June 20, 2022 Concordia University Irvine has won four 2022 Telly Awards for its PBS Broadcast: "Repeat the Sounding Joy!: A Concordia Christmas." Most notable, Concordia won GOLD in Television Craft: Use of Music, a specialty category that only considers the artful use of music.
The GOLD award is particularly noteworthy because most Telly categories do not award GOLD winners. In perspective, only about 3% of all entries worldwide earn this prestigious honor. Other entrants who won GOLD in the various Television Craft categories include major media companies like Disney, Hearst, and Warner Bros.
Concordia also took home SILVER in Television Craft: Directing, Television General: Educational Institution, and Television General: Music Video. These awards follow two Bronze wins in the 2021 Tellys for Concordia’s first-ever PBS show “All is Bright!”.
The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video for all screens. Receiving over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies, and publishers worldwide.
Bil Hood, Senior Director of External Relations said the special’s success would not have been possible without everyone involved doing excellent work.
“In the past, I have worked with some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the country. When we would win bronze we would be proud of the work we had done, when we won silver the office would take time to celebrate a great accomplishment, but gold was a rare occurrence that spoke to the special nature of the work submitted,” said Hood.
The theme for 2021, "Repeat the Sounding Joy!" showcased more than 200 performers from eight vocal and instrumental performing ensembles. The narrated special includes arrangements of favorite Christmas carols by students, soloists, and ensembles produced in the recording studios of Concordia’s Borland-Manske Center.
Concordia continues to be delighted by the reception they’ve received from PBS SoCal and their audience. Hood mentioned, “It was such a great reception that from 11 airings in SoCal year one, we moved to more than 500 airings across the country in year two.”
The third upcoming installment of "A Concordia Christmas" on PBS will again feature thematic content developed by Chief Mission Officer, Dr. Steve Mueller in conjunction with diverse musical arrangements, many newly composed for this made-for-TV special, Assistant Dean, Director of Arts and Instrumental Activities Jeff Held said.
Be sure to see "The Thrill of Hope: A Concordia Christmas" air on PBS affiliates across the nation come December 2022.
About CUI
Concordia University Irvine (CUI) is a non-profit Christian liberal arts university governed by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Preparing students for their vocations—their callings in life—Concordia offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs through its six schools—Arts & Sciences, Business & Economics, Christ College, Education, Health & Human Sciences, and the Townsend Institute. Nationally, its undergraduate core curriculum program, Enduring Questions & Ideas, has earned public recognition. Concordia is a U.S. News Top Tier Regional University and has been named by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the fastest growing private nonprofit master's institutions. The only NCAA DII university in Orange County, Concordia enrolls about 4,000 students annually, and is an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).