Holiday Readings & Remembrances (WNMU-FM)
Mon-Fri 12/4-ends Fri 12/22 @9:30am
Holiday remembrances and stories from our archives told by listeners like you, including, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” from a vintage recording by author Dylan Thomas, and more.
***WEDNESDAY 12/20***
10am - Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Bill McGlaughlin, celebrated educator, performer, conductor, and composer and host of Exploring Music, gathers and presents this spirited selection. In this special, we start in the 12th century with Nova Stella, medieval Italian Christmas music from Saint Francis of Assisi’s staging of the nativity; we hear 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, and then travel to Polynesia for a traditional hymn, Anau Oia Ea before ending with an excerpt from Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors from the original television production. Turn on your radio, pour a cup of tea, cozy up to a warm fire, and enjoy the music!
11am - 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. (repeats Friday, 12/29 @10pm and Saturday, 12/30 @7am)
3pm - The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
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!
***THURSDAY 12/21***
10am - This is Christmas with the Imani Winds
Join Scott Blankenship for a conversation with members of the Imani Winds featuring pieces from their album This Christmas with Imani Winds. Hear stories behind the songs chosen for that album and how it all came together.
11am - The Ballad of the Brown King and Other Music for Christmas by Black Composers
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.
3pm - A Hawaiian Christmas with Slack Key Master Kapono Beamer (30-minutes)
Enjoy the magic of a Hawaiian Christmas with slack key master Kapono Beamer, sharing tales of his family's holiday traditions and rich musical legacy. Heidi Chang hosts this half-hour music special.
11pm - A Paul Winter Solstice
This year, Solstice Live! warms up the longest night of the year with a taste of the tropics. This one-hour Winter Solstice special brings a starry array of Brazilian guests, including Ivan Lins, Renato Braz, and Luciana Souza, with the Paul Winter Consort at the annual solstice concerts in New York’s Cathedral of St John the Divine. John Schaefer hosts. (repeats Friday, 12/22 @3pm)
***FRIDAY 12/22***
10am - 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. Updated for 2023.
11am - An Afro Blue Christmas
Join us for a very special holiday concert with Howard University's premiere vocal ensemble Afro Blue and special guest pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Hear the a-cappella group perform a variety of holiday songs including African-American spirituals, jazz and pop tunes, and classical repertoire. The joyous celebration includes one of a kind arrangements on traditional holiday songs plus new compositions…music perfect for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. Hosted by Michele Norris.
8pm - Transcendence with the Marquette Choral Society: A Peninsula Performances Special (Kurt)
Join us for a powerful and moving holiday celebration as the Marquette Choral Society presents "Transcendence." Dr. Erin Colwitz will lead the symphonic choir in performances of inspiring compositions. You'll hear Tarik O'Regan's "Martyr" and Joseph Haydn's "Mass in a Time of War," and other celebrated holiday works, masterfully brought to life by this talented choir. Hosted by Kurt Hauswirth. (repeats Tuesday, 12/26 @1pm)
11pm - A Night Studio Christmas (Hans)
***SATURDAY 12/23***
4pm - The Big Tiny Desk Holiday Special
Celebrate the season with amazing holiday performances from The Tiny Desk Concert series including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Martin, Hanson, The Polyphonic Spree and more! Hosted by NPR Music frenemies Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson. (repeats Monday, 12/25 @2pm)
8pm - A Very Blues Christmas
Earl King hopes Santa doesn’t let him down, Etta James announces Santa is coming to town, Louis Armstrong hears knocking and wonders if it’s Santa, and more holiday favorites. (repeats Sunday 12/24 @6am)
***SUNDAY 12/24***
10am - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (2-hours) – LIVE Sunday, 12/24 10am-noon
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols presents your audience with an opportunity to share in a 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.
3pm - Jazz Night In America: A Holiday Celebration
This year's Jazz Night in America holiday special will feature drummer Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O; a ruckus band recorded at Jazz at Lincoln Center that flip seasonal songs on their head while inserting humor and joyful swing. and new takes on classics in this special episode. Christian McBride hosts.
10pm - The Thistle & Shamrock Presents ‘A Child’s Christmas In Wales'
Cerys Matthews is 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. (repeats Wednesday, 12/27 @3pm)
***MONDAY 12/25***
6am - Welcome Christmas
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than Welcome Christmas!, the VocalEssence holiday concert. It’s an hour of joyful, classic holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing traditional carols and new discoveries
7am - St. Olaf Christmas Festival – 2 hours
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. (repeats Tuesday, 12/26 @10am)
9am - Christmas with 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.
10am - Chanticleer Christmas
This one-hour program of holiday favorites, new and old, will be presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices." Chanticleer is one of the premiere vocal ensembles in the nation. The ensemble has won two Grammys and is a member of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Encore from 2022
11am - 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.
1pm - A World Cafe Holiday
World Cafe celebrated 30 years by revisiting special holiday performances from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Los Lobos, Andrew Bird, The Bird and The Bee, Pink Martini, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and more. Hosted by Raina Douris, this musical gift will provide a full hour of hip holiday cheer.
2pm - The Big Tiny Desk Holiday Special
Celebrate the season with amazing holiday performances from The Tiny Desk Concert series including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Martin, Hanson, The Polyphonic Spree and more! Hosted by NPR Music frenemies Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson.
3pm - 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.
10pm - The Anatomy of A Christmas Song
'Tis the season and we're going dissect successful Christmas songs. (repeats Tuesday, 12/26 @5am)
11pm - A Latin Jazz Christmas Experience
"Ho ho ho," A mixture of Mambo, Rhumba, Latin Jazz and fun in this blend of "Christmas Season" arrangements all in this musical presentation.
***TUESDAY 12/26***
5am - The Anatomy of A Christmas Song
'Tis the season and we're going dissect successful Christmas songs.
3pm - The Sounds of Kwanzaa
The Sounds of Kwanzaa with Garrett McQueen
10pm - Santa's Greatest Hits
Steve Jencks hosts this trip down Memory Lane featuring Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Eartha Kitt, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Bob Dylan, Dinah Washington, Louis Prima, Mel Torme, Mitch Miller, Tex Beneke, June Christy, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Included is a brief history of Santa Claus. (repeats Wednesday, 12/27 @5am)
***WEDNESDAY 12/27***
5am - Santa's Greatest Hits
Steve Jencks hosts this trip down Memory Lane featuring Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Eartha Kitt, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Bob Dylan, Dinah Washington, Louis Prima, Mel Torme, Mitch Miller, Tex Beneke, June Christy, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Included is a brief history of Santa Claus.
10am - Your Classical Christmas Favorites – 2 hours
Join us this holiday season as we count down the top Christmas songs as voted by you in a two-hour special.
3pm - The Thistle & Shamrock Presents ‘A Child’s Christmas In Wales'
Cerys Matthews is 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.
10pm - Tinsel Tales 4: NPR Christmas Stories Told Through Song
NPR revisits interviews with musicians about their Christmas albums.Some, like Katie Melua and Sting, celebrate tradition and winter mystery in their Christmas songs. Others, like Kenny Rogers and Amy Grant, find spirituality and stability in holiday music. Jon Batiste and Anthony Hamilton bring new energy to old favorites on their Christmas albums. Hosted by Lynn Neary. (repeats Thursday, 12/28 @5am)
***THURSDAY 12/28***
5am - Tinsel Tales 4: NPR Christmas Stories Told Through Song
NPR revisits interviews with musicians about their Christmas albums.Some, like Katie Melua and Sting, celebrate tradition and winter mystery in their Christmas songs. Others, like Kenny Rogers and Amy Grant, find spirituality and stability in holiday music. Jon Batiste and Anthony Hamilton bring new energy to old favorites on their Christmas albums. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
10pm - A '40s Radio Christmas
Christmas programs on the radio in the 1940s ranged from variety shows, to dramas, to comedies. All of them contained a generous portion of music from swing to sentimental to religious. (repeats Friday, 12/29 @5am)
***FRIDAY 12/29***
5am - A '40s Radio Christmas
Christmas programs on the radio in the 1940s ranged from variety shows, to dramas, to comedies. All of them contained a generous portion of music from swing to sentimental to religious.
8pm - The Thick of Winter – 2 hours
Music can help us capture the essence of winter; tune in for captivating performances by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and the Marquette Choral Society. Vaughan Williams' "Sinfonia antartica" evokes the desolation and grandeur of winter, while the choral excerpts from Haydn's "The Seasons" bring forth the warmth and beauty of the season. (repeats Tuesday, 1/2 @1pm)
10pm - 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. (repeats Saturday, 12/30 @7am)
***SATURDAY 12/30***
7am - 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.
4pm - Joy To The World – A Holiday in Pink
The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra" Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. From timeless classics to rarely heard gems, hear a multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee, overflowing with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family. Hosted by All Things Considered’s Ari Shapiro.
8pm - Juke In The Back: R&B Christmas
The entire "Juke In The Back" is loaded with the greatest R&B Christmas records from the late 1940s and 1950s. It's the yuletide soul that came before rock n' roll. So grab some 'nog and get groovin'. (repeats Sunday, 12/31 @6am)
***SUNDAY 12/31***
10pm to 2am - Toast of the Nation (NPR) – 4 hours
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, even on lockdown. The line-up is almost confirmed and it’s sure to be a good time, even without the big audiences.
***MONDAY 1/1***
11am - New Year's Day From Vienna 2023 – 2 hours - LIVE
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Franz Welser-Most. 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.
***TUESDAY 1/2***
10am - MN Orchestra New Year's Celebration
Ring in the new year with the Minnesota Orchestra! The program opens with Bernstein’s animated Overture to Candide. Awadagin Pratt performs the Minnesota premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for Piano and Orchestra, a work written for him. A New Year’s celebration wouldn’t be complete without adventure and passion, and the Orchestra brings that in multitudes in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s beloved Scheherazade. Encore of 2022 live performance.
1pm - The Thick of Winter – 2 hours
Music can help us capture the essence of winter; tune in for captivating performances by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra and the Marquette Choral Society. Vaughan Williams' "Sinfonia antartica" evokes the desolation and grandeur of winter, while the choral excerpts from Haydn's "The Seasons" bring forth the warmth and beauty of the season.
