Seeking the perfect soundtrack for 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.
From Monday, Dec. 15 through Tuesday, Dec. 23, our daily features Breakfast with Bach, Morning Meditation and Flix at Five will all be Christmas-themed. You'll also hear a selection of holiday music throughout our classical broadcast. Below, find more highlights in the days leading up to Christmas.
As you're enjoying the festive sounds, why not leave a gift for WRTI under the tree? 'Tis the season for end-of-year giving, and you can bring glad tidings and good cheer to the musical community, and to all of your fellow listeners.
Friday, Dec. 19
3 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
Saturday, Dec. 20
1 p.m. - Mozart’s The Magic Flute from The Metropolitan Opera (Abridged English-language version)
Stephen White (conductor); Paul Appleby (Tamino), Joélle Harvey (Pamina), Michael Sumuel (Papageno), Rainelle Krause (Queen of the Night), Alexander Köpeczi (Sarastro), Thomas Capobianco (Monostatos), Harold Wilson (Speaker)
4 p.m. - Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors
Complete recording of Menotti’s 1951 Christmas opera with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alastair Willis.
Sunday, Dec. 21
1 p.m. - The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert: Handel’s Messiah
Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts Handel’s Messiah, with soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo Sasha Cooke, tenor Spencer Britten, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir.
3 p.m. - Sunday Classical
Melinda Whiting hosts a holiday-themed edition of Sunday Classical following The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert, until 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 23
2 p.m. - Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin State and Cathedral Boys Choir
Tuesday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve)
6 a.m. to 10 a.m.: John T.K. Scherch hosts a morning of festive Christmas Eve favorites.
10 a.m. to noon: 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.
Noon to 2 p.m.: Mike Bolton hosts an early afternoon of festive Christmas Eve favorites.
2 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Welcome Christmas
Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, 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.
3 p.m. to 4 p.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.
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.: 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.
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays with Michael Phillips
An hour-long special devoted to holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards, Michael Phillips shares an eclectic mix of wintry film scores, ranging from “It Happened in Sun Valley” (from “Sun Valley Serenade”) to Alexandre Desplat’s folk-inspired score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (HD2): Exploring Music w/ Bill McGlaughlin
Holiday Celebration: The sound of sleigh bells means that its winter holiday time, and music is full of representations of celebratory music. All around the world, winter holidays of a wide variety are celebrated, and their music is wonderful to listen to regardless of which one you celebrate.
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (HD2): St. Olaf Christmas Festival
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.
9 p.m. to 10 p.m. (HD2): Imani Winds: Carols as Home
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.
10 p.m. to midnight (HD2): C24
Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas)
6 a.m. to 10 a.m.: John T.K. Scherch hosts a morning of festive holiday favorites.
10 a.m. 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.
11 a.m. to noon: Carols, Customs and Candlelight: A Celtic Christmas Celebration
The Celtic lands of Northwestern Europe have an especially rich musical heritage, and many Christmas songs and carols come from places like Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and other Celtic nations. Listen as host Andrea Blain explores music and customs that have roots in ancient winter celebrations and traditional Christmas festivals. The music features classical ensembles and soloists like Apollo’s Fire and Bryn Terfel, as well as traditional instruments like harp, fiddle and mandolin. Lots of well-known Christmas music comes from the Celtic tradition, and some very beautiful but lesser-known festive music.
Noon to 1 p.m.: A Chanticleer Christmas
The beloved, Grammy-winning men’s chorus brings its “rich, intricately blended sound” (The Washington Post) to its signature holiday celebration. The centuries-spanning program ranges from Renaissance masterworks to roof-raising spirituals.
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: 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.
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
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 (also heard on Christmas Eve) 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.
4 p.m. 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 — 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.
5 p.m. 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 p.m. to 7 p.m. (HD2): Exploring Music w/ Bill McGlaughlin
Holiday Celebration: The sound of sleigh bells means that it's winter holiday time, and music is full of representations of celebratory music. All around the world, winter holidays of a wide variety are celebrated, and their music is wonderful to listen to regardless of which one you celebrate.
7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (HD2): Welcome Christmas
Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, 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.
8 p.m. to 9 p.m. (HD2): Apollo's Fire presents Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain: An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes, singers, and children’s voices join together to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian holiday. In this one-hour special, the listener is transported from Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to the folk carols and shape‐note hymns at a toe‐tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia. The people of the Appalachian Mountains welcome Christmas with love, singing, dancing, and prayer.
9 p.m. to 10 p.m. (HD2): An Operavore Christmas
WQXR's Naomi Lewin presents an hour of Christmas and holiday music from the world of opera and oratorio sung by some of the greatest singers past and present including Marilyn Horne, Leontyne Price, Bryn Terfel, Thomas Hampson, Joan Sutherland and more.
10 p.m. to midnight (HD2): C24
Wednesday, Jan. 1 (New Years Day)
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: New Year’s Day from Vienna
The ever-popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.