Celebrate the Magic of the Season with Holiday Specials and Classics on Arizona PBS

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"Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir" airs on Arizona PBS on Monday, Dec. 21, at 8 p.m.

PHOENIX – (Dec. 10, 2015)

Arizona PBS is kicking off the holiday season with new specials and holiday classics, including kids’ specials, holiday concerts, historical programming and classic favorites.

“We’re excited to ring in the season with a diverse collection of programming that brings the magic of the holidays to life,” said Nancy Southgate, associate general manager of content at Arizona PBS. “This year’s programming lineup includes beloved Arizona PBS traditions such as ‘Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir,’ featuring all of your favorite Sesame Street characters, festive traditions such as the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting and much more. We’re looking forward to treating all of our viewers to something special this season.”

Below is a list of upcoming Arizona PBS holiday programming for the 2015-16 holiday season (a complete list is available at www.azpbs.org/happy_holidays.php):

Lidia Celebrates America "Home for the Holidays" Join chef Lidia Bastianich to celebrate the holiday traditions of her native Italy and those of her guests: Christopher Walken, Rita Moreno, Carlo Ponti, Jr., Ann Curry, Marcus Samuelsson and Padma Lakshmi.

– Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m.

Craft in America "Celebration" Explore the crafts and traditions of various holidays, featuring ceramic artists, woodblock Christmas cards, Kwanzaa celebrations and a peek behind the scenes of San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade.

– Friday, Dec. 11, at 9 p.m.

National Christmas Tree Lighting Celebrate the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree at President's Park in Washington, D.C. The festivities will feature top musical artists and actors and will be capped off by a very special guest.

– Monday, Dec. 14, at 9 p.m.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Broadway star Santino Fontana and the Muppets from Sesame Street join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra for a Christmas concert of holiday favorites.

– Monday, Dec. 21, at 8 p.m.

Christmas at Belmont Nearly 700 student musicians join the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children's Choir to perform traditional carols, classical masterworks and light-hearted seasonal favorites.

– Monday, Dec. 21, at 9 p.m.

St. Thomas Christmas: Jubilant Light 2015 The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, showcases its renowned student ensembles in this celebration of the Advent and Christmas season.

– Monday, Dec. 21, at 11 p.m.

Call the Midwife Holiday Special An unexpected surprise for a grieving mother brings the holiday magic home, while Nonnatus is rocked when one of its own disappears. A film crew promises to make this a memorable Christmas.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 8 p.m.

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New Year's:

Live from Lincoln Center "New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve: La Vie Parisienne" Ring in a new year with the Philharmonic and the sounds of Paris, featuring Alan Gilbert and Susan Graham in music by Ravel, Offenbach and Saint-Saens.

– Thursday, Dec. 31, at 7 p.m.

Michael Feinstein New Year’s Eve at the Rainbow Room Celebrate New Year's Eve with Michael Feinstein and celebrity guests including Darren Criss, Kelli O'Hara, Christine Ebersole and many more!

– Thursday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m.

Great Performances “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2016” Join host Julie Andrews as the Vienna Philharmonic performs favorite Strauss waltzes at the opulent Musikverein under the baton of Mariss Jansons and accompanied by the Vienna City Ballet.

– Friday, Jan. 1, at 6:30 p.m.

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Kids:

Caillou’s Christmas Caillou goes caroling, learns about holiday traditions and tries to stay up to see Santa.

– Sunday, Dec. 27, at 6:30 a.m.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas! Nick, Sally and the Cat in the Hat journey around the world to help a lost reindeer find his way home. – Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 1:30 p.m.

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 1:30 p.m.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Snowflake Day!” Daniel is excited to play his part in the Neighborhood’s Snowflake Day Show.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 9:30 a.m.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Daniel’s Winter Adventure/Neighborhood Nutcracker” Daniel and his friends go on a sledding adventure and put on the Nutcracker ballet. – Monday, Dec. 21, at 9 a.m. – Thursday, Dec. 24, at 9:30 a.m.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 9 a.m.

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow/Cretaceous Conifers The Pteranodon family visits the North Pole and celebrates the winter solstice. – Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 11 a.m.

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 11:30 a.m.   

Dinosaur Train “Don’s Winter Wish/Festival of Lights” The Dinosaur Train is snowed in by a blizzard. Then the family journeys to see the aurora borealis and celebrate a Festival of Lights. – Thursday, Dec. 10, at 11:30 a.m. – Friday, Dec. 18, at 11 a.m.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 11:30 a.m.

Martha Speaks: “Martha’s Holiday Surprise/We’re Powerless!” Martha and Skits set out through a blizzard to help a cat and her kittens. Then a blackout necessitates a little extra imagination.

– Sunday, Dec. 20, at 9:30 a.m.

Odd Squad “Reindeer Games” Olive and Otto help Santa track down his missing reindeer while Oscar helps get Ms. O removed from Santa’s naughty list.

– Monday, Dec. 21, at 3:30 p.m.

Peg + Cat “Pet + Cat + Holidays” Peg and Cat help Santa deliver presents and spend Hanukkah with Albert Einstein.

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 10:30 a.m.

Peg + Cat “The Christmas Problem” Peg and Cat help Santa deliver presents. – Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 10:30 a.m.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 10:30 a.m.

Super Why! “The Nutcracker” Super Why and his friends try to find out why the Mouse King is so cranky and restore magic to the Land of Sweets. – Thursday, Dec. 10, at noon

– Monday, Dec. 21, at noon

Super Why! “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” The Super Readers catch up with Santa as he gallops from rooftop to rooftop. – Monday, Dec. 14, at noon – Thursday, Dec.24, at noon

– Friday, Dec. 25, at noon

Thomas & Friends “Coming Home for Christmas” The engines race against time to keep the tracks clear and get everyone home in time for Christmas. Percy looks forward to seeing an old friend.

– Friday, Dec. 25, at 12:30 p.m.

Thomas & Friends “Tinsel & Trains” Percy discovers who has been stealing Christmas decorations, and Thomas brings a sleigh for the Christmas Fair.

– Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 12:30 p.m.

Thomas & Friends “Winter Surprise” Emily gets to pull the Winter Party Train – if she can find a missing hat. Edward is determined to find the perfect gift for Salty. – Thursday, Dec. 10, at 12:30 p.m. – Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 12:30 p.m.

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 12:30 p.m.

Wild Kratts Creature Christmas Alerted that their favorite creatures are suddenly disappearing, the Wild Kratts’ holiday party turns into a rescue mission. – Friday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m.

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 3 p.m.

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Classical holiday audio concerts produced by Central Sound at Arizona PBS, broadcast on 89.5 FM K-BACH, on ClassicalArizona PBS – KAET Digital TV Channel 8.4, and streaming online at www.kbaq.org or via the Tune-In app:

The Music of Star Wars The new Star Wars movie “The Force Awakens” is one of the most anticipated films of 2015. To celebrate its release, Central Sound has partnered with ASU’s Blaze Radio to offer an evening of favorite themes from the first six Star Wars movies, some of the most iconic film scores ever produced, as played by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices and others.

– Thursday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.

Celebrate the holidays with the Phoenix Chorale An hour of holiday music performed live by the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale, including favorites such as “The First Nowell” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Under the direction of Charles Bruffy, the Phoenix Chorale is regarded as one of the finest choral ensembles in North America and their recordings are played by radio stations around the world.

– Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m.

A Canadian Brass Holiday! From Mr. Grinch to a variation of the Dreidel Song, this encore holiday concert is performed by Canadian Brass at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. 

– Thursday, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m.

More information about audio broadcasts from Central Sound at Arizona PBS available at: https://azpbs.org/centralsound.

Media Contact:  Colleen O’Donnell Pierce
[email protected]
(602) 496-0579
(602) 478-3867 (cell)

About Arizona PBS

Arizona PBS is a trusted community resource.  For over 52 years, the PBS station has focused on educating children, reporting in-depth on public affairs, fostering lifelong learning and celebrating arts and culture. Arizona PBS achieves its mission through the power of non-commercial television, the Internet, educational outreach and community-based initiatives. Its signal reaches 80 percent of the homes in Arizona. With more than 1 million viewers weekly, Arizona PBS consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. For more information, visit azpbs.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest or Tumblr.

Arizona PBS is a member-supported community service of Arizona State University and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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