A Christmas without music would be unthinkable, so as we enter the final half of the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” here are recommendations for free music you can stream from official sources of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Stream the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert on any device
Each year, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performs three Christmas concerts that are filmed, edited together and broadcast the following year by PBS. The station released the 2023 concert this month, and you can watch it now for free on YouTube.
You will enjoy watching that concert even more if you first read this story. Our expert on the choir’s annual Christmas concerts recently spoke to the guest stars, and they provided a backstage pass of sorts, revealing some of their incredible experiences.
For example, Broadway star Michael Maliakel said the concert is such a huge production that it makes the show he fronts, “Aladdin,” “feel like a little high school show in comparison.”
“The army of people onstage you all see, but the massive operation behind the scenes to make it all work — the fantastic crew, the sound folks, the wardrobe people. They started planning this year’s (concert) I understand as soon as ours was done. So it’s a full yearlong process and they’ve been doing it for over 20 years now, so it’s a really well-oiled machine.”
Mack Wilberg, the choir’s music director, said it may seem that way, but it’s so large and complex that it always feels overwhelming.
“The Christmas concert certainly is our performance on steroids, if you will, because there are so many elements that have to come together. ... We hold our breath every year,” he said.
The 2024 Christmas song from Strive to Be
The Church News recently published a story that showed the reach of the Strive to Be channel on Spotify. Strive to Be is music produced by young Latter-day Saints for Christian youth.
A playlist from the Tabernacle Choir’s past Christmas concerts
The annual Christmas concert is one of the most sought-after and most-difficult tickets to get in Utah. But again, you can watch past concerts for free.
Or you can watch a playlist curated by the choir itself of some of its favorite songs from those concerts. This playlist begins with the brilliant, crystal-clear voice of Broadway star Kelli O’Hara singing “Baby of Bethlehem,” which is followed by one of energetic organist Richard Elliott’s hits, “Mashing Through the Snow.”
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Richard Elliott and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble perform during the annual The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and Orchestra at Temple Square Christmas concerts at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Michael Maliakel and Lesley Nicol, with arms around each other, smile in front of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra during the rehearsal on Dec. 13. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Missionaries sing along during a Christmas concert held at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (Adam Fondren, for Deseret News)
