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WMRA and WEMC Holiday Specials for 2018

WMRA and WEMC Holiday Specials for 2018

Sunday, Dec. 16
WEMC  7pm       A 20th Century English Christmas
English choirs know how to do Christmas.  From the world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, to the smallest church choir, there’s nothing like the sound of soaring Christmas carols in reverberant spaces.  This program, hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy, explores some of the more recent additions to the Christmas carol pantheon, many of which have become as standard as We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Monday, Dec. 17
WEMC  7pm       Bob’s Record Shelf - The Christmas Program
Join WEMC’s Bob Satterwhite for 3 hours of Classical Christmas favorites including Baroque Christmas Medleys, The Elizabethan Singers, Anonymous 4, and The Oscars Motet Choir of Sweden.

Tuesday, Dec. 18
WEMC  7pm       A 20th Century English Christmas
English choirs know how to do Christmas.  From the world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, to the smallest church choir, there’s nothing like the sound of soaring Christmas carols in reverberant spaces.  This program, hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy, explores some of the more recent additions to the Christmas carol pantheon, many of which have become as standard as We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, Dec. 19
WEMC  6pm       Welcome Christmas
Welcome Christmas 2018 is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups. An hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest.

Thursday, Dec 20
WEMC  1pm       A 20th Century English Christmas
English choirs know how to do Christmas.  From the world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, to the smallest church choir, there’s nothing like the sound of soaring Christmas carols in reverberant spaces.  This program, hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy, explores some of the more recent additions to the Christmas carol pantheon, many of which have become as standard as We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

WEMC  6pm       A Chanticleer Christmas
This unique, one-hour program of holiday music is presented live in concert by Chanticleer. Hear why this superb 12-man ensemble is known as "an orchestra of voices," as they perform holiday classics and new favorites, with choral commentary by host Brian Newhouse.

Friday, Dec. 21
WEMC  6pm       Christmas with Madrigalia 2018
The Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia, and their Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff return to public radio for Christmas with Madrigalia 2018, a holiday concert that celebrates the excitement and joy of the holiday season.

Saturday, Dec. 22
WMRA 12pm     Acoustic Café Holiday Special
WMRA’s Tina Owens will spin holiday favorites from the acoustic folk music world.  Join us to hear your favorite holiday music done acoustically.

WMRA 4pm       Tinsel Tales 1: NPR Christmas Favorites
This year a radio tradition continues - 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.

WEMC  6pm       Hollywood Holiday
Lynne Warfel, host of Saturday Cinema, takes you on a one hour musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas themed movies.

WMRA 8pm       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.

WMRA 9pm       An Afro Blue Christmas  
Here's 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. Hosted by Michele Norris.

WMRA 10pm     A Paul Winter Solstice Concert Celebration
Celebrate the return of the sun with a performance recorded in the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. Musicians include gospel singer Theresa Thomason, multi-instrumentalist and singer Arto Tunçboyacıyan and double reed wizard Paul McCandless. Hear the American Performance Premiere of the Grammy-winning suite MIHO with The Paul Winter Consort.  WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.

Sunday, Dec 23
WEMC  6pm       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.

WEMC  7pm       The Christmas Story through Carols Old and New
This choral music show tells the Christmas story through a variety of carols.  They range from medieval music to carols written in the last few decades.  Each set focuses on a different part of the story, from the angels to Mary and the baby Jesus to the shepherds and how they spread their joyous message.  Hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy.

WMRA 7pm       A Christmas Celtic Sojourn 2018
Music director Seamus Egan returns for a program of Celtic Holiday music.  Hosted by Brian O’Donovan.

WMRA 10pm     All Songs Considered for the Holidays
NPR’s Bob Boilen is like a child this time of year, his eyes and ears full of wonder.  Join him as he shares holiday favorites from the desk of NPR Music.

Monday, Dec. 24
WEMC  11am St. Olaf Christmas Festival
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, and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

WEMC  1pm       A Baroque Christmas in the New World 2018
Manuel de Sumaya is probably the best known composer from colonial Mexico and a shining star of the baroque era. In celebration of the holiday season, A Baroque Christmas in the New World features The Historical Performance Institute of the Jacobs School of Music under the direction of Dana Marsh in a program of music from 17th- and 18th-century Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, featuring works by Juan de Araujo and Manuel de Sumaya. Hosted by Angela Mariani from WFIU Public Radio’s program of early music, Harmonia.

WEMC  2pm       Carols & Cheer
Classical24 host Scott Blankenship and The Singers' Matt Culloton join forces to review their favorite carols this holiday season. Audiences will love singing along as the two share their top picks for the Christmas season, performed by today's leading artists and ensembles.

WEMC  3pm       A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live, 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.

WMRA 3pm       Jonathan Winters’ A Christmas Carol
An updated version of a public radio tradition hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations.

WEMC  5pm       Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The sounds of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir 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.

WEMC  6pm       Messiah with the PSO 2018
Handel's much adored oratorio, Messiah, returns to Heinz Hall! Led by Music Director Manfred Honeck and featuring a cast of guest vocalists and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, this work is a religious story of hope, inspiration and timeless expression. Handel's celebration of the human response to the divine will lift spirits and provide the perfect start to the holiday season.

WMRA 8pm       Tinsel Tales 3: NPR Christmas Favorites
Extraordinary Christmas stories that transport you to unexpected places. Baxter Black ponders the meaning of Christmas for Cows, Bailey White sneaks into her neighbor’s yard in search of an elusive hemlock tree; Julie Zickefoose serenades her neighbors on the coldest night of the year.

Tuesday, Dec. 25
WMRA 3pm       Tinsel Tales 2: NPR Christmas Favorites
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of 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.

WEMC  7pm       The Christmas Story through Carols Old and New
This choral music show tells the Christmas story through a variety of carols.  They range from medieval music to carols written in the last few decades.  Each set focuses on a different part of the story, from the angels to Mary and the baby Jesus to the shepherds and how they spread their joyous message.  Hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy.

WMRA 8pm       Selected Shorts Gift Set 2018: Tough Love for the Holidays
Guest host Robert Sean Leonard introduces our unusual holiday program, which mixes tradition with humor. For heartwarming, we’ve got a classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, “The Fir Tree.” This little tree is ambitious, but may be missing out on something. Christmas can be a little over the top, and Kurt Vonnegut pushes things right to the edge. In “A Present for Big Saint Nick,” Santa Claus is the local crime boss, lording it over his nervous employees.

Thursday, Dec. 27
WEMC  1pm       The Christmas Story through Carols Old and New
This choral music show tells the Christmas story through a variety of carols.  They range from medieval music to carols written in the last few decades.  Each set focuses on a different part of the story, from the angels to Mary and the baby Jesus to the shepherds and how they spread their joyous message.  Hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy.

Saturday, Dec. 29
WMRA 12pm     Acoustic Café End of Year Special
WMRA’s Tina Owens will spin the best acoustic folk music from 2018.

Sunday, Dec. 30
WEMC  7pm       Airplay: Memorable Performances from 2018
WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy highlights memorable classical music performances from 2018.

WMRA 10pm     Capitol Steps: Politics Takes a Holiday New Year's Edition 2018
Has it been a rough year? Did you buy stock in Sears? Or invest in Ivanka’s clothing line? Did you take a job as a public relations spokesperson for Kanye West? Then you may feel the need to laugh at 2018, and the Capitol Steps could not agree more! So tune in to the Capitol Steps’ New Year’s edition of “Politics Takes a Holiday,” featuring songs from their latest album, Make America Grin Again.

Monday, Dec 31
WMRA 10pm     Capitol Steps: Politics Takes a Holiday New Year's Edition 2018
Has it been a rough year? Did you buy stock in Sears? Or invest in Ivanka’s clothing line? Did you take a job as a public relations spokesperson for Kanye West? Then you may feel the need to laugh at 2018, and the Capitol Steps could not agree more! So tune in to the Capitol Steps’ New Year’s edition of “Politics Takes a Holiday,” featuring songs from their latest album, Make America Grin Again.

Tuesday, Jan 1
WEMC  7pm       Firsts for the First of the Year
Happy New Year!  For the first show of 2019, here’s a program of famous firsts - from Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky and George Gershwin.  These pieces are famous not just because they’re the first of their kind; they’re famous because they’re stunning pieces of music.  Whether you know nothing about music, or if you’ve studied it your whole life, these pieces strike a chord.  They inspire us, calm us, move us, and make life more meaningful because we get to hear them.  Hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy.

Thursday, Jan 3
WEMC  1pm       Firsts for the First of the Year
Happy New Year!  For the first show of 2019, here’s a program of famous firsts - from Johann Sebastian Bach, Igor Stravinsky and George Gershwin.  These pieces are famous not just because they’re the first of their kind; they’re famous because they’re stunning pieces of music.  Whether you know nothing about music, or if you’ve studied it your whole life, these pieces strike a chord.  They inspire us, calm us, move us, and make life more meaningful because we get to hear them.  Hosted by WEMC/WMRA’s Kimberlea Daggy.

Chris Boros is WMRA’s Program Director and local host from 10am-4pm Monday-Friday.