PLUTO AND BEYOND
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 @ 10:00PM
Since it explored Pluto in 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft has been zooming toward NASA’s most distant target yet. Join the mission team as the probe attempts to fly by Ultima Thule, an object 4 billion miles from Earth.
FROM VIENNA: THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 2019
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 10:00PM
Great Performances continues the cherished tradition of ringing in the new year with the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein. Under the baton of guest conductor Christian Thielemann, the celebration features favorite Strauss Family waltzes and the dancing of the Vienna State Ballet. Downton Abbey’s Earl of Grantham, Hugh Bonneville, returns as host.
AMERICAN MASTERS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 @ 8:00PM & 12:30AM
Meet James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist behind the double helix as he confronts his complex legacy. With unprecedented access to Watson and his family, “American Masters: Decoding Watson” explores his life, achievements, controversies and contradictions.
ESCAPE FROM CUBA
SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 @ 11:00PM
Join Ann Curry as two men search for the people who helped them settle in the U.S. when they fled Castro’s Cuba. One hopes to find the family who took him in as a boy while another looks for the shrimp boat skipper who brought him to safety.
THE BRITT ORCHESTRA AT CRATER LAKE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 @ 7:30PM
This program documents an extraordinary musical experience at the edge of Oregon’s Crater Lake, known as giiwas to the Klamath Tribes. More than 130 musicians — including classical musicians and Klamath drummers — gathered at Crater Lake National Park to perform the world premiere of a powerful new score inspired by the legendary lake. (30 minutes)
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC NEW YEAR’S EVE
WITH RENEE FLEMING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 @ 7:00PM
A New Year’s Eve tradition continues with the New York Philharmonic, led by music director Jaap van Zweden, welcoming Renée Fleming for a festive evening of music. From Johann Strauss II to musical pearls from Stephen Sondheim and film composer Alexandre Desplat, Fleming and the Philharmonic conjure the elegance and sparkle of a night at the Ball. Kelli O’Hara hosts.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT TANGLEWOOD
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 @ 10:00PM
In honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, Tanglewood—the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—dedicated its entire 2018 season to the iconic composer, conductor, performer, educator and humanitarian. The festivities culminated on Bernstein’s centennial birthday on August 25, 2018, in a special celebrity-studded gala concert, with every memorable moment captured for a worldwide audience by THIRTEEN’s Great Performances series.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT TANGLEWOOD
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 @ 7:00PM & 11:30PM
In honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, Tanglewood—the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—dedicated its entire 2018 season to the iconic composer, conductor, performer, educator and humanitarian. The festivities culminated on Bernstein’s centennial birthday on August 25, 2018, in a special celebrity-studded gala concert, with every memorable moment captured for a worldwide audience by THIRTEEN’s Great Performances series.
APOLLO’S DARING MISSION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16 @ 8:00PM & 12:00AM
Hear Apollo astronauts and engineers tell the inside story of how the first mission to the moon, Apollo 8, pioneered groundbreaking technologies that would pave the way to land a man on the moon and win the space race.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2018
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 @ 6:00PM & 10:00PM
See what happens when a new nun and four Chinese orphans arrive unexpectedly at Nonnatus House, causing both joy and chaos for the midwives. Meanwhile, Mother Superior falls ill, and it’s time for a new spiritual leader to be elected.