MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Liberal Arts is wrapping up 2024 with its annual “Joys of the Season” arts showcase to thank the local community for its support.

The 30-minute broadcast premieres Monday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m. on MTSU’s True Blue TV and YouTube channels. The holiday show is a special edition of the university’s monthly TV magazine show “Out of the Blue,” hosted by Andrew Oppmann, vice president for marketing and communications.

The program highlights the work and creativity of MTSU’s School of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance. The holiday special was recorded at several locations across campus, including Hinton Hall inside the Wright Music Building, Tucker Theatre, and the XR Stage in the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building.

“The talent and artistry displayed by our students will delight the audience,” said Leah Lyons, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “There is something for everyone to enjoy. What we see in each performance is the result of hours of instruction, study and rehearsal. I could not be prouder of our faculty and students for their dedication to excellence.”

“Joys of the Season” will re-air on True Blue TV throughout the month of December, on NewsChannel 5+ in the Nashville market on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Dec. 15 through Jan. 5, and a special broadcast this year on Nashville PBS on Friday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m., which will also include the airing of the 2023 “Joys of the Season” concert. Additional times and dates will be announced soon. For more information on how to watch Nashville PBS programming, visit https://www.wnpt.org/watch/. 

President Sidney A. McPhee thanked Nashville PBS CEO Becky Magura and her team for including both shows on their platforms for the holiday season.

“We truly appreciate our partnership with Nashville PBS, as it helps further showcase the talented students and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and the entire university,” McPhee said.

“Their sharing of ‘Joys of the Season’ with a broader audience outside Rutherford County is so important to showcase the talents of our wonderful students in the College of Liberal Arts,” added Ty Whitaker, senior manager of True Blue TV.

Learn more about MTSU’s Arts programs at https://mtsu.edu/mtsuarts. Learn more about the opportunities at MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts at https://mtsu.edu/liberalarts. 

About Joys of the Season

“Joys of the Season” first started in 2015 as an evening of live performances and art displays in Tucker Theatre, showcasing the College of Liberal Arts’ performance and fine arts departments as an appreciation of the community’s decades of support. 

After the program took a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic and returned in an online format for two years, “Joys” returned once again in 2023 in a made-for-television format. The holiday special has won three Telly Awards in recent years.

“The quality of this year’s program far exceeds expectations, and I cannot wait for everyone to see it,” Lyons said.

The 2024 “Joys of the Season” broadcast features: 

• MTSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance will perform “12 Days to Christmas,” from the musical “She Loves Me,” directed by associate professor and department chair Kristi Shamburger and assistant director Crystal Carrasco, a theatre student.
• An MTSU Cello Ensemble, representing the School of Music’s Instrumental Performance Program, will perform “Halls Upon the Merry Housetop,” arranged by assistant professor Bryan Hayslett.
• MTSU Department of Art and Design professor and coordinator of art education Debrah Sickler-Voigt shows how to make a one-of-a-kind stamped flour clay ornament with a haiku. This is the first time the annual “Joys of the Season” program has had a holiday craft segment.
• MTSU Dance Program students perform “Waltz of the Flowers,” choreographed by dance lecturer Kim Holt. Originally from “The Nutcracker,” the piece is the final dance of the ballet and is where all the Sugar Plum Fairy’s sweets celebrate Clara and the prince.
• The MTSU Symphony Orchestra will end the program with a performance of “Sleigh Ride” under the direction of Carol Nies, associate music professor.

True Blue TV will air its fourth annual “Joys of the Season” marathon from noon Christmas Eve until noon Christmas Day. It will also include replays of the 2022 and 2023 “Joys of the Season” performances.

“My family, along with many others, love having these fine performances by our students as the backdrop for our holiday activities. This year will feature the 2024 show airing the first half of the hour, with the second half alternating between the 2023 and 2022 versions,” said Whitaker.

About True Blue TV

MTSU’s television station started in 1979 as a cable television bulletin board. In 1999, it launched as an educational resource channel as a part of the Center for Educational Media.

During the pandemic, the channel became the most suitable solution for bringing the MTSU community together and was rechristened “True Blue TV” in 2020. Since then, the channel has become the premier hub for video content and live event programming from MTSU.

Broadcasting from MTSU’s Center for Educational Media, a part of the College of Education, from studios and offices located inside the McWherter Learning Resource Center, True Blue TV is operated by MTSU’s Division of Marketing and Communications under a Murfreesboro Cable Television Commission license.

True Blue TV airs on Comcast Xfinity channels 9 and 1096; and channel 9.1 on the MTSU campus cable. It also airs as channel 195 on DTC in Alexandria; digital channel 206 on United Communications in Chapel Hill; and among the PEG offerings found on channel 99 on AT&T U-verse in Middle Tennessee. True Blue TV is also available on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

“Out of the Blue” is available anytime on the university’s YouTube channel, the True Blue TV channel, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. It also airs on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; NewsChannel5+ at 6:30 p.m. Sundays and on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, so check local listings. 

It is also available as a podcast on iTunes and Google Play and as individual interview segments on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/453hxg3. 

Watch previous episodes of “Out of the Blue” at https://mtsunews.com/out-of-the-blue.  

—       DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)