Holiday Programming: Our Gift to You This Season!
Happy Holidays from WCQS! Here are some highlights of our holiday program offerings this year. Be sure to check back for updates. Enjoy!
A special thanks to our holiday program sponsors:
December 6, 3 PM
HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2014: MONKEYS, MEGACHURCHES, AND FIRST ELVES
A special holiday edition of The Moth Radio Hour: Simon Doonan encounters challenges when called on to decorate the White House for Christmas, a man is hesitant to work with a ‘Hollywood’ style church in his neighborhood, a Jewish girl meets Santa, and a boy thinks his dreams have finally come true when he gets an exotic pet. This hour is hosted by The Moth’s Artistic Director, Catherine Burns.
Repeats Sunday, December 7 at 6PM
December 10, 10 AM
WELCOME CHRISTMAS!
It's an hour of joyful holiday music featuring one of the world's premiere choral groups, led by Philip Brunelle and hosted for the sixteenth year by APM's John Birge.
This year, 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."
December 11, 11 AM
CHANUKAH IN STORY AND SONG
This hour-long Chanukah favorite returns: A celebration by The Western Wind performing Ladino songs of Spanish Jews, Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe and modern Israeli tunes.
December 13, 3 PM
WOULD YOU BELIEVE? JEWS WHO WROTE CHRISTMAS SONGS
The ASCAP list of the 25 most popular Christmas songs includes 12 written by Jews. Billboard has similar findings. Overall, there are at least 22 Christmas songs written by Jews. Beyond Irving Berlin's well-known song, "White Christmas," the tally includes: "The Christmas Song," "Rudolph," "The Christmas Waltz," "Santa Baby," "Do You Hear What I Hear?," and even "Mistletoe" (as sung by Justin Bieber).
"Would You Believe" includes songs and biographical material and an exploration of how the phenomenon came - and continues - to be. The program is hosted by Allen Secher, whose lifetime of radio experience includes, most recently, "You Must Remember This," a regular feature on Montana Public Radio that explores the Great American Songbook.
Repeats December 14 at 6 PM.
December 14, 3PM
A CHRISTMAS CANTATA
The last major work of Les Six composer Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) tells how the World is transformed from darkness into light by the birth of Jesus. Ernest Ansermet directs the Orchestra and Chorus of the Suisse Romande (Geneva)
December 15, 1 – 2 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.
December 17, 7 PM
VAMOS A BELÉN! CHRISTMAS WITH THE ROSE ENSEMBLE
The acclaimed Rose Ensemble returns with a free one-hour special featuring festive and evocative music from early Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, and beyond. Colonial Latin America was a melting pot of ethnic diversity, when newcomers wrestled with local traditions, and cultural conflict was often reconciled through musical collaboration. Dances from the streets of Mother Spain mingle with African rhythms and indigenous languages, while celebration turns glorious in the pageantry of the Franciscan missions of California and New Mexico.
December 18, 2 – 3 PM
THE KABBALAH OF CHANUKAH
An Inspirational Program for the Festival of Lights A jazz-virtuoso cantor and a kabbalistic psychotherapist bring their respective talents together, to provide new inspiration for Chanukah! Weaving a tapestry of tales and teachings from the Kabbalah together with sacred music from around the world, this dynamic duo reveals some of the hidden treasures of this ancient spiritual tradition.
December 18, 7 – 10 PM
JUDAS MACCABEUS
Handel’s oratorio in three acts composed in 1746, based on a libretto written by Thomas Morell.
December 19, 7 PM
NORTHERN LIGHTS – A SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
In ancient times, the winter solstice inspired celebration partly as a defense against the darkening days. As December closed in, cold and dark, the time was met with some anxiety – if the darkness continued – how could we survive? Cheryl Willoughby presents “Northern Lights,” a singing and dancing celebration to welcome the solstice – and coming of the new year.
December 19, 8 – 10 PM
A PAUL WINTER SOLSTICE CONCERT
Celebrate the return of the sun and the warming of the heart with Paul Winter's All New 34th Winter Solstice Celebration. On the darkest night of the year, we head back to New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine to hear The Paul Winter Consort and the glorious Cathedral Pipe Organ. The performance brings traditional holiday favorites and new sounds from around the world with special guests Ivan Lins and Renato Braz. Hosted by John Schaefer.
December 20, 3 PM and December 21, 6 PM
SANTA SOUL
Holiday music maven Andy Cirzan visits Sound Opinions every December to share with Jim and Greg a new collection of unique tunes for the season. From the weird to the wonderful, these are not your standard Christmas carols. This edition is called Santa Soul. You'll be treated to holiday soul comps of yesteryear. These are killer Xmas dusties from the '60s and '70s —tracks by well-known artists like James Brown, as well as groovy underground acts.
December 21 – 3PM
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Sir Thomas Beecham conducts The Royal Philharmonic & Chorus in Parts 1 & 2 of Handel’s Holiday favorite.
December 22, 10 AM
WELCOME CHRISTMAS!
The best way to welcome Christmas is Welcome Christmas!, the VocalEssence holiday concert from American Public Media.
It's an hour of joyful holiday music featuring one of the world's premiere choral groups, led by Philip Brunelle and hosted for the sixteenth year by APM's John Birge.This year, 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."
December 23, 7 – 8 PM
WELCOME CHRISTMAS!
The best way to welcome Christmas is Welcome Christmas!, the VocalEssence holiday concert from American Public Media.
It's an hour of joyful holiday music featuring one of the world's premiere choral groups, led by Philip Brunelle and hosted for the sixteenth year by APM's John Birge.This year, 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."
December 23, 8 – 10 PM
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. This edition features traditional Spanish language villancicos from 18th century Cuba, 19th century Uruguay, and 17th century Ecuador. You'll also hear sacred works by the Renaissance Spanish composer Tomas Luis de Victoria, the 20th century Spaniard Joaquin Rodrigo, and the Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez. There are also traditional Spanish language Christmas songs as well as seasonal compositions by "the Schubert of the Pampas" Carlos Guastavino, and superstar Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez. Musical artists featured include tenor Plácido Domingo, the Exaudi Choir of Cuba, the Madrid Community Orchestra and Chorus, and guitarists Angel Romero and Alexander-Sergei Ramire
December 24, 10 AM
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.
December 24, 1 PM
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.
December 24, 7 PM
FESTIVO ALT.LATINO WITH CORAL CANTIGAS
NPR Music's Alt.Latino presents the 3rd edition of Festivo Alt.Latino -- a special holiday concert featuring the 20 piece choral ensemble Choral Cantigas. This musical performance also includes stories about holiday traditions and cultures. Hear a traditional Peruvian Christmas carol, folk music from Brazil, Spain, and Mexico plus Parrandas from Venezuela and Puerto Rico. The many rich styles of Latino choral music will unite listeners through the joyful and transformative power of music. Hosted by Felix Contreras
December 24, 8 PM
IT’S JAZZ, CHARLIE BROWN: THE VINCE GUARALDI STORY
Vince Guaraldi wrote some of the most popular music ever composed by a jazz artist-drawing on boogie-woogie, blues, bebop, Latin jazz, and bossa nova to create a magical and evocative sound heard by millions of listeners around the world through the Peanuts TV specials, beginning with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965. Though the commercial success of those specials gave Guaraldi economic security, he continued to play jazz gigs at small clubs till the end of his life. Intense, exploratory and devoted to his craft, he left a profoundly jazzy stamp on American popular culture.
"It's Jazz, Charlie Brown: the Vince Guaraldi Story" includes interviews with Guaraldi's son David, Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson, jazz critic Doug Ramsey, Guaraldi friend and sideman Eddie Duran, and jazz pianist Luke Gillespie, who all give insight into Guaraldi as a musician and a man. We'll hear the wide expanse of the pianist's career on record, ranging from early appearances with Woody Herman and Cal Tjader and 1960s bossa-nova collaborations with guitarist Bola Sete to excerpts from Guaraldi's sacred concert and late-period fusion excursion, as well as his early piano-trio sides, several of his most popular Peanuts recordings, and his 1962 pre-Peanuts hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind."
December 24, 9 PM
A COOL CHRISTMAS
An hour-long program of classic jazz. Come along for a jazz sleigh ride with music from Shirley Horn, Paul Bley, Duke Ellington, and more.
December 24, 10 PM
THE RETRO COCKTAIL HOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY
It's a cool Yule when The Retro Cocktail Hour shakes up another holiday clambake, filled with seasonally-flavored space age pop, bachelor pad swing, crooner classics and tiki tunes.
Time to hang the mistletoe and spike the egg nog! It's another round of holiday cheer served up by The Retro Cocktail Hour. This year's party features songs for the season by Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and the king of space age bachelor pad music, Juan Esquivel. We'll also sample some Yuletide rarities including (We Wanna See) Santa Do the Mambo; music from The Winter Sequence by Leonard Feather and Ralph Burns ("A Seasonal Suite for Rhythmic Reindeer"); Art Carney's bizarre "Santa Claus and the Doodle-Li-Boop"; Project: Pimento's "I Love the Snow"; plus "The Toy Parade", otherwise known as the Leave It To Beaver theme.
December 25, 9 AM
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.
December 25, 10 AM
THE CANADIAN BRASS: CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE
Hosted by WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon, this program features arrangements of music by Vince Guaraldi and Luther Henderson as well as traditional favorites from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman" and more – timeless classics infused with jazz and lush harmonies.
December 25, 11 AM
CHRISTMASTIME IN NEW YORK: THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
The Choir of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine performs at the Medieval Sculpture Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a program that spans hundreds of years and describes the story of the nativity. The program includes settings of the "O Magnum Mysterium" text by T. L. da Victoria, Morton Lauridsen, and Francis Poulenc; works by Byrd, Biebl, and Hassler; as well as music by Eric Whitacre, Francis Poulenc, William Byrd and Morten Lauridsen.
December 25, 12 – 1 PM
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. Also featuring Mimi Kennedy.
December 25, 1 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.
December 25 2 PM
TINSEL TALES 3
Listeners tune to NPR for holiday stories of all kinds; funny, touching, insightful, and surprising. Hear the latest version of evergreen delights while cooking, entertaining friends, or relaxing in front of a crackling fire. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
December 25 – 7 – 10 PM
AMAHL / THE NUTCRACKER / CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES
Amahl: The Original Cast recording of Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved Christmas opera as recorded under the supervision of the composer.
The Nutcracker: A complete recording of the Holiday classic featuring L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales: Dylan Thomas reads his celebrated work in a recording made shortly before his death in 1953
December 28 – 3PM
L’ENFANCE DU CHRIST
Hector Berlioz’s sacred oratorio about the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt to avoid persecution. Charles Munch directs the Boston Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
December 31, 7 PM
INNOVATION HUB: RINGING IN THE FUTURE
Our resolution: give you a glimpse of what you'll need to know for 2015. At the start of the New Year, Innovation Hub looks at the research, industries, gadgets and more that will change your world.
December 31, 8 PM and January 1, 2 PM
CAPITOL STEPS POLITICS TAKES A HOLIDAY NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL
Help say good-bye and good riddance to 2014 with the Capitol Steps and the annual year-end review. It's all in our hour-long radio special of "Politics Takes a Holiday!" This year will feature all-new awards, such as:
- "Is that guy jumping the White House fence, or is he just really into Michelle's 'Get Moving' campaign?"
- "You say ISIS, I say ISIL. Let's call the whole thing off."
- And of course, "I scream, you scream, we all scream EBOLA!"
December 31, 9 PM – January 1, 1:30 AM
TOAST OF THE NATION
The New Year's tradition continues with jazz you can party to all night long. Toast of the Nation 2014/2015 travels to the Newport Jazz Festival, Winter Jazzfest, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles It's sure to be a nonstop celebration of musical fireworks that will keep you dancing and swinging all night long. Hosted by WBGO's Rhonda Hamilton.
January 1, 11 AM – 1 PM
NEW YEAR'S DAY FROM VIENNA 2015
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.
January 1, 2 PM
CAPITOL STEPS POLITICS TAKES A HOLIDAY NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL
Help say good-bye and good riddance to 2014 with the Capitol Steps and the annual year-end review. It's all in our hour-long radio special of "Politics Takes a Holiday!" This year will feature all-new awards, such as:
- "Is that guy jumping the White House fence, or is he just really into Michelle's 'Get Moving' campaign?"
- "You say ISIS, I say ISIL. Let's call the whole thing off."
- And of course, "I scream, you scream, we all scream EBOLA!"