20th Annual presentation of
A Golden Christmas

Midnight.  Distinguished newscaster, the late Walter Cronkite, was the special guest for the Choir's 2002 Christmas Concert.  A highlight of the program was his narration of "Silent Night, Holy Night," the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914.  Preserved for all time in this recording, we present it here on A Golden Christmas.

12:30am.  With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. 
Organist: Andrew Unsworth.  Conducted by Mack Wilburg.  Hosted by Lloyd Newall, a former anchor for CNN, and WSEE Television in Erie, PA.

1am.  The sounds of the Holiday with a Super Soul vibe!

4am.  With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.  Conducted by Mack Wilburg.  Organist, Clay Christiansen.  Hosted by Lloyd Newall, a former anchor for CNN, and WSEE Television in Erie, PA.

4:30am.  With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.  Craig Jessup and Mack Wilburg, conducting.  Special guest: internationally-acclaimed Norwegian-born singer, Sissel.

5am.  From the WERG archives: the story of a very special Christmas, as told by former Gannon College professor, Dr. John Rouch.  During the seventies, Dr. Rouch hosted a series on WERG called The Storyteller, narrating tales spun-out of his real-life experiences.  “The Last Noel” was originally broadcast over WERG on Dec 18, 1973.  With grateful appreciation to Skip Niebauer of American Artist Studio in Erie for this digital restoration.

5:30am.  The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square present a Music & the Spoken Word special, featuring Richard Thomas (The Waltons). Music and readings includes: “Christmas Day in the Morning,” “The Christmas Story,” “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” and more.

6am.  Christmas music, both traditional and new.  Dr. Chet will play everything from Mannheim Steamroller, Jack Johnson, Pentatonix, and Wolf Alice, along with traditional favorites from Aretha Franklin, Bobby Helms, Vince Guaraldi, and Nat King Cole.  It's a great way to welcome-in Christmas!

9am.  Join Bob around the tree for three hours of Christmas and Holiday favorites.  Grab a mug of hot chocolate and settle-in!

Noon.  One of our graduates, Dani was a DJ on 90.5 WERG and loves Christmas music.  She compiled the music for this program, which she scripted and produced, for an edition of Radio Roulette in December 2019.  We preserved the recordings and now present an encore presentation of it here.

3pm.  Christmas music, both traditional and new.  Greg mixes-in the likes of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Coldplay, Train, and The Lumineers with traditional favorites from Bing Crosby, John Denver, Johnny Mathis, and David Bowie.

6pm.  Join internationally-renowned recording artist Natalie Cole in “Carols Then and Now”, with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, as they celebrate the enchanting music of Christmas.

6:30pm.  The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performs seasonal classics from around the world, including “Ding, Dong! Merrily on High,” the French carol “Whence Is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing,” “Trepak” from “The Nutcracker,” “O Green and Shimmering Tree,” the Nigerian carol “Betelehemu,” and “Silent Night.”

7pm.  We all know the songs and carols...but where did they come from?

7:30pm.  From the WERG archives: the story of a very special Christmas, as told by former Gannon College professor, Dr. John Rouch.  During the seventies, Dr. Rouch hosted a series on WERG called The Storyteller, narrating tales spun-out of his real-life experiences.  “The Last Noel” was originally broadcast over WERG on Dec 18, 1973.  With grateful appreciation to Skip Niebauer of American Artist Studio in Erie for this digital restoration.

8pm.  Mr. J from Super Soul Saturday's "Jazz Electric" program sets the mood... all becomes calm and bright as Christmas approaches.

11pm.  Featuring narration by John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

11:30pm.  Distinguished newscaster, the late Walter Cronkite, was the special guest for the Choir's 2002 Christmas Concert.  A highlight of the program was his narration of "Silent Night, Holy Night," the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914.  Preserved for all time in this recording, we present it here on A Golden Christmas.

Live from St. Peter Cathedral in downtown Erie, simulcast on WJET-TV and 90.5 WERG.