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CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT (2009)
DECEMBER 23 AT 8 PM
EIGHT/KAET-TV

– Country Music Star Trisha Yearwood Hosts Annual Holiday Favorite at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville –

Three-time Grammy Award winner and Belmont University alumna Trisha Yearwood hosts Christmas at Belmont (2009), taped at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The program airs Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009 at 8 p.m. on Eight/KAET.

Christmas at Belmont (2009) features a collection of familiar carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites. More than 400 student voices join Yearwood, the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir to present the annual holiday production. Previous hosts of Christmas at Belmont include alumni Melinda Doolittle and Josh Turner, as well as recording legend Brenda Lee.

This year’s program features Belmont University’s Phoenix, a 10-voice, pop, R&B, rock and alternative ensemble; Session, a female a cappella ensemble; Jazzmin, a 12-voice blues, swing, bebop and contemporary jazz group; and Women’s Choir. The performance, which includes classic sacred holiday music such as “Ave Maria,” “God Rest Ye” and “Joy to the World,” would not be complete without traditional seasonal songs such as “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells,” to name a few.

Yearwood, a 1987 Belmont graduate, claims three Country Music Association honors and 19 top-10 singles in addition to her three Grammys. Her career-defining hits include such memorable songs as “She’s in Love With the Boy,” “Walkaway Joe,” “Perfect Love” and “How Do I Live.” Yearwood released her tenth studio album, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, in November 2007. Last year, the multi-talented artist co-authored a New York Times best-selling cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, with her mother, Gwen, and sister Beth. A second cookbook is expected in stores in spring 2010.

Bob Fisher, president of Belmont University, host of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, said, “It was a great joy to welcome Trisha back ‘home’ … Her vocal talents leave every audience wanting more, and we are thrilled to partner with this amazing artist and friend for our annual ‘Christmas at Belmont’ production.”

Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of Belmont’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, noted, “Alumni like Trisha are wonderful examples of the incredibly gifted students drawn to Belmont University. We are delighted that through the efforts of [producer] NPT and our generous sponsors, we can share the talents of our current students and faculty with a national audience.”

This year represents only the second time that the performance and taping of Christmas at Belmont has been held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which opened in 2006. The Schermerhorn is one of few venues in the world featuring natural lighting and state-of-the-art acoustics, including motorized acoustic drapes and an acoustical isolation joint that encircles the entire concert hall and prevents sound waves traveling into or out of the hall.

About Eight/KAET-TV
Eight, Arizona PBS specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning, and the celebration of arts and culture — utilizing the power of noncommercial television, the Internet, educational outreach services, and community-based initiatives. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of Arizona State University on January 30, 1961. Now more than 80 percent of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators, cable and satellite systems. With more than 1.3 million viewers each week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. Arizonans provide more than 60 percent of the station’s annual budget. For more information, visit www.azpbs.org.

Eight is a member-supported service of Arizona State University.