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USCCB To Present "Christmas at the Cathedral" To NBC-TV Stations
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WASHINGTON (December 4, 2007)—"Christmas at the Cathedral," the highly acclaimed community Christmas concert from St. Joseph Cathedral, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will be distributed to NBC-TV owned and affiliated stations for broadcast on Christmas Day. Scheduling is at the discretion of the local station.
Known as "the cathedral on the prairie," St Joseph's is one of South Dakota's most significant civic and spiritual landmarks. Its annual concert has become a much loved community event blending traditional holiday songs and music especially arranged for the concert. This year's theme is "The Perfect Light," focusing on the journey of the magi as they follow the star to Bethlehem.
The hour-long program will feature the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Henry Charles Smith, along with tenors Scott Piper, Jeff Barnett and Matt Billion; concert pianist Paul Sanchez; the Cathedral Choir; and actress Vickie Fuller. There will be a special appearance from St. Joseph Cathedral School children and the O'Gorman Concert Choir.
Several traditional favorites will be featured, along with new selections, including "Who Would Imagine a King" from the movie soundtrack "The Preacher's Wife." As in the past, the concert will culminate with the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah.
"Christmas at the Cathedral' is an extraordinary production," said Ellen McCloskey, assistant director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Digital Media Office. "It offers a wonderful variety of music within the magnificent Cathedral. There is nothing like beautiful music performed in sacred space."
"Christmas at the Cathedral" is a presentation of the USCCB in cooperation with the Catholic Foundation of Eastern South Dakota, producers of the program. The TV presentation was made possible through the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission with funds from the USCCB Catholic Communication Campaign.
A list of NBC-TV stations that have scheduled the program can be found at www.interfaithbroadcasting.com.