Pentatonix, the popular, Arlington-rooted a cappella group that first made a splash nationally via a television program on NBC, will host its first network holiday special on Dec. 14 on that very network.
“A Pentatonix Christmas Special” will mark the quintet’s return to NBC, where the group became the Season 3 winners of the network’s a cappella singing competition, “The Sing-Off.”
The hour-long special will feature group members Avi Kaplan, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Mitch Grassi, headlining an all-star ensemble that also includes Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, with other special guests to be added at a later date. The website deadline.com reports that one rumored to be in the mix is Dolly Parton, whose recent cover of her 1974 song “Jolene” with Pentatonix has gone viral, giving the country star a Top 20 hit for a sixth consecutive decade. The website notes that Parton has a strong relationship with NBC, where she has a deal for TV movies based on her songs.
“A Pentatonix Christmas Special” will be executive-produced by Brad Lachman Productions, Inc. in collaboration with RCA Records and Pentatonix.
The show will come on the heels of Pentatonix’s recently released third holiday album, “A Pentatonix Christmas,” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
The new album features the group’s arrangement of the Leonard Cohen classic, “Hallelujah,” which debuted at No. 6 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart. The music video received more than 20 million views in its first week.
