Happy Holidays from PRE

Tuesday, December 16 (Hanukkah)

7-8 pm       Hanukkah Lights 2014

A perennial  favorite with brand new Hanukkah stories written by acclaimed authors Debra Ginsberg, Anne Burt, Lesley Hyatt, Andrew Borowitz, and Theodore Bikel. Hear a wide variety of stories perfect for the holiday.  Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.

8-9 pm    Candles Burning Brightly

Join hosts Mindy Ratner and Bill Morelock for a one-hour celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. There's plenty of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus an exploration of holiday traditions, and a special story reading by the incomparable Theodore Bikel..

Wednesday, December 24

9-10 am  Valparaiso University Christmas Concert

The Valparaiso University Christmas concert “A Carol Festival” is a musical celebration that has been delighting audiences for nearly 90 years. It is presented in the spectacular Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection, one of the finest collegiate chapels in the United States.

This concert features the internationally acclaimed Valparaiso University Chorale, the Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Concert Band as well as the Women’s Choir and Men’s Choir performing traditional hymns and carols along with other seasonal favorites.

10 am - noon   A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live stereo music and spoken-word 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.

noon -1 pm   A Chanticleer Christmas

Nothing signals the beginning of the holiday season like 12 men singing in beautifully blended harmony. A Chanticleer Christmas is American Public Media's one-hour celebration of the season as told through the glorious voices of Chanticleer, the San Francisco-based men's choir. The program spans the globe and the centuries - from England in the 1300s to new arrangements of classic and contemporary carols to Chanticleer's popular Gospel medley of Christmas tunes.

1 - 2 pm     And Glory Shone Around: An Early American Christmas

The Rose Ensemble, renowned for its expansive repertoire of “music from around the world and across the centuries” presents a unique Christmas special to add warmth and distinction to your holiday lineup. And Glory Shone Around: An Early-American Christmas draws from 19th-century songbooks, featuring carols of the New England colonies, Appalachian folk tunes, Southern shape-note singing, Shaker spiritual songs and the close harmonies that gave birth to bluegrass.

2-3 pm       Welcome Christmas!

The best way to welcome Christmas is Welcome Christmas! by  VocalEssence ,  one of the world's premiere choral groups. This year's concert is  a tribute to the late Dave Brubeck with his classical Christmas cantata "La Fiesta de la Posada". Plus, this year's winners of the annual carol contest with the American Composers Forum.   Gramophone magazine called VocalEssence "excellent and vibrant." NEA Chairman Dana Gioia named them "one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time."

3-4 pm      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. The a-cappela group performs 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.

6-7 pm        Tinsel Tales 2   ( broadcast on PRE News & Ideas Network)

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.

Thursday, December 25

9-10 am      Christmas with the 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.

10 am-noon    Music of the Baroque Brass & Choral Holiday Concert The WFMT Radio Network and Music of the Baroque want to wish you and yours a joyous holiday season as we offer our annual presentation of their Brass and Choral Holiday Concert for your listening pleasure. Hosted by celebrated WFMT host Candice Agree, tune in to the great works of composers like Giovanni Gabrieli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Francis Poulenc, Samuel Scheidt, and John Tavener among others.

noon-2 pm     St. Olaf Christmas Festival

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, and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

2-3 pm    Light and Gold: the Music of Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre is America's most popular composer today, and his choral works are beloved by choirs throughout the world. In this one-hour program for Christmas, he introduces the music with co-host Brian Newhouse and describes the often-colorful backstory of how each piece came to be.

3-4 pm      Leroy Anderson Christmas

The WFMT Radio Network invites you to celebrate the holidays with the music of Leroy Anderson! This one hour program contains 80% music of classic Christmas arrangements and original music by Leroy Anderson.  It is hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin and the composer's son Kurt Anderson, and features recorded performances of Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Music with Leonard Slatkin conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra, and Leroy Anderson conducting his “Pops” Concert Orchestra. 

6-7 pm   Tinsel Tales 3 ( broadcast on PRE News & Ideas Network)

Listeners tune to NPR for holiday stories of all kinds; funny, touching, insightful, and surprising. Hear the latest version of evergreen delights while driving to the mall, entertaining friends, or relaxing in front of a crackling fire. Hosted by Lynn Neary.

Thursday, January 1, 2014

11 am- 1 pm       New Year’s Day from Vienna 2014

The 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 festive way to start off the New Year. Presented by NPR Music and WGBH, Boston.