Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir

Watch The Tabernacle Choir and orchestra perform “Noe! Noe!” with the Bells on Temple Square. The cheerful Franco-Provençal carol is attributed to the 17th-century author and composer Brossard de Montaney, and expounds on the joyous exchange of angels announcing the news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem.

Over the years, Richard Elliott’s organ performances have become a much anticipated highlight of The Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concerts. This year, Elliott created a spirited Christmas fantasia for organ and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble based on the 17th-century French carol “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.”

A young Felix Mendelssohn wrote this Christmas cantata based on Martin Luther’s “Vom Himmel hoch.” Mendelssohn’s inspiration sprang not from Luther directly, but from his own respect for J. S. Bach, who had also borrowed Luther’s hymn frequently. This performance, by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra with the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble, culminates with the final, triumphant stanza of Luther’s hymn.

Long beloved as a German Christmas carol, “O Jesulein süss” began appearing in English translation in the early 20th century. It was Anglican priest and liturgist Percy Dearmer, who arranged Bach’s harmonization of a solo song and recast it for four-part chorus in 1928, published as “O Little One Sweet.” Hear The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra's beautiful interpretation, arranged by Mack Wilberg.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!