Andy Williams and Celtic Thunder: Christmas Past, Christmas Presents, and Christmas Future

December is chock full of Christmas specials, including Christmas episodes of regular series. In the beginning of the month, to thank our loyal supporters and encourage other viewers to become new members, WSBE proudly presents a number of nostalgic and contemporary musical specials.

Why is membership so important? Because all of that terrific, unique programming you enjoy all year on WSBE (programming you will not see on other PBS stations) is only made possible by your financial support directly to WSBE. Donations to any other PBS station do not benefit WSBE. We are all independently owned and operated, no matter how close we seem geographically.

If you become a member in December, you get two thank-you gifts (hence the "Christmas Presents" in this blog's title). Keep one or both for yourself or give to someone else: Christmas Lights DVD and a gold-tone snowflake ornament from Adornment by Campany & Thornton Fine Jewelry in South Kingstown.

On Monday, December 6 at 7:30 P.M., join us live in the studio (that's always fun!) as we present memories of Christmas Past:
 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS: THE BEST OF THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS SHOWS features classic clips of various Christmas specials from The Andy Williams Show. Filling homes with seasonal cheer, the specials became a cherished holiday family tradition. The digitally re-mastered production numbers are complete with magnificent sets and costumes and a cast of singers, dancers, and skaters. Quintessential moments include Williams’s solos of “Silent Night” and “Ave Maria,” as well as performances with his brothers for “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and with the Osmonds for “Silver Bells.” Interviews with Williams, and Bobby and Donny Osmond are interwoven with the show clips.

If you miss the first broadcast, look for re-broadcasts on Thursday, December 9 at noon, and Friday, December 10 just after midnight, at 12:30 A.M.

As for Christmas Future? Well, with such youth among the members of Celtic Thunder, I figure fans can look forward to years of future Christmas specials from these performers. *smile*

The heart-warming new CELTIC THUNDER CHRISTMAS features holiday standards such as “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “Let It Snow,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Silent Night” as well as a few specially-written originals, “Going Home For Christmas," “Christmas Morning Donegal” and “Our First Christmas Together." Filmed in Poughkeepsie, NY, in front of a live audience, Irishmen Damian McGinty, Keith Harkin, Paul Byrom, Ryan Kelly, and Scotsman George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder bring together their affinity for a great popular song with outstanding live performances, pay homage to cherished holiday favorites. The show is a holiday celebration for all the family, performed with Celtic Thunder magic. CELTIC THUNDER CHRISTMAS airs after HAPPY HOLIDAYS: THE BEST OF THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS SHOWS special: Monday, December 6 at 9 P.M., with on Thursday, December 9 at 1:30 P.M., Friday, December 10 at 2 A.M. and 8:30 P.M.

It's On the Horizon - Celtic Thunder Rolls In to Providence!

Two members of Celtic Thunder - Ryan Kelly and George Donaldson - will be in WSBE Rhode Island PBS studios on Thursday, September 9 to co-host the 8 PM broadcast of their show, It’s Entertainment!

All five soloists in Celtic Thunder will perform at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (VMA) on Tuesday, December 7. Through an agreement with promoters, Rhode Island PBS has premium tickets available to the show. More information about the performance and tickets to the live concert in Providence will be presented during breaks in the televised concert.

Since 2007, Celtic Thunder has been delighting audiences with an eclectic mix of traditional Irish music and contemporary pop ballads. As the members of Celtic Thunder will tell you, Celtic Thunder is not a "boy band" - it is made up five soloists, Paul Byrom, George Donaldson, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, and Damian McGinty, each with different backgrounds and different styles of music.

In the performers' latest special, It’s Entertainment!, the singers pay tribute to those who paved the way for them, by evoking the era of big bands as they perform some of the greatest songs of the last 30 years. Working in the tradition of a true variety show, the performers cover a mix of styles, songs, and singers, saluting some of their musical heroes, including: Fred Astaire, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce, Chicago, U2, Michael Buble, and The Beach Boys. Combining solos with small group and ensemble numbers - all songs performed with the men's signature style and high energy - Celtic Thunder provides something for everyone in this feel-good show.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS airs the show on Thursday, September 9 at 8 PM, with a re-broadcast on Sunday, September 12 at 8 PM.

Here's a preview, courtesy of PBS.

Celtic Thunder - It's Entertainment! Saturday, June 12 at 8:30 PM.

PBS Preview Video 

 

Since 2007, Celtic Thunder has been delighting audiences with an eclectic mix of traditional Irish music and contemporary pop ballads. In the group's latest special, It’s Entertainment!, the singers pay tribute to those who paved the way for them, by evoking the era of big bands as they perform some of the greatest songs of the last 30 years. Working in the tradition of a true variety show, the performers cover a mix of styles, songs, and singers, saluting some of their musical heroes, including: Fred Astaire, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce, Chicago, U2, Michael Buble, and The Beach Boys. Combining solos with small group and ensemble numbers - all songs performed with the men's signature style and high energy - Celtic Thunder provides something for everyone in this feel-good show.

Want to experience the energy firsthand? Celtic Thunder is coming to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (VMA) on Tuesday, December 7th, and Rhode Island PBS has premium tickets available. To enjoy the rollicking televised concert, and to get tickets for the live show in Providence, tune in Saturday, June 12 at 8:30 PM (cable subscribers can also watch the show on Sunday, June 13 at 10:30 PM).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After the corned beef and cabbage dinner, after the ice-cold tankard of brew (or maybe with it), put your feet up and tune in for an evening of Irish entertainment.


At 7PM, The Music of Ireland: Welcome Home tells the definitive story of contemporary Irish music. Hosted by Clannad’s Grammy Award-winning Moya Brennan, the documentary features exclusive interviews and performances by great icons of Irish popular culture including The Chieftains (pictured).

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At 8:30PM, enjoy When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: An Irish Parade of Stars. Pulitzer-prize winning author Malachy McCourt wrote and produced this warm and nostalgic parade of Irish favorites from the past. The archival program focuses on Ireland's most beloved ballads and folk songs, performed by some of the world's greatest vocalists. Among the traditional favorites to be featured are "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra (An Irish Lullaby)," "Molly Malone," "McNamara's Band," "It's A Long Way To Tipperary," "Danny Boy" and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, " as well as such Emerald Isle-influenced classics as "Look To The Rainbow," "The Unicorn" and "A Great Day For The Irish."

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Finally, at 10PM, make the gentle transition out of traditional Irish music into songs sung by Irish performers by watching Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment. This stylish and high energy trip through some of the great songs of the last 30 years is pure showbiz! It is a tribute from Celtic Thunder to the legacy they have inherited from the great entertainers of the past, and a mark of how far they themselves have traveled as performers, in a few short years.It evokes an era of big bands and boulevards, top hats and tails and singing and dancin’ in the rain! It makes for irresistible listening as the principals from this generation pay their respects to the stars of an earlier time. In the true tradition of variety the music covers a mix of styles, of songs and of singers, as the lads salute their musical heroes- from Fred Astaire to Neil Diamond, from Jim Croce to Chicago, from Michael Buble to The Beach Boys. Hardly Irish ballads, true, but still delightful entertainment.

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WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on digital 36.1; Cox/Verizon/Full Channel 08; DirecTV 36; Dish Network 7776; ComCast subscribers, please check local listings for the channel number in your area.
Viewers with high definition (HD) capability can receive WSBE Rhode Island PBS HD programming over the air on digital 36.1, Cox 708, Verizon 508, ComCast 819.