WWNO 89.9 Holiday Programming
December 10 (Thu)
8pm - 9pm - Hanukkah Lights 2020
A perennial NPR favorite for nearly 20 years, Hanukkah Lights features all new Hanukkah stories, read by hosts Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.
9pm – 10pm - Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
Itzhak Perlman invites you to his Chanukah Radio Party. Join the superstar violinist as he tells the story of the Jewish festival of lights, and shares his favorite recordings for the holiday – some serious, some silly. This engaging one-hour special includes numbers from Itzhak Perlman’s radio-addicted childhood in Israel; evocative songs in Yiddish and Ladino; classical music that revolves around the Maccabee heroes of the story; and Chanukah gems by American folk singers. The master storyteller also regales you with jokes and memories, plus tales of three classic Chanukah symbols: the menorah, the latke, and, of course, the dreidel. A good time for the whole family, at Itzhak Perlman’s Chanukah Radio Party!
December 17 (Thu)
8pm – 9pm - Candles Burning Brightly 2020
Enlighten audiences with this one-hour celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. Mindy Ratner hosts this holiday favorite and exploration of Chanukah foods and traditional activities - and plenty of music.
9pm – 10pm - Chanukah in Story and Song with Leonard Nemoy
The classic holiday favorite is back, with acclaimed vocal sextet, the Western Wind and the renowned actor present 25 eclectic selections, from the Ladino songs of the Spanish Jews and Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe to modern Israeli tunes and their original version of “I Have a Little Dreydle.” The singers sing a cappella and are also joined by instruments including violin, accordion, bass and guitar. The narration written by Rabbi Gerald Skolnik sheds light on the holiday customs and rituals.
December 23 (Wed)
7pm-8pm - Joy to the World: A Holiday in Pink
The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra" Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. From timeless classics to rarely heard gems, hear a multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee, overflowing with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family. Hosted by All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro, and co-produced by OPB and Murray Street Productions.
8pm-9pm - NOJO Holiday Special
The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra presents a special collection of original recordings for the holiday season.
9pm-10pm -Swinging Holiday Jazz Party with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis hosts an hour of holiday jazz favorites by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gregory Porter, René Marie, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
10pm-11pm - Christmas Memories with Dee Alexander
Christmas is time for celebration, family, and togetherness. And although the weather outside may be cold, Dee Alexander’s music and stories are sure to keep you warm and hopeful through the holiday season. In this special, Dee shares songs that inspire celebration and spark nostalgia for the holiday, spinning classics like Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song and Mahalia Jackson’s No Room at the Inn. With her impeccable selections and inviting hosting style, this special is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit!
11pm-12am - An Afro Blue Christmas
Here's a very special holiday concert with Howard University's premiere vocal ensemble Afro Blue, and special guest pianist Cyrus Chestnut. The a-cappela group performs a variety of holiday songs including African-American spirituals, jazz and pop tunes, and classical repertoire. The joyous celebration includes one of a kind arrangements on traditional holiday songs plus new compositions... music perfect for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. Hosted by Michele Norris.
December 24 (Thu)
9am-11am – Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music.
8pm-9pm – Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1967 Christmas Eve Message of Hope
On Christmas Eve 1967, Martin Luther King, civil rights leader, Baptist preacher and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, agreed to deliver the prestigious Massey lectures on CBC Radio. His title, was "Conscience for Change." Although these lectures were recorded more than forty years ago, King’s words have lost none of their relevance as we still try to come to terms with many of the same issues.
9pm-10pm – A Christmas Carol with Jonathan Winters
A public radio tradition hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. Also featuring Mimi Kennedy.
10pm-11pm – Jazz Piano Christmas 2020
Join us for a twist on your favorite holiday classics! The Kennedy Center and NPR present A Jazz Piano Christmas, the holiday tradition and annual sell-out, where pianists perform their favorite seasonal music. This year features Kennedy Center favorite George Cables, Latin all-star Rebeca Mauleón, Mark G. Meadows and Hancock Institute International Piano Competition Finalist Joshua White.
11pm-12am - Jazz Night in America: A Holiday Celebration 2020
Jazz Night in America brings you holiday classics from their past five seasons – featuring fresh arrangements and entertaining storytelling recorded live from Rose Theater in New York City. You'll hear the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, plus special guest vocalists Catherine Russell and Kenny Washington.
December 25 (Fri)
Midnight -1am – Welcome Christmas
The perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups. An hour of traditional carols and new discoveries.
1am-5am – Classical Christmas music
9am-10am - Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites
This year a radio tradition continues - stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk--these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season.
10am-11am – All Songs Considered for the Holidays
11am-12pm – Sound Opinions 2020 Holiday Extravaganza
Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot welcome our crate-digging Kris Kringle, Andy Cirzan to share great holiday songs that aren't played-out
December 27 (Sun)
5pm-6pm – A Seasons Griot Kwanzaa Special
A Season's Griot is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for 25 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. The show’s poet laureate, Beverly Burnette, and other members of the Season’s Griot family return with familiar and favorite elements of Griot.
December 31 (Thu)
9pm-3am – Toast of the Nation
An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. This year we are featuring some of the best jazz collectives playing today. We'll hear the Baltimore Collective recorded live at The Keystone Korner, The Michael Leonhart Orchestra at The Jazz Standard, The SFJAZZ Collective in San Francisco and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra in New York City.
January 1 (Fri)
10am-12pm – New Year’s Day From Vienna
The Vienna Philharmonic and conductor Christian Thielemann present its ever popular annual New Year's Day concert from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. You'll hear your favorite waltzes, polkas and more -- a festive way to start off the New Year. It's presented by NPR Music and hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.
Classical 104.9 Holiday Programming
December 21 (Mon)
9pm-10pm - A Paul Winter Solstice 2020
Celebrate the return of the sun with an encore performance recorded in the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. Musicians include gospel singer Theresa Thomason, multi-instrumentalist and singer Arto Tunçboyacıyan and double reed wizard Paul McCandless. Hear the American Performance Premiere of the Grammy-winning suite MIHO with The Paul Winter Consort: Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Eliot Wadopian, Jamey Haddad, Tim Brumfield and the thundering Cathedral Pipe Organ. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.
December 23 (Wed)
9pm-10pm - A Chanticleer Christmas
This unique, one-hour program of holiday music is presented live in concert by Chanticleer. Hear why this superb 12-man ensemble is known as "an orchestra of voices," as they perform holiday classics and new favorites, with choral commentary by host Brian Newhouse.
10pm-11pm - A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
Celebrate Christmas with the sound of soaring voices. Stile Antico, the award-winning choir from London, pays a visit to St. Paul's Church on Harvard Square for a concert of radiant sacred music for the Christmas season by the most acclaimed composers of the renaissance. Hear the group's luminous blend of voices sing the intricately woven music of Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. Hosted by Cathy Fuller of WGBH.
11pm-midnight - ¡Vamos a Belén! Christmas with The Rose Ensemble
The acclaimed Rose Ensemble returns with a free one-hour special featuring festive and evocative music from early Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, and beyond. Colonial Latin America was a melting pot of ethnic diversity, when newcomers wrestled with local traditions, and cultural conflict was often reconciled through musical collaboration. Dances from the streets of Mother Spain mingle with African rhythms and indigenous languages, while celebration turns glorious in the pageantry of the Franciscan missions of California and New Mexico. The Rose Ensemble is joined by special guests, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band.
December 24 (Thu)
6-8pm - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Performs Handel’s Messiah
8pm-9pm - Winter Holidays around the world with Bill McLaughlin
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Bill’s spirited selection starts in the 12th century with Nova Stella, medieval Italian Christmas music from Saint Francis of Assisi’s staging of the nativity; jazz pianist Dave Brubeck’s classical composition La Fiesta de la Posada, evoking a Mexican Christmas celebration; and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols. We will enjoy this time of year in Paris with music from Debussy, and then travel to Polynesia for a traditional hymn, Anau Oia Ea. And then ending with an excerpt from Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors from the original television production. Turn on your radio, pour a cup of tea, cozy up to a warm fire, and enjoy the music!
9pm-10pm - A Handel and Haydn Society Christmas
Celebrate the season with this hour-long special featuring Christmas choral music from America’s oldest continuously performing ensemble, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society. Founded in 1815, the Society is celebrating their bicentennial season, including their 400th performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Join Host Cale Wiggins for this program featuring music from the 15th century to the late 20th ; a Christmas for all times.
10pm-11pm - La Nochebuena: A Spanish Renaissance Christmas with the Rose Ensemble
The acclaimed Rose Ensemble is back again for another one hour special for the holiday season. This year, the Twin Cities early music ensemble presents a program that is both rhythmic and regal; Spanish song and dance to celebrate Christmas Eve, La Nochebena. In La Nochebuena, The Rose Ensemble explores the great variety of music that filled the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella, and flooded the chapels and streets of Renaissance Spain.
December 25 (Fri)
9am-10am - St. Olaf Christmas Special
This service in song and word has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works, as well as orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians in five choirs, and the St. Olaf Orchestra. SymphonyCast host Alison Young shares the sights and sounds of this choral favorite.
10am- 11am - Christmas w/the Morehouse & Spelman Glee Clubs
One of the great holiday traditions in America, the choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges -- two of the most prestigious historically black institutions in the nation -- get together to present a spine-tingling concert program. This year's program features the best works of the last several years. It's a joyous celebration of the schools' tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. Korva Coleman hosts.