Update: Semifinal voting ended on Nov. 29. Vote in the championship now!
CPR Classical is your Sound of the Season - CLICK HERE for the full broadcast schedule.
Voting in the Carol Countdown automatically enters you into a drawing to win a pair of tickets to see DCPA’s “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 10. Deadline to enter is Dec. 6th at 11:59 p.m. One entry per household.
After some intense matchups, only four festive favorites remain in our 2021 Carol Countdown. Are you ready to help decide Colorado’s favorite Christmas carol?
And remember, voting won’t just give you bragging rights when your favorite carol wins — it will enter you into a drawing for a pair of tickets to see “A Christmas Carol!” (See sweepstakes rules.)
The quarterfinal results prove just how diverse Colorado’s carol preferences are. Each carol won by a narrow margin — “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” just barely beat out “What Child is This?” with 54 percent of the vote.
We’re also seeing the rise of a contemporary underdog this year. Excluding the powerhouse “Carol of the Bells” (which was written in 1914 but adapted from an older Ukrainian folk chant), “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is the highest a carol written in the 20th century has ever been ranked in the Carol Countdown. Prior to this year, the highest was “Little Drummer Boy,” which reached 12th place.
And with “Silent Night” out of the running, it’s up to “Carol of the Bells” to stop “O Holy Night” from getting to the final for another year.
It’s easy to see why “O Holy Night” continues to dominate. With a vocal range of an octave-and-a-half, it’s one of the most difficult and impressive carols to sing. Whether you prefer Andrea Bocelli’s rendition, Mariah Carey’s or your favorite church cantor’s, any solid performance is essentially destined to be a show-stopper.
There are just two rounds of voting left before a carol champion is declared. Make your vote count below!
Semifinal voting is open through Nov. 29. We’ll announce the carols that move on and open voting for the Final Round on Nov. 30. Voting will continue until we declare a champ on Dec. 7. And don’t forget to listen to CPR Classical’s Carol Countdown on Saturday, Dec. 11 starting at 3 p.m.
Hear CPR Classical by clicking “Listen Live” at the top on this website, or download the Colorado Public Radio app. Listen on your radio to CPR Classical at 88.1 FM in Denver, at radio signals around Colorado. You can also tell your smart speaker to “Play CPR Classical."
