SEASON OF LIGHT: CHRISTMAS WITH THE TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING LEA SALONGA AND SIR DAVID SUCHET

“Working with Lea Salonga and Sir David Suchet was a pure delight, and as you take in all that they have done as artists, you realize that they truly are the embodiment of the season of light that we speak to with this year's Christmas concert special. Throughout their impactful careers, they have been tremendous examples of achieving excellence while continuing to be a force for good. We are proud to share their powerful voices through this performance with everyone and celebrate our inspiring message of kindness and peace.”

 - Mack Wilberg, music director of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

Season of Light: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir starring Lea Salonga  Sir David Suchet premiered on PBS, this December 12, 2023.  

Now in its 20^th televised year, the beloved annual holiday program, presented by Boston public media producer GBH, weaves together inspirational music – including nods to Salonga's Filipina heritage – with hope-filled storytelling about Sir Nicholas Winton, a real-life hero who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children during World War II. The result is a universally moving program that invites hope and welcomes the spirit of sharing goodness this holiday season. 

Salonga joins The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in singing cherished Christmas carols, hymns and holiday classics. In one highlight, she delivers a powerful performance of a World War II-era song in Tagalog, "Payapang Daigdig," which shares a message of finding peace and hope amidst devastation. Classical pieces, such as Felix Mendelssohn's triumphant "And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth," complement well-known holiday favorites such as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." As the evening's narrator, Suchet powerfully recounts the story of Winton, an English stockbroker who worked tirelessly in the months before World War II to save endangered Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, orchestrating the safe passage of 669 refugees, with a known posterity of 6,000.

The program unites a 500-person-strong cast including The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, Bells at Temple Square and Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble to deliver an unforgettable program in front of live audiences in Salt Lake City's 21,000-seat Conference Center at Temple Square.