Italian Tenor Andrea Bocelli stars in a Christmas Concert with Canadian hit-maker David Foster for the PBS series Great Performances.

 

The show is scheduled to air this holiday season on PBS and is a companion piece to Bocelli's first ever Christmas album.  The collection of 14 songs called My Christmas is scheduled to drop Nov. 3.   

The combination of Bocelli, Foster and Christmas is much easier to swallow than the recent coupling of Bob Dylan and the holidays.   While Dylan's Christmas in the Heart  album is becoming a joke, Bocelli and Foster's "My Christmas" is destined to be a holiday classic.

The show was recorded on Sept. 15.  Andrea Bocelli tickets were sold for the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.  Joining Bocelli on stage were Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire, Katherine Jenkins, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  

If that wasn't enough to make you set your DVR, Jim Henson's Muppets also made an appearance.   They joined Bocelli for a rendition of "Jingle Bells."

Besides that ubiquitous holiday ditty, expect to hear a bevy of Yuletide favorites including "White Christmas," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Angels We Have Heard On High," "Caro Gesu Bambino," and "Adeste Fidelis."

Bocelli sings "The Christmas Song" with Cole, a song made famous by her father.  Bocelli and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir tackled the beautiful "The Lord's Prayer" while Boccelli and Blige team up for "What Child Is This."

McEntire sings with Bocelli in a cover of Elvis' "Blue Christmas" and mezzo-soprano Jenkins is Bocelli's partner for the breathtaking "I Believe."

Foster provided new arrangements for all the songs and he also produced the album.  

This collection of Christmas tracks holds a special place in Bocelli's heart.

"I have long dreamed of recording a holiday album that captures the beautiful traditions of the holiday season. Every year, these songs have brought incredible joy to me and my family, and it is my hope to give back that same joy by making this album."

Besides Christmas caroling for PBS, Bocelli will also be out on the road this winter for a series of concerts.   In November, fans of the tenor can buy Bocelli tickets for shows in Toronto, Fort Lauderdale, and Fresno.

In December, the Italian crooner will sell tickets to a show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and then for a show in Anaheim at the Honda Center.

Bocelli has sold more than 60 million albums throughout his 17-year recording career.  This past May, Bocelli sang "Il Galdiatore" and the Champions League theme song at the opening ceremony of the 2009 UEFA Finals.