Celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas and the arrival of 2019 with a diverse collection of holiday special programming on FM89. From classical masterpieces to jazz, pop, and world music - as well as the spoken word - there's something for everyone. Happy holidays from Valley Public Radio! Note: Programming subject to change. Check KVPR.org for updates to the schedule.
A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a cappella
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.
Sunday December 2, 2018 – 3:00 PM
Hanukkah Lights 2019
A perennial NPR favorite with all new Hanukkah stories for 2019. Hosted by NPR’s Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.
Monday December 3, 2018 – 1:00 PM
Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Bill’s spirited selection starts in the 12th century with Nova Stella, medieval Italian Christmas music from Saint Francis of Assisi’s staging of the nativity; jazz pianist Dave Brubeck’s classical composition La Fiesta de la Posada, evoking a Mexican Christmas celebration; and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols. We will enjoy this time of year in Paris with music from Debussy, and then travel to Polynesia for a traditional hymn, Anau Oia Ea. And then perhaps ending with an excerpt from Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors from the original television production. Turn on your radio, pour a cup of tea, cozy up to a warm fire, and enjoy the music!
Sunday December 16, 2018 - 2:00 PM
Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites
This program features 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. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Monday December 17, 2018 – 1:00 PM
Tinsel Tales 2: More NPR Christmas Favorites
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of the 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.
Tuesday December 18, 2018 – 1:00 PM
Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites
In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Wednesday December 19, 2018 – 1:00 PM
Tinsel Tales 4: So Much More NPR Christmas Favorites
In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the fourth collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places. NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Thursday December 20, 2018 – 1:00 PM
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. Presented by NPR Music.
Thursday December 20, 2018 – 8:00 PM
Valley Public Radio Presents: A Christmas Carol
From the archives of Valley Public Radio, enjoy this performance of the Charles Dickens classic, as voiced by the late Shakespearean actor David Fox-Brenton, and produced by Von Johnson. This special was one of Valley Public Radio's first feature productions in 1978, shortly after the station signed on the air in October of that year.
Friday December 21, 2018 – 1:00 PM
Paul Winter’s 31st Annual Winter Solstice Celebration
Celebrate the return of the sun with an encore 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: Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Eliot Wadopian, Jamey Haddad, Tim Brumfield and the thundering Cathedral Pipe Organ. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.
Friday December 21, 2018 - 7:00 PM-9:00 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. Hear the a-cappela group perform 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.
Saturday December 22, 2018 – 6:00 PM
Festivo Alt.Latino: Cantiagas In Concert
Hear the healing and uplifting power of the human voice with the Washington, D.C.-based group, Cantigas. The group's 25 members assembled in NPR's Studio 1 in front of a live audience to present an eclectic mix of songs and rhythms from Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Cuba and Puerto Rico–the home country of its artistic director, Diana Sáez. From folk to sacred to contemporary sounds, Cantigas presents a broader view of Latin music for audiences around the country through sophisticated vocal interpretations and by also reaching back into history to embrace choral traditions brought to and developed in the "New World." Hosted by Felix Contreras
Saturday December 22, 2018 – 7:00 PM
Jazz Piano Christmas 34
Join the Kennedy Center and NPR Music for this annual holiday tradition highlighting jazz pianists and their favorite seasonal music. This year, Jason Moran will be joined by artists including Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Booker T. Jones and James Francies, Felix Contreras hosts.
Saturday December 22, 2018 – 8:00 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. Korva Coleman hosts.
Sunday December 23, 2018 – 12:00 PM
Joy To The World – A Holiday in Pink
The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra" Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. From timeless classics to rarely heard gems, hear a multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee, overflowing with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family. Hosted by All Things Considered’s Ari Shapiro.
Sunday December 23, 2018 – 6:00 PM
Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites
This program features 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. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Sunday December 23, 2018 – 7:00 PM
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. Presented by NPR Music.
Monday December 24, 2018 – 9:00 AM
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
Told by Kevin Kline, the famous ballet by Tchaikovsky, performed by the New York City Ballet Orchestra, David Zinman conducting. The text is by Joel Meyerowitz.
Monday December 24, 2018 – 1:06 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. From NPR and KCRW.
Monday December 24, 2018 - 7:00 PM
Handel’s Messiah
The Cambridge Singers and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; John Rutter, conductor; Joanne Lunn, soprano; Melanie Marshall, mezzo-soprano; James Gilchrist, tenor; Christopher Purves, baritone.
Tuesday December 25, 2018 – 1:06 PM
Toast of the Nation
An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. Spirited, improvised, and swinging, each segment stops in a Blue Note venue throughout the country and the world. Hear encore sets from Buika, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Joshua Redman and Brad Meldau, pianist Fred Hersch, Ron Carter, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Monday December 31, 2018 – 7:00 PM – 1:00 AM
New Year's Day From Vienna 2019
The Vienna Philharmonic presents its ever popular annual New Year's Day concert, in a live broadcast 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.
Tuesday January 1, 2019 – 8:00 AM