Shorter days and colder nights offer a good reason to cozy up with Classical 94.5 WNED. With new specials and returning favorites Classical 94.5 WNED has a great selection of holiday-themed programming that is sure to bring cheer this season.
Monday, December 3 at 6pm
Bob Berkman's Chanukah Special
Bob Berkman's Chanukah Special
Wednesday, December 5 at 6pm
Chatham Baroque: A Jubilant Season
Ring in the holiday season with Baroque music from internationally-renowned Chatham Baroque. Each year, the Pittsburgh-based ensemble presents dazzling historically-informed interpretations of 17th and 18th century music at Chatham University!
Thursday, December 6 at 6pm
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.
Friday, December 7 6pm
Candles Burning Brightly
Mindy Ratner hosts a new edition of this holiday favorite, in celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. “Candles Burning Brightly” explores Chanukah foods and traditional activities - and plenty of music.
Making a List
Tired yet of all the seasonal music… well … just spend a few hours with the staff of Classical 94.5--, as they pick (among other pursuits) the best CDs of the past year. It’s time again for Making A List. This year again sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP honoring Bob Greene for over 40 years of service to WNED and a lifetime of loving classical music.
A Baroque Christmas in the New World
Manuel de Sumaya (1678-1755) 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 brings you music from 17th- and 18th-century Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, including a cantata and three free-standing works by Sumaya, most of which comes from the only surviving manuscript in full-score in Sumaya's own hand!
Welcome, Christmas! VocalEssence
“Welcome Christmas!” is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premier choral ensembles. Join host John Birge for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest.
Making A List
Tired yet of all the seasonal music… well … just spend a few hours with the staff of Classical 94.5--, as they pick (among other pursuits) the best CDs of the past year. It’s time again for Making A List. This year again sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP honoring Bob Greene for over 40 years of service to WNED and a lifetime of loving classical music.
Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra
The world-renowned Tabernacle Choir continues its tradition of great artistry this holiday season, with touching arrangements of familiar carols, and lesser-known melodies that are fast becoming the new classics. Julie Amacher hosts this annual favorite.
Handel’s Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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.
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.
Making A List
Tired yet of all the seasonal music… well … just spend a few hours with the staff of Classical 94.5--, as they pick (among other pursuits) the best CDs of the past year. It’s time again for Making A List. This year again sponsored by Phillips Lytle LLP honoring Bob Greene for over 40 years of service to WNED and a lifetime of loving classical music.
In Italia: A Renaissance Christmas From Venice, Naples, Milan and Beyond
In the sixteenth-century, the splendor of the Renaissance blossomed across Italy as a new Holy Roman Empire stretched its wings from the Urals to the Atlantic. This special holiday edition of Harmonia brings listeners wonderful sixteenth-century Christmas music from the Venetian world of Giovanni Bassano and Gioseffo Zarlino, moving westward to the Milan of Franchinus Gaffurius, and southerly to the Naples of Diego Ortiz.
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. Host Valerie Kahler shares the sights and sounds of this choral favorite.
Carols and Cheer
Host Scott Blankenship reviews his favorite carols this holiday season. Audiences will love singing along as he shares his top picks for the Christmas season, performed by today's leading artists and ensembles.
Gloria in Excelsis: New Jersey MasterChorale
The New Jersey MasterChorale, accompanied by musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Friends, with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale and mezzo soprano Deidra Palmour presents music of the season, including John Rutter’s festive Gloria, the Te Deum by William Gorton and other much-loved carols including ‘I wonder as I wander’ and the ‘Coventry Carol’.
Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
"The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2018" is an all-new, two-hour compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from the live Christmas/Winter Solstice Revels stage productions that took place in December, 2017, in eight cities across the United States.
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.
All is Bright (Contemplative Choral Christmas)
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.
A Concierto Christmas Special
Frank Dominguez hosts a special holiday edition of the national bi-lingual program that features music by Spanish and Latin American composers and performers presented in English and in Spanish. The program features a broad range of sacred and seasonal selections, spanning from Renaissance Spain to the 20th century in South America and the U.S. Southwest.
Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols Live
Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) 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.
Handel’s Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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.
Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols
Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) 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.
Handel’s Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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.
New Year’s Day from Vienna
Get ready to pop the New Year's Day champagne! The Vienna Philharmonic presents its annual salute to the waltz on New Year's Day 2019. The orchestra has invited conductor Christian Theilemann to welcome 2019 by conducting the annual New Year's concert. Hear the hit tunes of the Strauss family and others -- polkas, gallops and waltzes, live from the Musikverein, on New Year's Day from Vienna.