Christmas with the Annie Moses Band on WXXI-TV

With a mix of original tunes and holiday classics, the Annie Moses Band spreads holiday cheer.

Credit: Courtesy of Dream Journeys Productions

Six siblings, all classically trained musicians, offer a fresh fusion of sounds, incorporating pop, jazz, bluegrass and classical.

Christmas with the Annie Moses Band, part of WXXI's special holiday programming, airs Sunday, December 25 at 4 a.m. on WXXI-TV (DT21.1/cable 11/cable 1011), features the eclectic sounds of the all-sibling Annie Moses Band.

The six members of the ensemble — the Wolaver brothers and sisters — range in age from 26 to 11, starting with Annie (lead vocals, violin), Alex (viola, background vocals), Benjamin (cello), Gretchen (violin, mandolin), Camille (harp, piano) and Jeremiah (guitar). Their parents, Robin and Bill, are part of the act, too, Robin as lyricist/vocalist and Bill as composer/arranger/pianist. Annie, Alex and Benjamin have all trained at the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Spanning generations and genres, the Annie Moses Band draws on an array of musical styles and influences, including classical, jazz and pop. Christmas with the Annie Moses Band follows the release of the album of the same name, spreading holiday joy with renditions of classics like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” There are moments of sheer musical exhilaration evidenced in “Sussex Carol” and a sense of quiet contemplation in the gentle “When the Christmas Baby Cries.”

In interviews interspersed throughout the musical selections, viewers learn that there’s no Annie in the band that bears her name. Annie Moses was the siblings’ great-grandmother. A simple field worker in rural Texas, she recognized her daughter Jane’s musical talent and desire to learn. Thanks to Annie Moses’ determination, Jane was able to excel musically, despite the family’s meager resources. Jane passed that same drive on to her daughter, Robin, who in turned passed it on to her children — the Annie Moses Band.

Christmas with the Annie Moses Band features:

Act 1

• “O Come O Come Emmanuel”

• “Deck the Halls”

• “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

• “Jingle Bells”

Act 2

• “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

• “I Saw Three Ships”

• “When the Christmas Baby Cries”

Act 3

• “Sussex Carol”

• “What Child Is This?”

• “We Three Kings”

• “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

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