WGUC Holiday Specials 2025
This is Christmas with the Imani Winds
Saturday, December 6, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Join us for a new Christmas special featuring the Imani Winds.
Candles Burning Brightly
Sunday, December 7, 2 p.m. – 3 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.
Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Sunday, December 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.
Montserrat Boy Choir (Escola nia de Montserrat)
Tuesday, December 9, 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.
Vocal Arts Ensemble Candlelit Christmas
Wednesday, December 10, 7 p.m. – 8:14:30 p.m.
A yearly favorite.
Welcome Christmas
Thursday, December 11, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
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.
Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
Friday, December 12, 7 p.m. – 8 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!
Peter Illych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Saturday, December 13, 10:06 a.m. – 11:36 a.m.
The complete ballet with Semyon Bychkov and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Hector Berlioz: L’Enfance du Christ
Sunday, December 14, 4 p.m. to 5:45 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.
A Mexican Baroque Christmas with the Rose Ensemble
Tuesday, December 16, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
This holiday program features over two centuries of festive Christmas dances and songs from the great cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City. With rich instrumental and percussive accompaniment, solos and choruses burst forth in this program that’s a far cry from the same old Christmas show. Plus a couple of surprises for the season in this one-hour production. The music is all rhythmic and tuneful and totally appealing. Hosted by public radio veteran Tom Crann, with the Rose Ensemble’s Artistic Director, Jordan Sramek, it’s A Mexican Baroque Christmas with the Rose Ensemble. Add this hour of beautifully performed fresh sounds for the season to your station’s holiday line-up.
The Ballad of the Brown King and Other Music for Christmas by Black Composers
Wednesday, December 17, 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.
Music of Hanukkah
Thursday, December 18, 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Our annual celebration with stories and music, hosted by Naomi Lewin.
In Winter’s Glow
Friday, December 19, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
A winter solstice program, with modern classical sounds for the longest night of the year, chosen especially to complement the chilly, starry nights of the season.
A Classical Kids Christmas
Saturday, December 20, 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 world, meet Saint Nicholas, and follow the Wise Men.
Music of Hanukkah
Sunday, December 21, 7:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Our annual celebration with stories and music, hosted by Naomi Lewin.
Christmas with Morehouse & Spelman Glee Clubs
Monday, December 22, 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 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.
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Tuesday, December 23, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
A service in song and word that 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.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Wednesday, December 24, 10 a.m. – 12 noon
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel.
The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
Wednesday, December 24, 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
In February 2016, Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips introduced The Film Score on WFMT, a series that celebrates great music composed for the movies. From short segments to hour-length programs, The Film Score has explored recent Academy Award-nominated scores, composer-director partnerships, as well as holiday specials dedicated to Memorial Day and Halloween. The series has generated enormous listener response, feedback, and appreciation.
Handel: Messiah, Parts 1, 2 & 3
Thursday, December 25, 10 a.m. – 12:11
Neville Marriner, soloists and the Chorus + Academy of St. Martin in the Fields perform.
A Chanticleer Christmas
Thursday, December 25, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program, including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an evening of wonder and joy.
Sounds of Kwanzaa
Friday, December 26, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
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.
A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
Friday, December 26, 8 p.m. – 9 p.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.
New Year’s Day From Vienna 2026
Thursday, January 1,11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The ever-popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguin in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Hosted by WBUR’s Lisa Mullins.
New Year’s Day From Vienna 2026 Encore
Thursday, January 1, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Vienna Philharmonic will perform the ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguim in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Hosted by WBUR’s Lisa Mullins.
