A trio of new Christmas products being released by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square are each crafted to deliver the sacred and festive spirit of the holidays to the choir’s countless fans.
The items include a Christmas album available for streaming and purchase, an anthology of Christmas stories from the choir’s annual holiday concerts and a new DVD commemorating two decades of Christmas with the choir.
‘Christmas Best’ CD
This commemorative Christmas album contains music from 15 years of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square’s beloved Christmas concerts — an annual tradition enjoyed by millions, both live on stage and through its holiday season broadcast on PBS stations, where it has been the top-rated Christmas program for more than a decade.
Read more: Tabernacle Choir announces Christmas concert plans for 2021 — and 2022
This new Christmas album is a collection of the best of Christmas music by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. It is the first choir Christmas album in 15 years to feature only music by the choir and orchestra, according to the choir’s official site.
The repertoire is a mix of sacred and secular Christmas music with many recognizable Christmas favorites.
Designed to serve as a soundtrack for the holidays, the album provides nearly a full hour of music to invite the spirit of the season and help listeners feel closer to the divine, especially at Christmas.
“These treasured songs from past Christmas concerts are a sampling of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square’s ‘Christmas best,’ a wonderful reminder of heartwarming holiday celebrations and the hopes they express,” noted the choir’s blog. “At the center of that Christmas hope is a Redeemer who offers peace, healing and happiness to all.”
Streaming and purchase options for “Christmas Best” are found at https://smarturl.it/ChristmasBest2021.
‘Keepsake Christmas Stories: Holiday Favorites as Performed With the Tabernacle Choir’ book
For 20 years, the annual Christmas concert of the Tabernacle Choir has featured a holiday story narrated by its featured guest artists — with a specially composed score performed by the Orchestra at Temple Square, often incorporating a beloved carol or a new Christmas song sung by the choir.
Through the years, some of these stories have been available in picture books and smaller volumes. Others have never been published. Because readers continue to ask for them, the Tabernacle Choir and its publishing partner, Shadow Mountain, are offering a keepsake treasury for the first time in a special commemorative edition published by DeseretBook.com.
This edition features photographs of the stage productions alongside the stories, according to the choir’s official site. The book also includes a weblink to access a collection of the original productions for a one-of-a-kind read-along experience.
‘20 Years of Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir’ DVD
This once-in-a-generation DVD contains the Tabernacle Choir’s full two-hour commemorative special shown on PBS and BYUtv, narrated by Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell.
This video recording features two decades of Christmas performances by more than 40 world-renowned guest artists and excerpts from more than 60 songs, carols and stories celebrating the season, according to the choir.
With 2020 pandemic restrictions in place, three-time choir guest artist Brian Stokes Mitchell returned to the Conference Center — without an audience — to film that narration for a 20-year retrospective of the popular choir Christmas concerts.
“Whatever we believe about the meaning of Christmas, its message is universal,” Stokes Mitchell said. “The music, the stories, the singing, the dancing and the sharing are all a reminder that the birth of Jesus Christ is about peace and goodwill for everyone.”
The DVD also contains over 30 minutes of bonus features with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Stokes Mitchell, Tabernacle organist Richard Elliott and choir leaders — as well as in-depth coverage of the creation of the virtual choir featured in the performance.
The commemorative DVD is also available at DeseretBook.com.
