WHQR Holiday Specials December 18th through New Year’s Day
Friday, December 18 @ 8 p.m. & Christmas Day @ noon on 91.3 FM
Pink Martini’s Joy to the World: A Holiday Spectacular – 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, and co-produced by OPB and Murray Street Productions.
Saturday, December 19 @ 4 p.m. & Christmas Day @ 8 p.m. on 91.3 FM
Song Travels: Home for the Holidays- Join Michael Feinstein for an hour of yuletide cheer and music. This edition of Song Travels journeys from Hollywood's vintage silver screen to New York City's iconic Birdland club. The Michael Feinstein Big Band performs selections from the classic movie White Christmas, and Feinstein shares rare recordings from some of his favorite performers.
Sunday, December 20 @ 1 p.m. on 91.3 FM
The Dinner Party Download Holiday Special- A special episode of The Dinner Party Download stuffed with holiday goodness. Hip-hop legend Darryl McDaniels, the "DMC" of Run DMC, riffs on his mega-hit "Christmas in Hollis" - and on the tenderness of Charlie Brown. TV's "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver injects some health into our holiday menu (but don't mess with his decadent cheese toasty). Humorist Fran Lebowitz keeps the season from getting too sappy with very tart etiquette tips. And chart-toppers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis craft a Yuletide playlist, featuring crazy relatives and, even crazier, David Bowie's "Labyrinth." You'll also hear winning remembrances of both The Star Wars Holiday Special, arguably the worst show ever on TV, and of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, courtesy of star Beverly D'Angelo. With good cheer and comic relief, the episode's a perfect companion to the hectic and happy holiday season.
Sunday, December 20 @ 4 p.m. on 91.3 FM
The Moth Radio Hour Holiday Special- On a special holiday edition of The Moth Radio Hour: A family tradition endures community-wide scandal, a single woman tries to find her soulmate for Hanukkah, a daughter honors her mother's last Christmas wish, a guard works New Year's Eve at Sing Sing prison, and the holiday spirit fills an emergency room.
Sunday, December 20 @ 9 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 21 @ 7 p.m. on 91.3 FM
Paul Winter’s 35th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration- Celebrate the Return of the Sun -- and the Warming of the Earth with an exuberant Feast of Sound captured live in the majestic Cathedral of St. John the Divine. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts this all new performance, featuring the Paul Winter Consort with Paul McCandless, gospel singer Theresa Thomason, Danny Rivera -- the "National Voice of Puerto Rico”, and Abdel Salaam's Forces of Nature percussion and dance ensemble. (Source: NPR)
Monday, December 21 @ 12 noon on 96.7 FM
Light and Gold: Music of Eric Whitacre- A meditative special co-hosted by superstar composer Eric Whitacre, featuring his own choral masterpieces.
Tuesday, December 22 @ 12 noon on 96.7 FM
Hollywood Holiday- Lynne Warfel, host of Saturday Cinema, takes you on a one hour musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas themed movies, with beloved tunes by John Williams, Paul Williams, DimitriTiomkin, Alfred Newman, Leslie Bricusse, Irving Berlin and much more.
Tuesday, December 22 @ 8 p.m. & Christmas Eve @ 3 p.m. on 91.3
WHQR’s 20th Annual Homemade Holiday Shorts- For one evening each year in December, friends of WHQR gather in our MC Erny Gallery and around their radios at home to listen to holiday stories read live by a panel of entertaining guests. Our guests this year includes radio legends, actors, writers and performers JemilaEricson, Nan Graham, Annie Gray Johnston and Madafo Lloyd Wilson reading emotional and funny tales of the season. And the marvelous Grenoldo Frazier provides the festive holiday tunes.
Wednesday, December 23 @ 12 noon on 91.3 FM
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.
Wednesday, December 23 @ 11 a.m. on 96.7 FM
Saint Olaf Christmas Festival- A service in song and word that has become one of the nation’s most cherished holiday celebrations. Tickets to the event - which takes place at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN - are always gone months in advance. 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.
Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve – Live @ 10 a.m. on 91.3 and 96.7 FM, and @ 5 p.m. on 96.7 FM
A Festival of Nine Lesson and Carols- Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music, a beloved broadcast tradition since 1928.
Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve @ 8 p.m. on 91.3
A Great American Songbook Christmas- Host Phil Furia tells the stories behind many of the holiday season’s most beloved songs from the likes of Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé , Sammy Cahn & JuleStyne, Johnny Marks in performed by Gene Autry, Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Sarah McLachlan, and more. Produced by WHQR’s George Scheibner!
Saturday, December 26 @ 1:00, Wednesday, December 30 @ noon & New Year’s Day at 3 p.m. on 91.3 FM
A SEASON'S GRIOT 2015- This one-hour celebration in story and song is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for nearly 20 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. Produced here at WHQR.
Saturday, Dec. 26 @ 8 p.m.
The Sound Opinions Holiday Spectacular: Hillbilly Christmas- Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are joined by avid music collector Andy Cirzan for the annual Holiday Spectacular featuring seasonal country, bluegrass, and hillbilly tunes you won't hear anywhere else.
Friday, January 1, 2016 – New Year’s Day @ 11 a.m. on 91.3 and 96.7 FM
New Year's Day from Vienna 2016- The Vienna 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. It's presented by NPR Music and hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.
Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016 @ 8 p.m.
Sound Opinions Presents: The Best Albums of 2015- It's that most wonderful time of the year...the end! Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot look back at The Best Albums of 2015. What were some of the musical trends in this year? Which albums should you put on your holiday wish list?