It’s true, headlining BYU’s “Christmas Under the Stars” this year is Grammy award-winning group Pentatonix. Not familiar with Pentatonix? That’s okay, we’ll give you the low down. Though none of the members of the group are members of our faith (that I know of), they’ve shared the stage and video screens with several members. Pentatonix is an a Capella group which formed in 2011. The group competed and won on the 3rd Season of NBC’s The Sing Off, and squared off against BYU’s own Vocal Point. Since their original debut on the Sing Off, the group has won 3 Grammy awards, and continues to wow audiences the world over with their brilliant vocal blend.
The group currently consists of Scott Hoying (Baritone), Mitch Grassi (Tenor), Kirstin Maldanado (Alto), Kevin Olusola (Percussion), and Matt Sallee (Bass). Orginal bassist Avi Kaplan has since moved on to a solo career singing more folk style music. The group regularly releases music on their YouTube channel and have amassed an astounding 644 million views of their cover of “Hallelujah” and 269 million views of their cover of “Mary Did you Know?” Following those two is probably my favorite version of “Little Drummer Boy” ever, with over 262 million views.
BYU’s Christmas Under the Stars has brought many different artists, from varying backgrounds to the stage, including Lauren Daigle, John Legend and Train, to name a few. This year’s Christmas Under the Stars will premier on BYU TV, Sunday December 5th. Here’s a little teaser.
But Wait! That’s Not All
Pentatonix recently released a video for the song Over the River. Yes, that Over the River. The one you heard as a kid. This time however, Pentatonix has collaborated with our favorite dancing violinist, Lindsey Stirling, to bring a new spin to the old classic. This isn’t the first time Pentatonix has collaborated with Sterling. In 2013, they collaborated on a cover of Imagine Dragons’ song Radioactive. Take a listen to these guys. I promise your ears will thank you!
