Starting Monday, December 14 (PBS) and Thursday, December 17 (BYUtv), Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir holiday specials featuring Tony Award®-winning star Kelli O'Hara and renowned actor Richard Thomas will be broadcast around the country.

Set against a backdrop of a country farmhouse and chapel, the visual and musical spectacle of this Christmas special is distinctly different from those of years past and serves as a soulful tribute to the holiday traditions, songs, stories, and individuals that have contributed to the rich cultural fabric that is uniquely American. In a year marked by many challenges, this program serves to evoke nostalgia and celebrate the comfort and joy that home and family can bring, particularly during the holiday season.

These special Christmas broadcasts were filmed prior to pandemic restrictions during The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s annual Christmas concerts in 2019.

PBS: 60-minute version of the program

• Monday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. mountain (9:00 p.m. eastern)

• Thursday, December 24 (check local listings for specific times)

BYUtv: 90-minute version of the program

• Thursday, December 17
  6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. mountain (8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. eastern)

• Sunday, December 20
  5:30 p.m. mountain (7:30 p.m. eastern)

• Wednesday, December 23
  5:30 and 8:30 p.m. mountain (7:30 and 10:30 p.m. eastern)

• Friday, December 25
  9:00 a.m. mountain (11:00 a.m. eastern)

Streaming will also be available

• In addition to the on-air TV broadcasts, the Christmas specials will be available for streaming across PBS’s video streaming platforms after December 14, including PBS.org, the PBS app, and PBS’s OTT (“over the top”) channels. 

• The TV special will also be available for viewing on demand at BYUtv.org and on the BYUtv app after December 17.

PBS and BYUtv Partnerships

Since 2004, Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir PBS Christmas specials, recorded over three nights in December and broadcast one year later, have become a beloved PBS tradition. The Choir’s special has consistently ranked at the top of the list of most viewed holiday programs on PBS.

Since 2017, BYUtv has joined with The Tabernacle Choir to produce the annual broadcast specials. BYUtv works hand-in-hand with partner station GBH—the largest creator of PBS content for TV and the web—to bring the 60-minute version of the TV special to PBS. BYUtv airs the full, uncut 90-minute version of the concert during the holiday season following the initial PBS airing. 

Bring Home the Music of This Christmas Special from the 2019 Christmas concerts. 

The Tabernacle Choir’s new Christmas Day in the Morning CD, DVD, and book—all based on the 2019 Christmas concerts—make perfect Christmas gifts. Check here to learn more about each.

2020 Live Christmas Concert Canceled

In case you missed it, because of the continuing health challenges involved with live rehearsals and performances for performers and audiences during the pandemic, the live Christmas concerts for The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra, and Bells have been canceled.

Planning for the 2021 live Christmas concerts and the PBS and BYUtv Christmas specials has already begun!