“A Baylor Christmas” Concert Special to Air on TV Stations in 15 States

Annual concert featuring Combined Choirs and Baylor Symphony Orchestra celebrates Christmas in music and song

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

WACO, Texas (Dec. 19, 2017) – "A Baylor Christmas," an hour-long program produced by KWTX Television from the performances of the Baylor University Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs of the Baylor School of Music, will air on Gray Television stations throughout Texas and 14 other states during the Christmas holidays.

The annual Christmas concert has heralded the arrival of Christmas at Baylor for nearly 50 years. For the fourth consecutive year, the faculty and students of the Baylor School of Music and KWTX Television have joined to create this special presentation to share the music of the season with a wider television audience.

"A Baylor Christmas" will air in Central Texas on KWTX-TV and CW-12 and will be distributed to other Gray Television stations throughout the country. (See broadcast schedule below. Check local listings to confirm airtimes.) The special also will be available after Dec. 20 on Baylor's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/baylor.

During sold-out performances Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and 2, the brilliant voices of the Baylor Combined Choirs along with the talented musicians in the Baylor Symphony Orchestra resounded throughout Jones Concert Hall as they performed traditional favorites.

"A Baylor Christmas" features the ever-popular candlelight processional that proclaims the birth of Christ, with the Combined Choirs singing "What Sweeter Music" by John Rutter and "Alleluia, Venite Alleluia," arranged by Gary Fry.

The Baylor Symphony Orchestra will perform "Farandole" (from L'Arlésienne) by Georges Bizet, followed by the Baylor Men's Choir rendition of a new arrangement of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Commissioned by conductor C. Randall Bradley, D.M.A., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Music and director of church music program at Baylor, this version of the well-known 15th-century French carol was arranged by Jordan Tucker, who earned his bachelor's degree in composition from Baylor in 2015 and his master's degree in 2017.

The beautifully decorated stage in Jones Concert Hall comes alive when the combined choirs join together for Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night," arranged by David Itkin and featuring a soloist, soprano Megan Gackle. The concert will conclude with George Frideric Handel's "A World of Joy," adapted by Lowell Mason and arranged by Gary Fry and featuring a soloist, tenor Matthew Newhouse.

"The School of Music's 'A Baylor Christmas' concert has become a cherished tradition on campus and around the country, thanks to the fantastic collaboration of Gray Television and KWTX-TV, who have produced award-winning broadcasts of the concert in recent years," said Stephen Heyde, The Mary Franks Thompson Professor of Orchestral Studies, director of orchestral activities and conductor-in-residence in the Baylor School of Music.

"We believe this year's concert is the best ever and look forward to sharing the talents of our exceptional choral and orchestral students performing the magnificent music of the Christmas season with viewers. We are confident this program will put you in the true spirit to celebrate the birth of the Christ child and offer it with our prayers for a most blessed Christmas," Heyde said.

Texas Broadcast Schedule

• KWTX-TV, Channel 10, Waco-Temple-Killeen
  1:35 CT a.m. and 10:35 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24
  6 a.m. CT and 4 p.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• CW-12, NWTX-TV, Waco-Temple-Killeen
  7 p.m. CT Saturday, Dec. 23
  8 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24
  9:30 p.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• KBTX-TV, Channel 3, Bryan-College Station
  2:35 a.m. CT and 10:35 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• CW-8, NBTX-TV, Bryan-College Station
  7 p.m. CT Dec. 23
  8 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24
  9 p.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Laredo, Texas: NGNS-TV
  11 a.m. CT Dec. 31

• Odessa, Texas: KOSA-TV, NOSA-TV
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (KOSA)
  7 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (NOSA)

• Sherman, Texas: KXII-TV, FXII-TV
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (FXII)
  6 a.m. CT New Year's Day, Jan. 1 (KXII)

• McAllen, Texas: KRGV-TV (Special thanks to Bob Johnston, B.B.A. '62, of Harlingen)
  7 p.m. CT Dec. 23
  4 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

"A Baylor Christmas" also will air on the following Gray Television stations in 14 states. (Check local listings to confirm airtimes.)

• Monroe, Louisiana: KNOE-TV
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Alexandria, Louisiana: KALB-TV, NALB-TV
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (KALB and NALB)
  5 a.m. CT Dec. 26 (NALB)

• Hazard, Kentucky: WYMT-TV
  7 p.m. ET Dec. 23
  7 p.m. ET Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Green Bay, Wisconsin: WBAY-TV
  1 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• Dothan, Alabama: ETVY-TV
  Noon CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• Meridian, Mississippi: WTOK-TV
  4 p.m. Dec. 23
  6 a.m. Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Parkersburg, West Virginia: WTAP-TV
  6 a.m. ET Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Wausau, Wisconsin: WSAW-TV, WZAW-TV
  Noon CT Dec. 23 (WZAW)
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (WSAW)

• La Crosse, Wisconsin: WEAU-TV
  6 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Casper, Wyoming: KCWY-TV
  6 a.m., noon and 5:30 p.m. MT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Greenville, North Carolina: WITN-TV
  8 a.m. ET Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Springfield, Missouri: KSPR-TV
  4 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• Panama City, Florida: WJHG-TV
  4 p.m. CT Dec. 23
  6 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Harrisonburg, Virginia: WHSV-TV
  5 a.m. ET Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Augusta, Georgia: WAGT-TV
  9 a.m. ET Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• Bowling Green, Kentucky: WBKO-TV
  4 p.m. CT Christmas Eve, Dec. 24

• Cedar Rapids, Iowa: KCRG-TV, NCRG-TV, OCRG-TV
  5 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (KCRG)
  7 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (NCRG)
  8 a.m. CT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (OCRG)

• Roanoke, Virginia: WDBJ-TV
  5 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. ET Christmas Day, Dec. 25

• Anchorage, Alaska: KTUU-TV, KYES-TV
  5:30 a.m. AT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (KTUU)
  5 a.m. AT New Year's Day, Jan. 1 (KTUU)
  7 a.m. AT Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (KYES)
  8 a.m. New Year's Day, Jan. 1 (KYES)

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 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.

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. Baylor's 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.