Ho, ho, ho! Looking for the perfect music to bring you endless hours of merriment and cheer this holiday season? WRTI's sleighful of Christmas music is here! Our carefully curated playlists and adored annual specials will keep the sparkle of the season alive.
As you're enjoying all of this festive music, please remember to leave a gift for WRTI under the tree. 'Tis the season for end-of-year giving, and with your donation today, you can bring glad tidings and good cheer to the music, and to all of your fellow listeners.
Christmas Programming on WRTI
Friday, Dec. 15
4 p.m. - John Rutter’s Brother Heinrich’s Christmas
Brother Heinrich's Christmas can also be heard at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23.
Week of Dec. 18 to 22
Breakfast with Bach, Morning Meditation, and Flix @ Five will all be Christmas-themed, in addition to holiday-related music every hour.
Wednesday, Dec. 20
2 p.m. - Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major, RV 589
Simon Preston, conductor; Academy of Ancient Music, Christ Church Cathedral Choir; Judith Nelson, soprano; Emma Kirkby, soprano; Caroline Watkinson, mezzo
Thursday, Dec. 21
2 p.m. - Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin State and Cathedral Boys Choir
Friday, Dec. 22
2 p.m. - Handel’s Messiah
Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen; Carolyn Sampson, soprano; Catherine; Wyn-Rogers, mezzo; Mark Padmore, tenor; Christopher Purves, bass
Saturday, Dec. 23
6 to 8 a.m. - Performance Today, Holiday Special
8 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Saturday Morning Classics with Mike Bolton will feature lots of Christmas programming, including another spin of Rutter’s Brother Heinrich’s Christmas at 10 a.m.
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. - Overture will feature a complete performance of Menotti’s Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.
1 to 5 p.m. - Wagner’s Tannhäuser from The Metropolitan Opera
5 to 6 p.m. - Classical New Releases will feature new Christmas recordings.
6 to 7 p.m. - Wind & Rhythm (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
7 to 8 p.m. - Christmastime in New York: The Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine on HD-2
The Choir of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine performs at the Medieval Sculpture Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a program that spans hundreds of years and describes the story of the nativity. The program includes settings of the "O Magnum Mysterium" text by Victoria, Morton Lauridsen, and Francis Poulenc, as well as works by Byrd, Biebl, and Hassler. Kent Tritle, conductor; Nimet Habachy, host.
8 to 9 p.m. - Anticipation and Celebration: Advent with the Montserrat Boy Choir on HD-2
Perched atop the mountains near Barcelona, the choir of the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious boy choirs. In this special the ensemble sings a wide range of works. From Gregorian Chant to pieces by contemporary Spanish composer Bernat Vivancos, the Monserrat Boy Choir sing with style and an attention to detail that is sure to enthrall listeners.
9 to 10 p.m. - The Score (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
Sunday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve)
8 to 9 a.m. - With Heart and Voice (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
9 to 10 a.m. - Early Music Now (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Performance Today (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. - Sunday Baroque (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
1 to 3 p.m. - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College Cambridge
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is an annual live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal Classical music. This special will be presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. The full order of service is here.
3 to 4 p.m. - The Ballad of the Brown King and Other Music for Christmas by Black Composers
Dr. Louise Toppin, a noted performer and scholar who specializes in the concert repertoire of African American composers, presents the world premiere recording of Margaret Bonds’ The Ballad of the Brown King. With a libretto by Langston Hughes, this Christmas cantata which focuses on Balthazar, the dark-skinned king who journeyed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ, is beautifully interpreted by New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra, soloists soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and tenor Noah Stewart, led by Malcolm J. Merriweather.
4 to 6 p.m. - St. Olaf Christmas Festival
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a chance for listeners across the country and around the world to participate in one of the nation’s most treasured holiday celebrations. Programming includes sacred choral and instrumental music from many traditions: beloved hymns, classical masterworks, folk songs from around the world, and African-American spirituals.
6 to 7 p.m. - Welcome Christmas with VocalEssence on HD-2
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than Welcome Christmas!, the VocalEssence holiday concert conducted by Philip Brunelle. It’s an hour of joyful, classic holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing traditional carols and new discoveries.
7 to 8 p.m. - Carols as Home with the Imani Winds on HD-2
Carols as Home features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz. Toyin coaxes intimate stories of Christmas memories from the members of the ensemble, and why these classic carols are still essential today. You’ll hear many of your favorite carols updated with the ensembles’ own imaginative take. This is APM’s first hour long special dedicated to Imani Winds, and the debut of Toyin Spellman-Diaz as host.
8 to 10 p.m. - Your Classical Christmas Favorites on HD-2
Join us this holiday season as we count down your favorite Christmas songs.
Monday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)
6 to 10 a.m. - Christmas Morning with Zev Kane
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (Replay)
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is an annual live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal Classical music. This special will be presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. The full order of service is here.
12 to 1 p.m. - Christmas with Morehouse and 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 encore presentation 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.
1 to 2 p.m. - All Is Bright
Join host Lynne Warfel for an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story with songs about angels, the star and the manger scene.
2 to 3 p.m. - The Canadian Brass: Christmas Time Is Here
This program features arrangements of music by Vince Guaraldi and Luther Henderson as well as traditional favorites from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman" and more – timeless classics infused with jazz and lush harmonies. Hosted by WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon.
3 to 4 p.m. - A Chanticleer Christmas
This program of holiday favorites, new and old, will be presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices." Chanticleer is one of the premiere vocal ensembles in the nation. The ensemble has won two Grammys and is a member of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
4 to 5 p.m. - A Handel & Haydn Society Christmas
This special features Christmas choral music from America’s oldest continuously performing ensemble, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society.
5 to 6 p.m. - Christmas with the King’s Singers
It’s an a cappella Christmas from England with the King’s Singers, one of the world’s most celebrated vocal ensembles. In an exclusive New York appearance recorded at The Greene Space, this male sextet — consummate entertainers with a delightfully British wit — perform timeless carols, Christmas classics and new arrangements in their impeccable vocal blend. WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon hosts.
6 to 7 p.m. - Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin on HD-2
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Exploring Music's Bill McGlaughlin gathers this spirited selection that 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.
7 to 8 p.m. - A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico on HD-2
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.
8 to 9 p.m. - Center Stage from Wolf Trap: Holiday Special with Cantus on HD-2
9 to 10 p.m. - Fiesta (Holiday Edition) on HD-2
Monday, Jan. 1
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - New Year’s Day from Vienna 2024
Waltz into the new year with the ever popular New Year’s Day Concert, broadcast around the world from the Musikverein in Vienna, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Christian Thielemann. You'll hear music from the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauss and its contemporaries. It is not only the desire of the Vienna Philharmonic to provide musically definitive interpretations of the masterworks of this genre, but also, as musical ambassadors of Austria, to send people all over the world a New Year's greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace. Hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins. The complete program is here.