Thursday, November 25 at 3pm

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks shares music and stories that reflect the meaning of gratitude.

This year Giving Thanks sounds the way Thanksgiving feels: inviting, warm, and festive. No clichés about pilgrims and pumpkin pies. Instead, it’s a contemporary, thoughtful celebration of spirit of the holiday. Music from Eric Whitacre, Bach, Copland and more complete the scene.

This year Stanley Tucci joins our Thanksgiving table to talk about his new book Taste: My Life Through Food, a memoir about food, family, and life – and his classic foodie films Big Night and Julie & Julia and Naomi Shihab Nye shares her poems celebrating her Palestinian-American heritage, and our shared humanity.

Whether you're up early in the kitchen, on the road to a family gathering, or relaxing after the feast, Giving Thanks provides the perfect atmosphere for Thanksgiving: the warmth of great music, and truly memorable words.

Sunday, November 28 at 1pm

Bob Berkman’s Chanukah Special

WNED Alumnus Bob Berkman offers reflections, stories, and the music of Chanukah.

Tuesday, November 30 at 6pm

Bob Berkman’s Chanukah Special

WNED Alumnus Bob Berkman offers reflections, stories, and the music of Chanukah.

Wednesday, December 1 at 6pm

Candles Burning Brightly

A one-hour celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights with an exploration of Chanukah foods and traditional activities … and plenty of music.

Thursday, December 2 at 6pm

All Is Bright

Lynne Warfel hosts an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story with songs about angels, the star and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cantus, Chanticleer, Cambridge Singers, Bryn Terfel, Emma Kirkby, Jessye Norman, and a variety of choirs.

Friday, December 3 at 6pm

Guadete! Early Music for the Christmas Season

Sara Schneider, producer and host of Early Music Now, presents Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season, with joyful and contemplative sounds of the season. In this 1-hour holiday special, we’ll hear Byzantine chant by Kassiani, and selections from Missa Puer natus est nobis by Thomas Tallis, plus hymns and motets from Spain, Germany, and France. Our performers include The Cardinall’s Musick, Theatre of Voices, Cappella Romana, and Oltremontano.

Saturday, December 4 at 5pm
Watching for the Star | A Polish Christmas Eve

Father Czeslaw Krysa, Rector of the St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church and Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, author of the book, Polish Customs, Traditions & Folklore, are back to tell us about the music, events and celebrations in the Polish Community that surround the Holiday Season with a special emphasis on the most important of all Polish family traditions, Wigilia or Christmas Eve.

Sunday, December 5 at 1pm

A Chanukah special with Chicago A Capella

Join Jonathan Miller, artistic director of Chicago a cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring and informative show featuring choral music set to Chanukah texts. Familiar tunes include "I Have a Little Dreidel" (both in its original Yiddish form and in a neo-funk Hebrew/English setting), a swing version of "S'vivon" by Steve Barnett, and a lively setting of the traditional melody for "Al-Hanissim" ("For the Miracles") by Elliot Levine. Heartfelt original compositions by American and British composers provide added depth of expression to celebrating the holiday. Such works include "Lo Yisa Goy," a plea for peace by Stacy Garrop; Bob Applebaum's stirring new version of "Haneirot Halalu"; and movements from the majestic "Hallel Suite" by London-based Daniel Tunkel. All selections are performed by Chicago a cappella, the virtuoso vocal ensemble now in its 23rd season. Jonathan Miller provides liturgical and cultural background as part of this unique look inside old and newer choral Chanukah traditions.

Tuesday, December 7 at 6pm

Latin American Christmas Carols

A selection of villancicos, or Christmas carols, from Spain and Latin America are featured on this joyous Christmas-themed program from Fiesta. Join us for music that spans several centuries and a great diversity of influences and traditions!

Wednesday, December 8 at 6pm

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

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.

Thursday, December 9 at 6pm

Interlochen Christmas

This episode features a variety of sacred and secular music for the Christmas season.

Friday, December 10 at 6pm

Handel’s Messiah  | The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus

We’re happy to air last year’s remarkable performance from the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and conductor Adam Luebke recorded at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna. Re-live this Holiday Tradition with us.

Saturday, December 11 at 6pm

The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays

Film Critic Michael Phillips returns with 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!

Sunday, December 12 at 1pm

Music of the Baroque | Brass and Choral Holiday Concert

The WFMT Radio Network and Music of the Baroque wants to wish you and yours a joyous holiday season as we offer the 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 Samuel Scheidt, Giovanni Gabrieli, William Billings, Claudio Monteverdi, and many more

Monday, December 13 at 6pm

Welcome Christmas

Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, conducted by Philip Brunelle. An hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest.

Wednesday, December 15 at 6pm

Hygge Holiday

Join host Elena See for an hour-long program of nostalgic favorites for the winter season. Programming includes favorites from Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Debussy and Blake.

Friday, December 17 at 6pm

A Soulful Christmas

A Soulful Christmas is an uplifting, relevant display of Black music in the classical, gospel, spiritual, and jazz-inspired style. This special celebrates the non-idiomatic Black classical music, while exploring non-idiomatic choral traditions.

Saturday, December 18 6pm

Hollywood Holiday

Lynne Warfel, host of Saturday Cinema, takes listeners on a one-hour musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas themed movies. Selections feature scores from “Scrooge, the Musical”, “A Muppet Christmas Carol”, “The Polar Express”, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and more.

Sunday, December 19 at 1pm
Watching for the Star | A Polish Christmas Eve

Father Czeslaw Krysa, Rector of the St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church and Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, author of the book, Polish Customs, Traditions & Folklore, are back to tell us about the music, events and celebrations in the Polish Community that surround the Holiday Season with a special emphasis on the most important of all Polish family traditions, Wigilia or Christmas Eve.

Monday, December 20 at 6pm

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." 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.

Tuesday, December 21 at 6pm

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival

F. Melius Christiansen started the Christmas Festival in 1911 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota as a simple service in word and song for students, faculty, friends and family. In the 109 years since, it has grown to include more than 500 student musicians who share their gifts with more than 12,000 audience members at the four live concerts – tickets for which always sell out months in advance. American Public Media’s distribution of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a chance for listeners across the country and around the world to participate in one of the nation’s most treasured holiday celebrations.  Programming includes sacred choral and instrumental music from many traditions: beloved hymns, classical masterworks, folk songs from around the world, and African-American spirituals.

Wednesday, December 22 at 6pm

Christmas with the King’s Singers

It’s an a cappella Christmas from England with the King’s Singers, one of the world’s most celebrated vocal ensembles. In an exclusive New York appearance recorded at The Greene Space, this male sextet — consummate entertainers with a delightfully British wit — perform timeless carols, Christmas classics and new arrangements in their impeccable vocal blend. WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon hosts.

Thursday, December 23 at 6pm

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

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.

December 24 and 25

WNED Classical Christmas

We’ll feature all Christmas music on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from the great Classics to your Pops favorites.

Friday, December 24 at 10am

The Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols

The audience will share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal ‘classical’ music (anthems a cappella and with organ accompaniment, and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue.

Saturday, December 25 at 12am

Handel’s Messiah | The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus

Playing this oratorio at Midnight on Christmas Morning has become a WNED Classical tradition. We’re happy to air the remarkable performance from the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and conductor Adam Luebke recorded at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna last year. Re-live this Holiday Tradition with us.

Saturday, December 25 at 10am

The Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols

The audience will share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal ‘classical’ music (anthems a cappella and with organ accompaniment, and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue.

Saturday, January 1, 2022 at 11am

New Year's Day From Vienna 2022

The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker. The honor of conducting the 2022 New Year’s Concert goes to Daniel Barenboim, another “old hand” having conducted the event in 2009 and 2014. You'll hear your favorite waltzes, polkas and more -- a great way to start off 2022. Hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.