Tony-Winning Ruthie Ann Miles and Hollywood Veteran Dennis Haysbert Uplift Audiences in “Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir”

“Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” featuring Tony Award®-winner Ruthie Ann Miles (“The King and I,” “Sweeney Todd”) and acclaimed Hollywood actor Dennis Haysbert (“24,” “Major League”) will premiere on BYUtv and PBS this holiday season. The beloved annual special presented by GBH, now in its 22nd televised year, has been the top-rated winter holiday performance program on PBS for 20 years since it first aired in 2004 (Nielsen National Ratings Report, December 2005-December 2024).

This edition presents a powerful celebration of hope through treasured carols and hymns performed by Miles and the world-renowned Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. The music is complemented by Haysbert’s compelling narration of a contemporary story about giving back and uplifting communities, illuminating the true spirit of the season.

The 90-minute program will premiere on Monday, December 15 @ 8PM ET, repeat on Wednesday, December 24 @ 8PM ET (check local listings) on PBS, and stream November 27-January 1 on PBS.org and the PBS app. BYUtv will air it on Thursday, December 18 @ 8PM ET with repeats through Christmas Day, and it will be available to stream for free on the BYUtv app and BYUtv.org.

“What I’m reminded about when I’m singing here with The Tabernacle Choir is that we are all from the same place,” said Miles, who joins the Choir in performing beloved holiday classics, including the hymns “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” as well as “Spirit of the Season” and “Believe” from “The Polar Express.” “I am reminded of what Christmas has always meant to me, which is service. We are together speaking the soul’s language of love.”

“Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” delivers a moving program that combines timeless music with the remarkable true story of African philanthropist Dr. Charles Mulli, as told by narrator Dennis Haysbert along with the original Christmas story of Luke. The concert weaves together sacred and popular holiday music to create a universal language of hope for all ages.

“Just sitting down and having a conversation with Dr. Mulli, you know there is a God, and you know that He was speaking through him,” said Haysbert, who is one of the most recognizable voices in American advertising as the official spokesman for Allstate Insurance Company for over two decades. “I met a brother I didn’t know I had, and God put us in this place for a reason.”

Per tradition, “Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” was filmed in December 2024 to air this year. The program united a 500-person-strong cast including The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Orchestra at Temple Square, Bells at Temple Square and Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble to deliver an unforgettable program in front of three live audiences in Salt Lake City’s 21,000-seat Conference Center at Temple Square, the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state.

Over the past two decades, the annual television broadcast of “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” has featured stars such as Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Angela Lansbury, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, Kelli O’Hara, Santino Fontana, Gladys Knight, Megan Hilty, Sutton Foster, Renée Fleming, Natalie Cole, John Rhys-Davies, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Thomas, Jane Seymour, Neal McDonough, Sir David Suchet and Lesley Nicol.

“Ruthie Ann Miles and Dennis Haysbert brought extraordinary warmth and authenticity to this year’s concert,” said Mack Wilberg, music director of The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. “Ruthie Ann’s crystalline voice and emotional depth perfectly capture the message of hope we seek to share, while Dennis’s powerful presence and storytelling elevated the entire production. Together they helped us create a concert that speaks to the universal human need for hope, particularly during the holiday season.”

Ruthie Ann Miles is a Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her work on Broadway and television. She was most recently seen on Broadway opposite Robert Downey Jr. in “McNeal” at Lincoln Center Theater. Notable stage credits include Lady Thiang in “The King and I” (2015 Tony Award®-winner for Best Supporting Role by a Featured Actress in a Musical; Grammy® and Olivier Award nominations), Beggar Woman in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2023 Tony Award® nomination), and Imelda Marcos in “Here Lies Love” (2014 Lucille Lortel Award winner). On television, she is best known for her roles as Sherri Kansky on CBS’s “All Rise” and Young-Hee on FX’s “The Americans.” She also voiced the role of Ma Ma in Netflix’s Academy Award®-nominated feature “Over the Moon.” Beyond her artistic achievements, Ruthie Ann is recognized for her work empowering women, teaching students, and uplifting the Asian American performing community.

Dennis Haysbert is an American actor best known for his commanding presence and deep, distinctive voice. He rose to prominence through his work in both television and film. Haysbert’s career breakthrough came with his role as David Palmer on the hit television series “24,” earning Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. He has appeared in a variety of notable films, including Major League, and several television series, including “Holidazed,” a Hallmark+ limited series showcasing his versatile talent. Haysbert’s powerful, resonant voice has made him a sought-after narrator and commercial spokesperson, most notably as the voice of “Meet the Press,” where he is heard weekly on TV, radio, and across the internet. Beyond acting, Haysbert has supported and entertained troops on many United Service Organization (USO) tours and has remained a respected figure both in entertainment and humanitarian causes.

“Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” is co-presented annually by inspirational family television network BYUtv and GBH, the largest creator of PBS content for TV and the web. BYUtv is the television home of the Choir’s weekly program “Music & the Spoken Word.”

Funding for “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir” on PBS is provided in part by Ronald C. and Kaye Gunnell, Charles and Janet Stoddard, and David B. and Jolynn Davies.

For more information, please visit pbs.org/tabernaclechoir.

About The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square is a world-renowned, 360-member choir credited with over 5,000 episodes of its weekly live performance of “Music & the Spoken Word.” The program is the longest continuing network broadcast in history, now in its 96th year. The Choir has traveled around the world performing in acclaimed concert halls, for the inaugurations of seven U.S. presidents beginning with its first for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, at World’s Fairs and expositions, in acclaimed concert halls, on television and radio broadcasts and now internet streams, and numerous other prestigious events and occasions. The Choir has won four Emmy® Awards, one Grammy® Award, and multiple Grammy nominations, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 2003, and inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2015. It has released over 200 recordings which have earned two platinum and five gold albums, and hit #1 on Billboard’s classical music charts 15 times.

The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 200-member, all-volunteer symphony orchestra organized in 1999 to perform and accompany the musical ensembles of The Tabernacle Choir organization. The Choir and Orchestra, with their incomparable medley of voices and instruments and their shared faith in God, are a significant, recognizable presence in the world of music, giving service through song. More info at https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/ or by following the Choir on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About BYUtv

BYUtv provides families more than 2,000 hours of uplifting and compelling programming they can enjoy together. The Emmy-winning network’s content is trusted, contemporary and clean, yet clever and sophisticated enough to inspire children and parents alike. BYUtv’s diverse portfolio of original, co-produced and acquired content includes scripted and unscripted dramas and comedies, competition shows, concert specials and collegiate sports pregame and postgame coverage. BYUtv is available in approximately 40 million homes in every state of the country on DISH Network, DirecTV, and more than 130 major cable systems. A digital pioneer, BYUtv was the first U.S. television network to stream all its content live and free of charge over the internet. Today, BYUtv has more than three million YouTube subscribers and three billion views and is available live and on-demand on multiple digital platforms at no cost, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Vizio, Samsung, LG, Sony, Xfinity X1, Xbox, Windows, digital apps for iOS and Android, and BYUtv.org. Based in Provo, Utah, BYUtv is part of BYU Broadcasting, which is owned by Brigham Young University.