"A Baylor Christmas" Special to Air on Texas, Louisiana TV Stations

Annual concert featuring combined choirs and orchestra celebrates Christmas in music and song

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
Follow Lori on Twitter at @LoriBaylorU
Follow Baylor Media Communications on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia

WACO, Texas (Dec. 17, 2014) – “A Baylor Christmas,” an hour-long program created from the performances of the orchestra and combined choirs of the Baylor University School of Music, will air on television during the Christmas holidays.

For nearly 50 years, the combined choirs and orchestra of Baylor University have heralded the arrival of Christmas in joyful expectation. During sold-out performances Dec. 4 and 5, the student voices of Baylor’s combined choirs resounded through Jones Concert Hall as they performed such traditional favorites as “The First Nowell (Noel),” “And The Glory of the Lord,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

“We are thrilled with the production of ‘A Baylor Christmas’ and are eager to share with viewers our students’ performances of some of the most beloved music of the Christmas season,” said Alan Raines, D.M.A., The Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Music and director of choral activities at Baylor. “Baylor has a long tradition of celebrating Christmas in both music and song, and the School of Music is honored to be able to provide a musical gift this Christmas.”

Produced for television by KWTX-TV, a Gray Media television station, and the Baylor School of Music, “A Baylor Christmas” will air in Texas and Louisiana on the following Gray-owned stations and dates:

KWTX-TV (Waco, Temple, Killeen, Texas)

• Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, 6 to 7 a.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, 6 to 7 p.m. and 10:35 to 11:35 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, 6 to 7 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.

CW Texas (Waco, Temple, Killeen, Texas)

• Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, 8 to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, noon to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, 9 to 10 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, midnight to 1 a.m. and 8 to 9 a.m.

KBTX-TV (Bryan/College Station, Texas)

• Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, 6 to 7 a.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, 10:35 to 11:35 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, 6 to 7 a.m.

CW Texas (Bryan/College Station, Texas)

• Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014, 8 to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, noon to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014, 9 to 10 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, midnight to 1 a.m. and 8 to 9 a.m.

KGNS-TV (Laredo, Texas)

• Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (ABC 12)
• Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

KALB-TV (Alexandria, Louisiana)

• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, 5 to 6 a.m.

KNOE-TV (Monroe, Louisiana)

• Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, midnight to 1 a.m. and 6 to 7 a.m.

Featured in this year’s “A Baylor Christmas” special are Baylor’s A Cappella Choir (Alan Raines, conductor), Concert Choir (Lynne Gackle, conductor), Bella Voce (Lynne Gackle, conductor), Men’s Choir (C. Randall Bradley, conductor), Women’s Choir (Dinah Menger, conductor) and Baylor Symphony Orchestra (Stephen Heyde, conductor).

The program includes:

• Candlelight Processional
• “Stay with Us” – A Cappella Choir and Concert Choir
• “The First Nowell (Noel)” and “On This Day Earth Shall Ring” – Combined Choirs
• “I Saw Three Ships” – Women’s Choir
• “And The Glory of the Lord” (from Handel’s Messiah) and “The Holly and the Ivy” – Concert Choir
• Three Dances from The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, Marche and Russian Dance (Trepak) – Baylor Symphony Orchestra
• “Little Drummer Boy” – Men’s Choir
• “Canticle of Mary” and “The Sussex Carol” – Bella Voce
• “Mary’s Lullaby” and “Glory Hallelujah to the Newborn King” – A Cappella Choir
• “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” – Combined Choirs
• “O Come, All Ye Faithful” – Audience Carol

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Our students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service, and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, the students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. The Baylor School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs leading to the bachelor of music education degree conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency.