E-mail Sampler: Public Television Audiences Respond to

Rob Mathes and "Christmas Is Coming"

"I had never even heard of Rob Mathes before last night. It was wonderful. The song 'William the Angel' really touched me. My sister is dying of cancer and has just a couple days to live. Please tell Rob that for one moment Christmas meant something to me this year. If he talks with William the Angel, let him know that his visit was not wasted on my sister."
– KQED, San Francisco

"You made a difference in my life tonight."
– WHYY, Philadelphia

 "Rob has a voice I could never get tired of hearing."
– WDCN, Nashville

"I can't tell you how thrilled I was to hear new, fresh, vibrant and up-to-date Christmas music."
– WNET, New York

"We watched 'Christmas Is Coming' on PBS last night – terrific! The best Christmas TV we've seen. More. More."
– KTCS , Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA

"Flipping the channels the other night I saw that PBS had a musician who was playing a song called 'William the Angel.' I was transfixed."
– WNET, Westchester County, New York

"This show got my heart and head back to the real Christmas spirit."
– CPTV, Hartford, Connecticut

"Rob's song about the angel with the broken wing absolutely reduced me to tears."
– KETC, St. Louis

 "My dad and I have just about worn out our VCR watching the program over and over. Thanks for such an enjoyable and moving performance!"
– WTVS, Detroit

"As I flipped channels, I came across this gentleman singing a version of 'God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen' that I had never heard sung in that way before. I was mesmerized. At first I thought he has a 'James Taylor/Christopher Cross/Eric Clapton kind of sound' but as I listened further, I realized this man has a similar sound, but a 'soul' all his own."
– WPBA, Atlanta

"Rob's a jewel. His music and arrangements are so interesting to the ear, and go right to my heart."
– KQED , Berkeley, California

"Thanks for Rob's show. It was great."
– KAET, Phoenix

"The songs he wrote, arranged and sung were just anointed from heaven."
– LVPT, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

"My wife and I perform as singers and the month of December found of on our regular small tour of the area. By Christmas Eve, I was pretty much exhausted and really did not have the spirit of Christmas within me. I was upstairs that evening wrapping a few last-minute gifts when I turned on our local PBS station and found Rob at the very beginning of 'William the Angel'. I was extremely moved. That song alone is very symbolic of my relationship with others who have left this life or who are lost."
– KQED, San Francisco

"Who is this guy? He's great."
– OPB, Oklahoma

"He definitely has a gift from above."
– Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Gulfport, Mississippi

"His method of songwriting and storytelling, combined with beautiful music and sometimes haunting lyrics, made me truly aware of the true beauty of Christmas."
– KUHT, Houston

"I can't tell you how thrilled I was to hear new, fresh, vibrant and up-to-date Christmas music. At times it touched the very essences of my soul."
– KVIE, Sacramento

"Rob's obvious grasp of the 'true Christian heart' was summed up in 'William the Angel' and we're truly proud of how this was portrayed."
– KCTS, Seattle

 "… completely blown away."
– WETA, Washington, D.C.

"… unlike anything I've experienced before."
– WTTW, Chicago

"… moved me more than words could say." 
-- WXEL, Palm Beach

"… powerful."
– New Hampshire PTV, Durham

 "… captivating."
– WTVP, Peoria 

 "The songs Rob wrote, arranged and sung were just anointed from heaven."
– WLVT, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

 "I celebrated Christmas with my family last night and then, for the very first time, watched Rob Mathes perform a very special Christmas program on PBS. He is fabulous!"
– WTVS, Detroit

"… a fresh and thoughtful approach to an ancient topic … it was a holiday blessing."
– KWCM, Minneapolis

"We were both completely touched…"
– WHYY, Pennsylvania

"That concert simply caught the spirit of Christmas for me."
– WIPB, Indiana

 "My thanks for a very uplifting and beautiful experience." 
– KTEC, St. Louis

"Rob has that 'edge', which seems almost undefinable but which separates merely talented musicians from those who have something valuable to share and who wrap it in all the beauty and creativity they can muster.
– KOCE, Los Angeles

"Thanks for introducing another future legend to the world."
– WPBA, Atlanta

"I caught a double-whammy of Mathes the other night on PBS in Philly. Loved 'Christmas Is Coming' and his great work on the 'Pavarotti and Friends' show which followed it."
– WHYY, Philadelphia

"His is the kind of music that can make the holiday season very special for so many people."
– WUSF, Tampa

"Caught part of the concert last night on PBS and loved it! What moved me was the narrative Ossie Davis gave. Vanessa Williams was fantastic and Michael McDonald was just awesome. They don't get any better than David Sanborn. He took our breath away. I sat there with my seven-year-old son and both of us really loved it."
– KWSU, Washington state

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