’Tis the Night with Ben Folds

Premieres on WGBH 2 on Thursday, December 13 at 8pm

BOSTON (November 27, 2018) – Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds will host the 2018 WGBH Holiday Special ‘Tis the Night with Ben Folds & Friends,premiering Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 8:00pm on WGBH 2. ‘Tis the Night with Ben Folds & Friends reimagines holiday favorites, from classical to jazz and popular music.

“Our original program, ‘Tis the Night, builds on traditional holiday performances, pairing nationally-known acts with some of the most outstanding musicians in New England, in unexpected ways that deliver stunning results,” said Music Director Anthony Rudel, who is also Station Manager at 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston.

Eclectic and genre-bending, the program features Folds playing the piano for “Silent Night” with Handel and Haydn’s celebrated Concertmaster Aisslinn Noskyand then performing a drum and tap duet of “Little Drummer Boy” with dancer extraordinare Caleb Teicher and a trio of musicians from the New England Conservatory (NEC). NEC vocalists perform both a jazzy version of “Jingle Bells” and a more traditional performance of Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”. The program also features selections from George Frideric Handel’s seasonal touchstone Messiah, by the Handel and Haydn Society, which has performed the work annually to international acclaim for the past 164 years.

“I’m honored to host ‘Tis the Night, and to support public television programs like it which play such an important role in offering content that both inspires and entertains,” said Folds. “This broadcast, a throwback to past holiday shows that would showcase a variety of musical acts, also gives me the opportunity to work alongside some incredibly gifted performers from the Boston area and beyond.”

A holiday show wouldn’t be complete without some of the most-loved carols of the season. The Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum performs “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”, “Deck the Halls” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, while the Boston Children’s Chorus, under the direction of Anthony Trecek-King, lends their angelic voices to several carols, including a finale of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” with Folds and Teicher. (Continuing reading here)

‘Tis the Night with Ben Folds & Friends Broadcast Dates