The tree is lit, the packages wrapped and carols fill the air. And nowhere else can you find more sounds of the holiday season than the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA).
Here are the holiday musical specials you can look forward to this December on OETA.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 8 p.m., Dec. 17: Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster and renowned actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) guest star in this beloved annual holiday television special. Foster and Bonneville join the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, Bells on Temple Square handbell choir, Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble, dancers and actors in an elaborate Victorian-themed program that celebrates the Christmas season through music, dance, storytelling and pageantry.
Christmas at St. Olaf: Ris’n with Healing in His Wings, 9 p.m., Dec. 17: The celebration of the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season begins with the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a century-old tradition at St. Olaf College. This year’s special features lively and festive music, familiar Christmas carols, beautiful and contemplative choral anthems and rollicking orchestral flourishes.
Christmas in Christ Chapel at Gustavus: Visions of Divine Mystery, 8 p.m., Dec. 22: Since 1973, more than 350 students, faculty and staff at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., create a visionary artistic program reflecting a unique thematic concept related to Christ’s birth. This special weaves a compelling tapestry of music, dance, spoken word and the visual arts.
Live from Lincoln Center: New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve with Renee Fleming, 8 p.m., Dec. 31: Ring in 2019 with the New York Philharmonic, led by new Music Director Jaap van Zweden and opera great Renee Fleming. Enjoy an evening of elegance and sophistication celebrating the intersection of classical music and dance.
Austin City Limits Hall of Fame New Year’s Eve Special, 9:30 p.m., Dec. 31: Celebrate the 2018 Austin City Limits Hall of Fame with host Chris Isaak as Ray Charles, Marcia Bell and Los Lobos are inducted. Performers include Nora Jones, Robert Randolph, Gary Clark, Jr. and more.
OETA provides essential educational content and services that inform, inspire and connect Oklahomans to ideas and information that enrich our quality of life. We do this by consistently engaging Oklahomans with educational and public television programming, providing educational training and curriculum, outreach initiatives and online features that collectively encourage lifelong learning. For more information about education curriculum and programs, local productions, digital television, community resources and show schedules explore OETA.tv or visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.