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Asked at that time if he would consider returning as a guest artist for a Christmas concert, Brokaw laughed, thinking they wanted him to sing. However, he did come for the 2012 holiday concert as a narrator. Brokaw’s narration of “Christmas from Heaven: A Gift That Changed the World” described the Berlin Candy Bomber of World War II, and he also read the Christmas story from Luke. “This is the real spirit of Christmas,” Brokaw explained, “to give whatever we have, no matter how small the gift may be.” Alfie Boe—British tenor, recording artist, and opera and Broadway star—“relished every moment” of singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. “It was a once in a lifetime experience,” he said of his guest experience in 2012. Boe came to the Conference Center stage known for his work as a Tony Award winner for his role in La Bohème, as prisoner-turned-mayor Jean Valjean in the internationally acclaimed London production celebrating the 25th anniversary of Les Misérables, and as guest artist at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Concert singing from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Celebrated British actor John Rhys-Davies joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the December 12-15 Christmas concerts. Film audiences best know him for his roles as the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films. His television credits include Shogun and War and Remembrance. Raised in England, Africa, and Wales, he credits his early exposure to classical literature for his decision to pursue acting and writing. Deborah Voigt joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the 2013 Christmas concert series Dec. 12-15 in the Conference Center on Temple Square. Recognized as one of the world’s most versatile dramatic sopranos and one of music’s most endearing personalities, Deborah Voigt is revered for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. She has portrayed some of the great heroines in Italian opera and is equally at home with the music of Broadway and America. She recently starred as Brünnhilde in the PBS series Great Performances from the Met in Wagner’s Ring cycle. Ms. Voigt was the gold medal winner in Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Competition and won first prize at Philadelphia’s Luciano Pavarotti Vocal Competition.

Norwegian-born singing sensation Sissel joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concerts in 2006 in a performance described as "a match made in heaven." In her first-ever Christmas album released in the U.S., Spirit of the Season, Sissel collaborated with the world famous Choir to offer a dazzling program including Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “In The Bleak Midwinter,” “In dulci jubilo,” and “Like an Angel Passing through My Room.” The album earned two GRAMMY nominations in the categories of Best Classical Crossover Album of the Year, and Best Engineered Classical Album. Sissel is also known as "the voice of Titanic," as her arias are heard throughout the film, including the famous "I'm flying!" scene. The film's soundtrack was the highest selling orchestral film score in history.