Season's Greetings from all of your friends at WRTI! Below are highlights from our carefully chosen selection of classical holiday favorites, and very special programs. Take a look, and tune in from now until January 1.
Week of Dec. 16 to 23
Breakfast w/ Bach, Morning Meditation, and Flix at Five will all be Christmas-themed, in addition to holiday-related music every hour.
Friday, Dec. 20
Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major, RV 589 at 3 p.m.
Simon Preston, conductor; Academy of Ancient Music; Christ Church Cathedral Choir; Judith Nelson, soprano; Emma Kirkby, soprano; Caroline Watkinson, mezzo
Saturday, Dec. 21
Mozart’s The Magic Flute from The Metropolitan Opera at 1p.m.
Abridged English-Language Version; David Jackson (conductor); Duke Kim (Tamino), Emily Pogorelc (Pamina), Sean Michael Plumb (Papageno), Kathryn Lewek (Queen of the Night), Peixin Chen (Sarastro)
Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at 4 p.m.
Complete recording of Menotti’s 1951 Christmas opera with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alastair Willis.
Sunday, Dec. 22
The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert: Handel’s Messiah at 1 p.m.
The Philadelphians perform Handel’s Messiah in a concert from 2023, featuring soprano Sherezade Panthaki, countertenor Reginald Mobley, tenor Thomas Cooley, bass-baritone Dashon Burton, and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir.
Sunday Classical
Melinda Whiting hosts a holiday-themed edition of Sunday Classical following The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert until 6 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 23
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker at 2 p.m.
A complete recording of the ballet. Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin State and Cathedral Boys Choir
Tuesday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve)
6 to 10 a.m. — John Scherch hosts a morning of festive Christmas Eve favorites.
10 a.m. to 12 noon — A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College, Cambridge
Don't miss the 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 official Order of Service is here.
12 noon to 1 p.m. — Christmas with the King’s Singers
It’s an a cappella Christmas from England with one of the world’s most celebrated vocal ensembles. 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.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. — St. Olaf Christmas Festival 2024: Celebrating 150 Years of St. Olaf College
For one-and-a-half centuries, St. Olaf has been a hub of connections, knowledge, and growth. And for more than a century, the St. Olaf Christmas festival has been a cherished part of that history. Join us as we celebrate their legacy.
3 to 4 p.m.— Welcome Christmas from VocalEssence
Listen to this perennial Christmas favorite from one of the world's premier choral ensembles, conducted by Philip Brunelle and G. Phillip Shoultz. Join host Bonnie North for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including including the world premiere of three beloved Latvian carols by composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.
4 to 5 p.m. — Christmas at the Movies
The Christmas holiday is charged with nostalgia and hope, so a Christmas setting can effectively heighten the emotional power of any film.
5 to 6 p.m. — A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a cappella
Join Jonathan Miller, artistic director of Chicago a cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring and informative show featuring choral music set to Chanukah texts.
6 to 7 p.m. (on HD-2) — Winter Holidays around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe.
7 to 8 p.m. (on HD-2): Carols at Home with the Imani Winds
Join us to hear 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. Encore from 2023.
8 to 9 p.m. (on HD-2): YourClassical Christmas Favorites
Join us this holiday season as we count down the top Christmas songs as voted by listeners in a new hour-long special.
9 to 10 p.m. (on HD-2): Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season
Sara Schneider, producer and host of Early Music Now, presents Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season, with joyful and contemplative sounds.
10 p.m. to 12 midnight (on HD-2): Holiday music on C24
Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day)
6 to 10 a.m. — John Scherch hosts a morning of festive holiday favorites.
10 to 11 a.m. — All is Bright
All Is Bright, with host Lynne Warfel, offers an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story with songs about angels, the star and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cantus, Chanticleer, Cambridge Singers, Bryn Terfel, Emma Kirkby, Jessye Norman, and a variety of choirs. Encore from 2023.
11 a.m. to 12 noon — A Handel & 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.
12 noon to 1p.m. — The Canadian Brass: Christmas Time Is Here
Hosted by WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon, this program features arrangements of music by Vince Guaraldi and Luther Henderson as well as traditional favorites.
1 to 2 p.m. — A Chanticleer Christmas
The beloved, Grammy-winning men’s chorus presents its signature holiday celebration. The centuries-spanning program ranges from Renaissance masterworks to roof-raising spirituals.
2 to 4 p.m. — A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College Cambridge (Repeat from 12/24/24)
Another chance to hear this annual live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music. The 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 Official Order of Service is here.
4 to 5 p.m. — Christmas with the Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
One of the great holiday traditions in America, the choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges get together in this encore broadcast to present a spine-tingling concert featuring their best works. It's a joyous celebration of the schools' tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. Korva Coleman hosts.
5 to 6 p.m — Three Tales of Christmas with Cantus
Cantus weaves together three holiday stories with time-honored carols and new classics. Blending narration and song, the program features Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Christine Lê’s The Hawai’i Snowman, alongside Mark Twain’s “A Letter from Santa Claus,” offering an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and joy of the holiday season.
6 to 7 p.m. (on HD-2): 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.
7 to 8 p.m. (on HD-2): Candles Burning Brightly
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! Lots of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus a hilarious lesson on how to prepare a classic Hanukkah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.
8 to 9 p.m. (on HD-2): Christmastime in New York's The Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine
The Choir of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine performs at the Medieval Sculpture Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
9 to 10 p.m. (on HD-2): Chanukah Memories and Melodies
Six prominent artists share memories of Chanukah, and the music the holiday brings to mind.
10 p.m. to 12 midnight (on HD-2): Holiday music on C24
Thursday, Dec. 26
Itzhak Perlman’s Chanukah Radio Party at 5 p.m.
Join the superstar violinist as he tells the story of the 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.
Saturday, Dec. 28
Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel from The Metropolitan Opera (Archival performance from 1982) at 1 p.m.
Thomas Fulton (conductor); Frederica von Stade (Hansel), Judith Blegen (Gretel), Rosalind Elias (Witch), Jean Kraft (Gertrud), Michael Devlin (Peter), Betsy Norden (Dew Fairy), Diane Kesling (Sandman)
Wednesday, Jan. 1 (New Year's Day)
8 a.m. to 11 a.m. — New Year's Day with WRTI
Waltz with Josh Jackson on New Year's Day as he brings you music to welcome 2025, including Franz Waxman's "Auldd Lang Syne" Variations.
11a.m. to 1 p.m. — New Year’s Day from Vienna
The ever-popular annual New Year’s Day Concert, a tradition at the New Year to present a program consisting of the lively and at the same time nostalgic music from the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauss and its contemporaries, will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Riccardo Muti in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Program details are here.