TUESDAY, DEC. 17 at 7:00 & 8:30PM

Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir featuring Broadway star Michael Maliakel (Disney’s “Aladdin”) and beloved screen and stage actress Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) premieres Tuesday night on APT. The beloved annual special, now in its 21^st televised year, has been the top-rated performance program on PBS during the holidays for 19 years. This edition weaves together uplifting music led by Maliakel and the world-famous Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square with powerful storytelling from Nicol and a cast of actors to elicit the spirit of the season for viewers of all ages and backgrounds. Joy as already available for streaming on Passport.

Following that, Handel’s 18th-century masterpiece “The Messiah” is reimagined by Conductor Marin Alsop and colleagues Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson. Handel’s arias, choruses, and orchestration are infused with Gospel, Jazz, and R&B in Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah. This performance in front of nearly 5,000 people at London’s Royal Albert Hall marks its European premiere. Presented by choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone, the program sees The BBC Concert Orchestra joined by The BBC Symphony Chorus and The London Adventist Chorale, along with soloists Vanessa Haynes and Zwakele Tshabalala.