WBAA Holiday Programming Schedule
New Year's Day from Vienna 2022
Saturday, January 1 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
The ever-popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Daniel Barenboim from the Musikverein in Vienna. You'll hear your favorite waltzes, polkas and more. It's a festive way to start off 2022!
ALREADY AIRED:
A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a cappella
Wednesday, November 26 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
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 Chanukah texts both familiar and original performed by this virtuoso ensemble.
Hanukkah Lights 2020
Wednesday, November 26 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on WBAA News on 105.9 FM & AM 920
A perennial NPR favorite, Hanukkah Lights features all new Hanukkah stories read by hosts Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz. It’s been a difficult year and these stories will reflect that. They’re darker than usual. But we hope the miracle of Hanukkah casts its light through the radio. We think the tales will resonate with you because of their mixture of sadness and strength.
Welcome Christmas!
Monday, December 13 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, conducted by Philip Brunelle. Join us for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest.
Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square
Tuesday, December 14 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
The sounds of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square floated into many homes during the holidays in the '60s & '70s on Goodyear and Firestone albums, bringing lush renditions of favorite Christmas carols. Those warm memories and feelings come right back again in this holiday special. The choir continues its tradition of great artistry with touching arrangements of familiar carols, and surprises with lesser-known melodies that are fast becoming the new classics.
Christmas with Madrigalia
Wednesday, December 15 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
The last year and a half has seen quiet concert halls, empty houses of worship, and subdued celebrations. This holiday season, the Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia and their Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff will offer an encore presentation of Christmas with Madrigalia, recorded during Cary’s premiere season with the ensemble.
Christmas with Madrigalia celebrates the excitement and joy of the holiday season with traditional carols and anthems from the Medieval era through the 21st century. This one-hour program, recorded live in concert, features beautiful music by Michael Praetorius, Andreas Hammerschmidt, Ola Gjeilo, Alice Parker, and Craig Hella Johnson, along with a number of Cary Ratcliff’s own arrangements.
Since 1975, Madrigalia has presented unique and challenging programs of choral music built around intriguing themes. Their music is drawn from all times and places, spanning the riches of classic choral styles, the vast range of compelling music being written in our time, and the intriguing musical expressions of cultures throughout the world.
A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
Thursday, December 16 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
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.
A Chanticleer Christmas
Friday, December 17 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Celebrate the season with song! Steve Staruch hosts this one-hour program of holiday favorites, new and old, presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices."
The Thistle & Shamrock present A Child's Christmas in Wales
Saturday, December 19 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Cerys Matthews is a Welsh musician and patron of the Dylan Thomas Society. In this program, originally broadcast in 2015, she narrates excerpts from the Dylan Thomas holiday classic, set to music that she created and recorded with her collaborator Mason Neely. One reviewer wrote: "Dylan’s words are so deliciously descriptive to begin with, and Matthews’ lilting Welsh accent, and deep understanding of the culture illuminates them further. Her love of Dylan’s poetry shines throughout, and serves to make it accessible to a wide audience."
Hosted by Fiona Ritchie.
Harmonia: The Christmas Oratorio Quilt
Sunday, December 19 from 7:00 am to 8:00 am on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
As the winter nights get colder, we’ll keep warm by weaving together music for the season from France, Germany, and Italy—by composers both devout and mischievous. Our featured release showcases medieval Christmas music performed by Gothic Voices.
Concierto Christmas: Feliz Navidad, Part 1
Sunday, December 19 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Concierto celebrates the rich diversity of Hispanic classical artists every week. We wish you Feliz Navidad with a suite of Spanish carols adapted for voice and piano by Cuban composer Joaquin Nin. You’ll also hear 18th century villancicos from another Cuban, Esteban Salas. It’s an all-Christmas edition of Concierto.
A Paul Winter Solstice
Sunday, December 19 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm on WBAA News on 105.9 FM & AM 920
Celebrate the return of the sun with an encore performance recorded in the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. Musicians include Noel Paul Stookey, also known as Paul from the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. The Paul Winter Consort Winter Solstice Celebration (its official full title) also featured old friends like gospel singer Theresa Thomason and the Forces of Nature dance and drumming troupe from Harlem. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.
Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
Monday, December 20 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
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.
A Soulful Christmas
Tuesday, December 21 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Julie Amacher and Tesfa Wondemagegnehu host this uplifting Christmas special that features Black music and composers. A Soulful Christmas celebrates classical music by Black artists, while exploring Spirituals, Gospel Music, Jazz and other Black musical traditions.
A Kostraba Conundrum Christmas Special
Wednesday, December 22 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Greg Kostraba digs back into the WBAA archives for an hour of holiday selections from "Your Guide to the Finest in 20th-century Music,"The Kostraba Conundrum.
A Baroque Noel with Pegasus Early Music
Thursday, December 23 from 11:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Celebrate the holiday season with 17th century flair with A Baroque Noel. Join Rochester’s Pegasus Early Music for seasonal baroque gems brought to life by a full Baroque choir and orchestra. The program features Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Messe de Minuit pour Noel. Acclaimed lutenist Paul O'Dette leads an ensemble of sought-after musicians from across the country in this grand Christmas mass that quotes many popular Christmas carols of the 1600s. The program is rounded out with virtuosic concertos for oboe and mandolin by Vivaldi, as well as French Christmas carols.
WBAA School of the Air: Toy Shop
Thursday, December 23 from 12:35 pm to 1:00 pm on WBAA News on on 105.9 FM & AM 920
We go back into the archives for a December 4, 1945 broadcast of the popular WBAA School of the Air.
Tinsel Tales 4: Stories of the Season Told Through Music
Thursday, December 23 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on WBAA News on on 105.9 FM & AM 920
For many of us, Christmas is about family and traditions. For others it's a stressful or even a sad time. No matter how good or bad your holiday is, it’s quite likely to include music. This year, Tinsel Tales includes stories of the season told thru music with interviews from the NPR Archives. Kenny Rogers, Katie Melua, Sting, Amy Grant and Jon Batiste talk about the power of music at Christmas. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Friday, December 24 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
A service in song and word that has become one of the nation’s most cherished holiday celebrations. Tickets to the event - which takes place at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN - are always gone months in advance. 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
Friday, December 24 from 10:00 am to noon on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music. The 2021 edition of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is scheduled to be live and in-person.
All Songs Considered from the Holidays
Friday, December 24 from noon to 1:00 pm on WBAA News on 105.9 FM & AM 920
Bob Boilen is like a child this time of year, his eyes and ears full of wonder, as he traipses through the NPR Music offices, vigorously jingling his collection of sleigh bells. He believes, in his heart, that he's truly getting everyone in the spirit of the holiday season. But it's always a steady source of irritation for Robin so he tries to escape but ends up on a steam engine headed to the North Pole.
Selected Shorts: Holiday Hurdles
Friday, December 24 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on WBAA News on 105.9 FM & AM 920
In Selected Shorts: Holiday Hurdles with David Sedaris, audiences are invited to reimage holiday rituals. Selected Shorts’ late host and founder Isaiah Sheffer is featured as the reader of Tobias Wolff’s “Powder,” in which a pre-Christmas snowstorm provides an adventure for a father and son. In Allegra Goodman’s gentle borrowing from an O’Henry classic, a long-established couple discover they can surprise one another; Dana Ivey and Michael Cerveris read her “Gifts of the Jewish Magi.” And David Sedaris says English writer Jeanette Winterson captures the city to a T in “Christmas in New York,” a modern fairy tale with just a hint of magic, performed by Richard Masur.
Handel's Messiah with IndyBaroque
Friday, December 24 from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Enjoy a broadcast of Handel's much adored oratorio, Messiah, performed on period instruments by the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra along with the Beecher Singers of Second Presbyterian Church. This work is a religious story of hope, inspiration and timeless expression.
Harmonia: Holiday Triple Spin
Sunday, December 26 from 7:00 am to 8:00 am on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
Holidays are a great time for music! And this week on Harmonia, we’re going to take a spin through three favorite tunes and enjoy how early composers and modern performers make them memorable. Warm up your ears for some holiday cheer and join us!
Concierto Christmas: Feliz Navidad, Part 2
Sunday, December 26 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
In this edition of Concierto we wish you Feliz Navidad with traditional Mexican music featuring the chorus Voz en Punto; Slavic seasonal favorites performed by Argentine pianist Martha Argerich and Uruguayan conductor Jose Serebrier; and tenor Juan Diego Florez with beloved holiday sacred music. Frank Dominguez is your host.
A Season's Griot 2021
Sunday, December 26 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on WBAA News on 105.9 FM & AM 920
A Season's Griot is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for 25 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. The show’s poet laureate, Beverly Fields Burnette, and other members of the Season’s Griot family return with familiar and favorite elements of Griot.
New Year's with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Friday, December 31 from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm on WBAA Classical on 101.3 FM
It’s a Viennese New Year’s concert from Pittsburgh! Music Director Manfred Honeck conducts a concert of waltzes and polkas from the Strauss family. And 16-year-old violinist Noa Wildschut makes her American debut with the Chausson “Poeme.”
Toast of the Nation
Friday, January 1 from 11:00 pm to Saturday, January 1 at 3:00 am on WBAA-FM HD-2 and the WBAA Jazz Stream
An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio compliment for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long, even on lockdown. With an exciting line-up of artists all recorded during the pandemic, one with a small audience and three without, this music is a fitting way to ring in the new year. Hear sets from The Catherine Russell Trio recorded at Dizzy Club at Jazz At Lincoln Center in NYC (October 2020); The Jazz Gallery All-Stars, recorded at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC (October 2020); KOKOROKO, recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London (July 2020); Pink Martini, recorded in Portland, Oregon (November 2020.)