WPR's 2009 Holiday Music Schedule

Wisconsin Public Radio will begin its 2009 holiday programming with a recording of last year’s Lessons and Carols concert by The Master Singers from Eau Claire at 2 p.m. December 13.  

 

The NPR News and Classical Music Network will present more than two-dozen hours of holiday specials through New Year’s Day.  Highlights of the season include the traditional A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast live from King’s College, Cambridge; the perennial favorite holiday special from Chanticleer; Handel’s Messiah; Jonathan Winters reading A Christmas Carol; and a live broadcast of New Year’s Day from Vienna.

 

The holiday programming schedule includes:

·         December 13, 2009 2 p.m.: 2008 Lessons and Carols

o        Directed by Dr. Gary Schwartzhoff, the Master Singers annual Lessons and Carols concert has become a Wisconsin Public Radio tradition.

·         December 14, 2009 8-9 p.m.: Chanukah in Story and Song

o        Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and sung by the acclaimed vocal sextet The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, Chanukah in Story and Song is a unique holiday program created especially for public radio listeners. 

·         December 15, 2009 8-9 p.m.: Choirs and Carols

o        Listeners can hear musicians from around the world in NPR’s performance studio as they share special holiday moments.  Join host Lisa Simeone for ancient harmonies from Trio Medieval, traditional Latvian carols from the Riga Dom Boys Choir, and a rarely heard Christmas song by Sibelius, straight from Finland’s YL Choir.

·         December 16, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  A Harpist’s Christmas

o        America’s premier harpist, Yolanda Kondonassis, celebrates the season with Treasures of Christmas harp music.  Yolanda has custom-created this program for public radio listeners, spotlighting her heavenly instrument alone and with Joshua Smith, flute and Cynthia Phelps, viola, two of America’s top professionals. 

·         December 17, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  Welcome Christmas

o        A perennial broadcast favorite featuring the Minneapolis-based ensemble, VocalEssence.  Recognized internationally as one of America’s premier choral arts organizations, VocalEssence is led by the visionary Phillip Brunelle.

·         December 20, 2009 10 a.m.-12 p.m.:  Music of the Baroque Christmas

o        Listeners can join WPR host Peter Van De Graaff as he plays  music of the 16th and 17th centuries by composers such as Johann Vierdanck, William Byrd, Giovanni Gabrieli, Jacob Handl, Samuel Scheidt and Hildegard von Bingen, among others.

 

·         December 20, 2009 12-2 p.m.: Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony

o        The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir perform Handel’s Messiah.  Under the baton of Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and chorus perform the magnificent Hallelujah Chorus, the jubilant Ev’ry Valley, and the stirring Amen.  Soloists include Awet Andemicael, soprano; Margaret Lattimore, mezzo soprano; Robert Gardner, baritone; Alan Bennett, bass. 

·         December 21, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers

o        An annual favorite, Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers is a concert of traditional and contemporary holiday music performed by the renowned choral group. 

·         December 22, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  Christmas Around the Country

o        Originally broadcast in 2007, NPR is back on the road with Christmas Around the Country: NPR’s annual sampler of the best Christmas concerts from across the nation.  From a candlelight concert in Connecticut to holiday favorites in Houston, listeners can hear angelic children’s voices in Atlanta, an eloquent Nowell from Salt Lake City, and some shouting on the mountain in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Listen to special performances by the Spivey Children’s Choir, members of the Bel Canto Company, The Virgin Consort, Cantus, The Canadian Brass and The Turtle Island String Quartet.  Plus, a world premiere performance of a new Christmas song will be performed by the Pro-Arte Singers.  Join host Lisa Simeone for NPR’s mix of holiday music from churches, halls and auditoriums all across America.

·         December 23, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  Echoes of Christmas

o        Moving selections of choral classics celebrating Christmas.  The Dale Warland Singers have provided magical performances to listeners across the country for over 30 years and are acclaimed as America’s premier choir.  Their signature holiday concert beloved by public radio listeners nationwide is the annual Echoes of Christmas program.  Drawing upon the archive of their live performances, Dale Warland and host Brian Newhouse create a very special Christmas musical treat.

·         December 24, 2009 9-11 a.m.:  A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

o        A live stereo music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England presenting the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service as performed by the 30-voice King’s College Choir.

·         December 24, 2009 11 a.m.-12 p.m.:  A Harpist’s Christmas

o        Repeat

·         December 24, 2009 12-1 p.m.:  Welcome Christmas

o        Repeat

·         December 24, 2009 1-3 p.m.:  St. Olaf Christmas Festival

o        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 the five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

·         December 24, 2009 8-9 p.m.:  A Chanticleer Christmas

o        America’s finest male chorus celebrates the mystery and wonder of Christmas with traditional and best-loved Christmas songs from Gregorian chant to Gospel.  The San Francisco-based chorus is recognized worldwide for its brilliant technique and musicality.

·         December 25, 2009 9-10 a.m.: A Chanticleer Christmas

o        Repeat

·         December 25, 2009 10-11 a.m.:  Christmas around the Country

o        Repeat

·         December 25, 2009 11 a.m.-12 p.m.:  Choirs and Carols

o        Repeat

·         December 25, 2009 12-2 p.m.:  A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

o        Repeat

·         December 25, 2009 2-3 p.m.:  A Christmas Carol with Jonathan Winters

o        A public radio tradition, updated this year with NPR host Lisa Simeone.  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.  From NPR and KCRW.

·         December 27, 2009 10-11 p.m.:  A Season’s Griot

o        This year’s program features stories told to, for and about children.  With folktale, song and poetry, Wilson and Friends put the spotlight on youth: love for them, responsibility to them, and ways adults can sometimes not see them.  The program presents traditional and original works of poetry, music and prose that speak to the institution.

·         January 1, 2010 10 a.m.-12 p.m.:  New Year’s Day from Vienna

o        Join us on New Year’s Day 2010, for a sparkling celebration, live from the Golden Hall at the Musikverein in Vienna.  The Vienna Philharmonic presents its annual New Year’s Day from Vienna, including your favorite waltzes and polkas, and so much more.  New Year’s Day from Vienna 2010 is presented by NPR and  WGBH Boston.