There are so many reasons to love the holidays (and a few going the other way), but our favorite is the music... and the stories. Turn on your radio (or smart speaker or app), and join us as we listen to the best of the season. Let's face it, we all need a little break from the norm.
Dec. 16
- 9:00 a.m. "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. Hosted by Cathy Fuller of WGBH. Presented by NPR Music."
Dec. 17
- 9:00 a.m. "St. Olaf Christmas Festival 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."
- 11:00 a.m. "Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites This program features stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk -- these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary."
Dec. 18
- 9:00 a.m. "A Chanticleer Christmas 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."" "
- 10:00 a.m. "Tinsel Tales 2: More NPR Christmas Favorites NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of the first Tinsel Tales program, this is another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories. Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary."
Dec. 19
- 9:00 a.m. "Hygge Holiday: Cozy Classics Join host Elena See as she plays a a mix of wintry and nostalgic classical pieces designed to accompany listeners as they enjoy cozy wintertime activities."
- 10:00 a.m. "Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary"
Dec. 20
- 9:00 a.m. "Hanukkah Lights 2019 The NPR favorite returns with all new Hanukkah stories. Authors TBA. Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz."
- 10:00 a.m. "Tinsel Tales 4: So Much More NPR Christmas Favorites In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the fourth collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary."
- 12:00 p.m. "Food Fights with Food 52 Guest host Robert Sean Leonard presents some comic food fights: ""Breadman,"" by J. Robert Lennon, performed by Kyle MacLachan; and an excerpt from ""Heartburn,"" by Nora Ephron, performed by Joan Allen."
- 7:00 p.m. LIVE BROADCAST: A Christmas Carol from Lamb Theatre Join us at Lamb for the second annual production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Get your tickets here.
Dec. 23
- 9:00 a.m. "Chanukkah In Story & Song Chanukkah In Story and Song Sung by the The Western Wind Narrated by Leonard Nimoy The acclaimed vocal sextet and the renowned actor present 25 eclectic selections, from the Ladino songs of the Spanish Jews and Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe to modern Israeli tunes and their original version of “I Have a Little Dreydle.” The singers sing a cappella and are also joined by instruments including violin, accordion, bass and guitar. The narration written by Rabbi Gerald Skolnik sheds light on the holiday customs and rituals."
- 12:00 p.m. "Happy ChallaDAY! An original musical comedy for Hanukkah. Book, music and lyrics by Charles Moster"
- 8:00 p.m. "Jazz Night In America: A Holiday Celebration Jazz Night in America brings you holiday classics from their past five seasons – featuring fresh arrangements and entertaining storytelling recorded live from Rose Theater in New York City. You'll hear the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, plus special guest vocalists Catherine Russell and Kenny Washington. Christian McBride hosts."
Dec. 24
- 9:00 a.m. "Nine Lessons and Carols Building upon a curiosity which began in his teens, Michael Barone has been involved with the pipe organ for more than 40 years. As host and senior executive producer of Pipedreams, produced and distributed by American Public Media, he is recognized nationally for his outstanding contributions to the world of organ music. Pipedreams began in 1982 and remains the only nationally distributed weekly radio program exploring the art of the pipe organ. Michael's talent and commitment have been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Guild of Organists President's Award in 1996, the Distinguished Service Award of the Organ Historical Society in 1997 and the 2001 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. In November 2002 he was selected for induction to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. He also hosts broadcasts of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and The New Releases on Minnesota Public Radio."
- 10:00 a.m. Northwestern College Vespers.
- 11:00 a.m. "Re:sound - The Twisted Xmas Show No Santa By John Biewen for Scene on Radio (2015) A father turns on a recorder while tucking in his 7-year-old, having no idea he’s about to capture a poignant growing-up moment in his son’s life. (Advisory: This episode is not suitable for some young children.) Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas By Ben Manilla for Inside the National Recording Registry for Studio360 (2012) The soundtrack of the holidays is lousy with annoying songs about sleigh rides and snowmen, and beautiful old carols done up as treacly as possible. One of the saving graces this time of year is the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, written by Vince Guaraldi. Winterval By Helen Zaltzman for The Allusionist (2016) There's a word that has become shorthand for 'the war on Christmas' with a side of 'political correctness gone mad': Winterval. Morning Program [excerpt] By Stephanie Foo for Pilot (2016) A satirical look at the way public radio often treats ""exotic"" holidays... applied to Christmas. Burn Slush! The Reindeer Grand Prix [excerpt] By Cathy FitzGerald for BBC World Service (2016) Producer Cathy FitzGerald travels to the snowy north of Finland to discover the sport of reindeer racing. She visits the little town of Inari, where the cappuccinos come with tiny antlers sketched in the foam and the local bar – PaPaNa (The Reindeer Dropping) – serves pizza topped with bear salami. Each year, the top 24 fastest reindeer compete here to be crowned The Reindeer King. They fly around a two-kilometre race track carved on the surface of icy Lake Inari to the cheers of hundreds of spectators."
- 12:00 p.m. "Tough Love for the Holidays Guest host Robert Sean Leonard presents three ways of looking at the holiday season. ""Interview with God,"" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, performed by Jayne Atkinson and James Naughton; ""The Fir Tree,"" by Hans Christian Andersen, performed by James Naughton; and ""A Present for Big St. Nick,"" by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Tate Donvan."
Dec. 25
- 9:00 a.m. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol from Lamb Theatre and SPM
- 10:00 a.m. Northwestern College Vespers
Dec. 26
- 9:00 a.m. "Hanukkah: A Great Miracle Happened There A conversation between Rabbi Ismar Schorsch and Host Larry Josephson about the history, rituals and meaning of Hanukkah--and its importance in our time."
Dec. 27
- 9:00 a.m. "Two Holidays and a Blizzard THE BLIZZARD, a chilly thriller, features Jesse Eisenberg as a snowed-in screenwriter facing unexpected guests. In THE MIRACLE OF CHANUKAH, a holiday guest’s personal miracle throws a family for a loop. In CHRISTMAS BREAKS, a guy dumps a girl but presents a substitute. Interview with David Ives, John Rando and The Blizzard cast; Sheri Wilner and The Miracle of Chanukah cast and the cast of Christmas Breaks. "
- 12:00 a.m. "Political Junkie 2019 Remembrances Special As 2019 draws to a close, Political Junkie Ken Rudin remembers the lawmakers and newsmakers from the world of politics who passed away this year. Ken interviews their colleagues, friends and the journalists who covered them, to reflect on their passions and chronicle their accomplishments."
Dec. 31
- 9:00 a.m. "The Keepers {Hour One} Archiving the Underground The Keepers, two new hour-long Specials from The Kitchen Sisters and PRX with host, Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand. Stories of activist archivists, rogue librarians, curators, collectors and historians. Guardians of history, large and small. Protectors of the free flow of information and ideas. Keepers of the culture and the culture and collections they keep. The Hip Hop Archive at Harvard, The Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky, Lenny Bruce’s Archive, Bob Dylan’s Secret Archive, Prince’s Legendary Vault, The Nation’s Official Keeper at the National Archives. Striking and surprising stories of preservation and civic life. Sound-rich, highly produced, hope-filled. Perfect for the holiday season and turn of the year"
- 10:00 p.m. "Toast of the Nation An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. This year we are featuring some of the best jazz collectives playing today. We'll hear the Baltimore Collective recorded live at The Keystone Korner, The Michael Leonhart Orchestra at The Jazz Standard, The SFJAZZ Collective in San Francisco and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra in New York City."
Jan. 1
- 9:00 a.m. The Keepers {Hour Two}
- 10:00 a.m. "New Year's Day From Vienna 2020 The Vienna Philharmonic presents its ever popular annual New Year's Day concert from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. You'll hear your favorite waltzes, polkas and more -- a great way to start off the New Year."
