ATLANTA — Channel 2 WSB-TV and Macy's Great Tree Lighting are back, and the holiday tradition will start even earlier! Atlantans kick off the holiday season with this event that is six decades strong.
Channel 2's anchors Jovita Moore and Craig Lucie host the live broadcast from Lenox Square on Thanksgiving beginning at 5 p.m. The Isley Brothers, known for their hit song "Shout," perform before the countdown to the lighting of Macy's Great Tree. The R&B legends and Rock-and-Roll Hall of Famers will share the stage with The Pentatonix from The Sing-Off and Georgia's operatic tenor Timothy Miller.
All the fun will culminate in the lighting of the 56-foot-tall, ecologically-friendly reusable tree. It's a sight that can't be missed with 45,000 LED twinkling lights, more than 8 miles of light strings, and a giant star perched on top of Macy's at Lenox Square.
The festive finale with favorite holiday tunes builds the anticipation to the magical moment, the lighting of Macy’s Great Tree and fireworks! People can join Channel 2 WSB-TV for this event, spark their holiday spirit and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #GreatTreeLighting.
WHAT: Macy's Great Tree Lighting
WHO: Hosted by Jovita Moore and Craig Lucie
WHEN: November 27, 2014 at 5 p.m. on Channel 2 WSB-TV
About the performers:
Pentatonix
Vocal sensations and winners of season 3 of The Sing-Off, Pentatonix are taking instrument-free music far beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Named after the world’s most widely recognized five-note music scale, this quintet has transformed one of pop music’s purest and most soulful ...
Pentatonix is comprised of lead vocalists Scott Hoying (22), Kirstie Maldonado (21) and Mitch Grassi (21), vocal bass Avi Kaplan (24) and beatboxer Kevin "K.O." Olusola (25) and, while the individuals would maintain that each of their fellow band members is irreplaceable, the fact remains that 24-hours before their audition for The Sing-Off they still hadn't all officially met.
After The Sing Off, Pentatonix relocated to Los Angeles where they produced and released 2 EP's – PTX Vol 1 & PTXmas (both via Madison Gate Records) – each time debuting on Billboard's Top 200 and selling more than 125,000 albums. They have twice toured North America, regularly selling out venues that include New York City's Best Buy Theater and San Francisco's Warfield Theater and their first ever European Tour sold out in its entirety. The have performed for Quincy Jones at Atlanta's Fox Theater and were a featured performer for Diana Ross at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl. Television appearances include performances on Ellen, The Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno, The Katie Couric Show, The Talk, The American Music Awards Red Carpet Show and Sesame Street. Pentatonix have also been regularly featured online by Perez Hilton, RyanSeacrest.com, The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and The New York Times.
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers formed in the early 1950s in Cincinnati, Ohio and today are considered one of the most important and influential groups of the last half-century. Though raised primarily on the sounds of gospel music, the family band went on to experiment and record under the genres of doo-wop, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, Motown, funk, quiet storm, disco, pop and hip-hop, all the while remaining true to their vision and voice. After leaving Cincinnati in 1957 for New York City, the group scored their first hit with the call-and-response classic “Shout” (now covered by countless bands across the country) and in 1962 reached true mainstream success with “Twist and Shout,” which became their first Top 40 hit on both the pop and R&B charts. At the end of the decade, The Isley Brothers scored another phenomenally successful hit with “It’s Your Thing” which earned them the 1969 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance and lead into their 1970s rock-disco crossover period, rounded out by the addition of three new members. Their 1973 album, 3 + 3, featured the Latin percussive rock classic “That Lady” and went on to be certified gold, while the 1975 landmark album The Heat Is On showcased the political funk anthem “"Fight the Power Pts. 1 & 2." After some members branched out to form Isley-Jasper-Isley in 1984, the group carried on as a duo, and in 1992 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Continuing steadily after the success of 1996’s Mission to Please, the group returned to the top of the charts with Eternal’s 2001 hit, “Contagious.” 2003 saw the gold certification of Body Kiss, and 2006’s Baby Makin’ Music peaked at No. 5. All in all, The Isley Brothers are of the rarest breed in the history of recorded music, maintaining a special and vital place for nearly fifty years.
Timothy Miller
A native of Augusta, Georgia, tenor Timothy Miller earned his B.A. degree from Morehouse College in 2003 and M.M. degree from Mannes College of Music in 2005. He made his operatic debut with the Mannes Opera program performing the roles of Monostatos and First Armored Man in Mozart's Die Zauberflote. Timothy has been a participant in both the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy and the Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute in San Francisco, California. He has also made appearances with both the Americolor and Capitol City Opera Companies of Atlanta, and is a past winner of the Capitol City Opera Vocal Competition. In February of 2006, he was honored to have been a guest soloist at the funeral services for the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King. In June of 2006 Timothy made his Oakland Opera debut performing the role of Street in Anthony Davis' X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. In January 2007, he made his debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing the role of Erster Lakai in a concert version of excerpts from Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. Timothy has made appearances as a chorister and solo artist with the Atlanta Opera. Recent performances include Un Messaggero in Verdi's Aida, First Armored Man in Mozart'sDie Zauberflote and Crab Man in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. As a staff singer he has held positions at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, the Riverside Church in New York and here at Glenn Memorial. Timothy has also made appearances as a featured soloist for the Atlanta Braves, as well as guest artist for the 2011 Georgia Gubernatorial Inauguration Ceremony. He is currently on the teaching faculties of Morehouse College and The Lovett School.
About Channel 2 WSB-TV: The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Atlanta's number one local television station. The station also operates its website, wsbtv.com, its mobile site, m.wsbtv.com, plus News, Weather and Traffic Apps, and airs MeTV on its digital sub-channel 2.2. WSB-TV also provides news, weather and traffic on Twitter @WSBTV and on WSB-TV's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wsbtv
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