2023 Holiday Specials
Looking for even more holiday programming to listen to? Check out the offerings from sister-station 91.7 WVXU! And don’t forget, WGUC is going all-in this holiday season with “Classic Christmas!”
A Classical Kids Christmas
Saturday, December 2, 10:10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Carols and poetry combine to tell the story of Christmas, just like the pageants of days gone by. Experience the traditions of Christmas around the around, meet Saint Nicholas, and follow the Wise Men.
Maria Callas: The Enduring Icon
Saturday, December 2, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, the WFMT Radio Network and Jon Tolansky present an exclusive documentary memoir celebrating the legendary diva. Through interviews and commentary, this special explores how after all this time Callas’s work still mesmerizes the musical world in such a unique way.
In this documentary, we hear from Maria Callas herself, singers John Dobson, Mirella Freni, and Victor Godfrey; conductors Sir Edward Downes, Bernard Keeffe, and Nicola Rescigno; and others who knew Callas and her work, such as Cecilia Gobbi (daughter of baritone Tito Gobbi), former EMI classics engineer Robert Gooch, The Earl of Harewood, President of Warner Classics Alain Lanceron, Christopher Raeburn (former Head of Opera for Decca Classics), former General Director for Royal Opera House Covent Garden Sir John Tooley, and Cincinnati Opera’s Evans Mireagas.
The documentary is a mesmerizing journey into the life and artistry of Maria Callas, showcasing her remarkable talent and enduring influence on the world of music. Musical highlights from the documentary include unforgettable performances of a variety of works from Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, Bellini’s Norma and Puccini’s Tosca, among others. Experience the timeless magic of Maria Callas in this one-of-a-kind tribute to a true opera legend.
All is Bright
Sunday, December 3, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
All Is Bright is an hour of contemplative music related to the Christmas season and its symbolism. This program uses sacred choral music grouped in a way to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cambridge Singers, Cantus, and Chanticleer.
Music of Hanukkah
Thursday, December 7, 8 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Our annual celebration with stories and music, hosted by Naomi Lewin.
Candles Burning Brightly
Friday, December 8, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
A celebration of Hanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. “Candles Burning Brightly” explores the meaning and traditions of Hanukah, including holiday foods and Sephardic and Ashkenazi music.
Peter Illych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Saturday, December 9, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The complete ballet with Semyon Bychkov and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Hector Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ
Sunday, December 10, 8 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), Eric Tappy (tenor), Jules Bastin (bass), Philip Langridge (tenor), Raimund Herincx (baritone), Joseph Rouleau (bass), Richard Taylor (flute), Francis Nolan (flute), Renata Scheffel-Stein (harp), with The John Alldis Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis performing The Childhood of Christ.
Chanukah Memories and Melodies
Wednesday, December 13, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
A new 1-hour radio special featuring interviews with artists and public personalities about their Chanukah memories grounded in the music tied to their holiday memories. Guests on this program include cellist Alisa Weilerstein, Broadway actress Tovah Feldshuh, Sephardic music expert and flutist Daphna Mor, musician and Yiddish musicologist Henry Sapoznik, poet, musician and author Aaron Dworkin, and Eric Jacobsen, artistic director of The Knights. The program is hosted by WQXR’s Elliott Forrest.
A Hanukah Celebration with Chicago A Capella
Thursday, December 14, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Join Jonathan Miller, artistic director of Chicago A Cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring, informative and entertaining show featuring choral music set to Hanukah texts both familiar and original performed by virtuoso ensemble Chicago A Capella.
Music of Hanukkah: ENCORE
Friday, December 15, 7:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Our annual celebration with stories and music, hosted by Naomi Lewin.
Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
Friday, December 15, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Itzhak Perlman invites you to his Hanukkah 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 Hanukkah gems by American folk singers. The master storyteller also regales you with jokes and memories, plus tales of three classic Hanukkah symbols: the menorah, the latke, and, of course, the dreidel. A good time for the whole family, at Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party!
Handel: Messiah, Parts 1 and 2
Saturday, December 16, 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Neville Marriner, soloists and the Chorus + Academy of St. Martin in the Fields perform.
This is Christmas with the Imani Winds
Saturday, December 16, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Join us for a new Christmas special featuring the Imani Winds.
VAE Candlelit Christmas
Saturday, December 16, 7 p.m.
A yearly favorite.
Music of the Baroque Brass and Choral Holiday Concert
Sunday, December 17, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Music of the Baroque is comprised of a chorus and orchestra of approximately 60 professional musicians who individually perform around the nation and worldwide and come together in Chicago as a collective. Conductor William Jon Gray has assembled a program highlighting diverse holiday traditions around a single unifying principle: music gives voice to the spirit of the season.
Welcome Christmas!
Monday, December 18, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups. John Birge hosts an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest. For 2019, hear the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s “The Faire Starre,” a nativity cantata that draws on 17th century metaphysical poets and is set in the unique, eclectic style that has earned Nico Muhly raves from the Metropolitan Opera.
All is Bright
Tuesday, December 19, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Contemplative Music for Christmas: Lynne Warfel hosts 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.
A Chanticleer Christmas
Wednesday, December 20, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Celebrate the season with song! Brian Newhouse hosts this one-hour program of a cappella holiday favorites, new and old, presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man choral ensemble known as “an orchestra of voices.”
A Mexican Christmas with Newberry Consort & EnsAmble Ad-Hoc
Thursday, December 21, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A Mexican Christmas, an album of 17th century traditional music for worship and celebration. The collection features pieces commonly heard in both liturgical service and in the streets, and evoke the solemnity and fanfare heard in Mexico City’s convents and plazas, with jubilant vocals and lively strings, guitars, and percussion. Organ, harp, bassoon, and a variety of Mexican traditional instruments bring this exuberant and diverse music to life. Soprano Ellen Hargis, Director Emerita of The Newberry Consort, and soprano Francy Acosta, Director of EnsAmble Ad-Hoc, are your hosts.
Christmas with Morehouse & Spelman Glee Clubs
Thursday, December 21, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
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 school’s tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. Korva Coleman hosts.
The Ballad of the Brown King and Other Music for Christmas by Black Composers
Friday, December 22, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
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’s 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. The special will also include music for the season selected by Dr. Toppin.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 24, 10 a.m. – 12 noon
An annual and beloved Christmas tradition, “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” is an extraordinary and memorable live service of word and music from the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. Audiences will share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal music (anthems a cappella and with organ accompaniment, and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue.
The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
Sunday, December 24, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips is your host for The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays, an hour-long special devoted to holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards (“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), Michael 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” to Bernard Herrmann’s bracing sleigh ride accompaniment composed for the Orson Welles drama “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Bundle up and enjoy The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays!
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Sunday, December 24, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
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. Valerie Kahler shares the sights and sounds of this choral favorite.
A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico
Sunday, December 24, 6 p.m. - 7p.m.
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.
Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Sunday, December 24, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
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, then travel to Polynesia for a traditional hymn, Anau Oia Ea. And then ends with an excerpt from Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors from the original television production. Turn on your speakers, pour a cup of tea, cozy up to a warm fire, and enjoy the music!
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Monday, December 25, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival has become one of the nation’s most cherished holiday celebrations. Started in 1912 by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf College Music Department, the festival includes hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity. It features the St. Olaf Choir, the St. Olaf Orchestra, the St. Olaf Cantorei, the St. Olaf Chapel Choir, the Manitou Singers and the Viking Chorus, performing as individual groups and as a massed ensemble.
Montserrat Boy Choir
Monday, December 25, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
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. For the first time in their 800-year history, the choir made its Midwest premiere. Bringing with them a message of peace, the choristers will use music to transcend borders and speak directly to your heart.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols: ENCORE
Monday, December 25, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
An annual and beloved Christmas tradition, “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” is an extraordinary and memorable live service of word and music from the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. Audiences will share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal music (anthems a cappella and with organ accompaniment, and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue.
The Sounds of Kwanzaa
Tuesday, December 26, 9am
During the aftermath of the Watts Uprisings in the 1960s, Dr. Maulana Karenga decided to create a special December holiday designed for Black people to celebrate themselves, their culture, and their future liberation. Today, Kwanzaa is still celebrated by not only Afro-Americans, but Black people around the globe! In this broadcast, Garrett McQueen offers a background on the history of Kwanzaa and its guiding principles, alongside musical selections that highlight the spirit of the celebration. The show features the compositions of Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Sean O’Loughlin, and special performances by Imani Winds.
New Year's Day From Vienna 2024
Monday, January 1, 2024 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Christian Thielemann. With this concert 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.
New Year's Day From Vienna 2024 ENCORE
Tuesday, January 2, 2024 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Looking for even more holiday programming to listen to? Check out the offerings from sister-station 91.7 WVXU! And don’t forget, WGUC is going all-in this holiday season with “Classic Christmas!”
