Kristin Chenoweth to Join The Tabernacle Choir for Annual Christmas Concerts

Emmy® and Tony® Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth will be the featured guest artist and narrator at this year's Christmas concert by The Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and Bells on Temple Square on December 13, 14 and 15 in the Conference Center. Under the direction of Mack Wilberg, music director of the Choir, and Ryan Murphy, associate music director, Chenoweth is sure to delight audiences this holiday season.

"Kristin Chenoweth is larger than life, I just hope the Conference Center can contain her performance!" said Ron Jarrett, president of The Tabernacle Choir. "We have a very special concert planned to showcase her tour de force talents, which will ring in the Christmas spirit in an unforgettable way."

Today's carefully guarded announcement was eagerly anticipated by thousands of Choir fans who have attended the traditional Christmas concerts for over a decade. These concerts are a visual and musical spectacle, a full-scale production of world-class music, dance and storytelling with amazing visual effects. Over the course of three nights, the concert is seen by a combined audience of over 60,000 in the Conference Center, plus millions more will tune in to watch this holiday special on PBS and BYUtv in December 2019.

"Kristin Chenoweth will be among the most versatile voices to grace the conference hall stage," said music director Mack Wilberg. "Just like the Choir and Orchestra, she is comfortable in a variety of styles, and we are delighted she has accepted our invitation to perform with us."

Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth's career spans stage, film, television and concerts. She won a 2009 Emmy® Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Pushing Daisies and was nominated for two Emmy Awards and a People's Choice Award for her role on Glee. In 1999, she won a Tony® Award for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and was nominated for her original role of Glinda THE GOOD WITCH inWicked in 2004. The Wicked cast album earned a 2005 Grammy Award. Other notable roles include appearances in The West Wing, Disney's Descendants and The Muppets. Chenoweth recently starred in the second season of NBC's hit comedy series "Trial & Error," and received critical acclaim for her performance as Heiress Lavinia Peck-Foster. Chenoweth also returned to the stage in her limited engagement MY LOVE LETTER TO BROADWAY, receiving rave reviews.

Chenoweth is a classically trained coloratura soprano with a master's degree in opera performance from Oklahoma City University. As a soloist, she has performed to sold-out audiences across the world, including performances at Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall. Chenoweth is one of only three musical theater stars who have performed a solo concert at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She released her first solo album, Let Yourself Go, in 2001. Her album of American songbook classics, The Art of Elegance in 2016, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Current Jazz and Traditional Jazz charts and #1 on Amazon's Vocal Pop chart. Kristin is currently working on her next album, set for release in 2019. In her home state of Oklahoma, Chenoweth has formed a charity partnership with the Broken ARROW Performing Arts Center (BAPAC) Foundation. Partnering with the BAPAC, Kristin launched an annual Broadway Bootcamp in 2015, providing young Broadway hopefuls with the opportunity to take classes, hold performances and learn from top mentors in the entertainment industry, including Kristin herself.

On Saturday, October 20, at 10 a.m. mountain daylight time, tickets will become available at lds.org/events. Patrons will be able to request 4 tickets online; however, tickets will not be available through phone or in person. Patrons will need a "My LDS Tickets" username and password, which they are strongly encouraged to obtain in advance of the Saturday ticket availability. Please go to lds.org/events and click on the "My LDS Tickets" icon. Due to the high demand for tickets, patrons who do not set up an account in advance will probably not be successful in obtaining tickets.

A Grammy Award-winning, multiple Emmy Award-winning, all-volunteer choral ensemble, The Tabernacle Choir is made up of 360 men and women who join their talents to create their trademark, instantly recognizable sound. They are accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square, a 150-member symphony, and the Bells on Temple Square, a 32-member handbell choir, that are both likewise all volunteer. The Choir, known for over 150 years as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, recently changed its name to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. (More details can be found at the Choir's website.)

The Choir has appeared at 13 world's fairs and expositions, performed at seven U.S. presidential inaugurals, and sung for numerous worldwide telecasts and special events-all the while broadcasting Music and the Spoken Word, the oldest continuing radio network broadcast, a weekly tradition now in its 90th year. The Choir has its own recording label and just released the CD and DVD versions of last year's Christmas concert, both entitled A Merry Little Christmas, with Broadway star Sutton Foster and world-renowned English actor Hugh Bonneville. A companion book,It Is Well with My Soul, was also just released. Information about all three products can be found atthetabernaclechoir.org.

Photo Credit: Bryan Kasm