Sunday 12/4 – Sunday Baroque
10:00am-2:00pm
Host Suzanne Bona will share a piece chosen for her 2022 holiday gift list that features Trinidadian soprano, Jeannine De Biquue. This Handel aria is sure to get you into the holiday spirit along with a 17th century concerto featuring John Schneiderman on lute.
Sunday 12/4 – Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8:00-10:00pm
Tune in for a special Modern Notebook this week as Tyler dives into the winter season with music all about winter weather and stillness. We’ll hear works like Elena Langer’s “Snow,” and Jarkko Hartikainen’s “ICE Concerto.” Plus a work by Anna Thorvaldsdottir titled “Ró,” which is named for the Icelandic word for “serenity.”
Saturday 12/10 – Metropolitan Opera Kevin Puts, THE HOURS
1:00pm (new world premiere production!)
Renée Fleming makes her highly anticipated return to The Met in the world-premiere production of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Kevin Puts’s THE HOURS, adapted from Michael Cunningham’s acclaimed novel. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and made a household name by the Oscar-winning 2002 film version starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman, the powerful story follows three women from different eras who each grapple with their inner demons and their roles in society.
Sunday 12/11 – Sunday Baroque
10:00am-2:00pm
A special treat today featuring several dozen sacred anthems by 17th century English musician, Henry Purcell. Although he died very young, at 36, he was astonishingly prolific and we celebrate some of his work this holiday season.
Sunday 12/11 – Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8:00-1:00pm
As we head into the longest nights of the year, we’ll hear music all about stars and the night sky on a special Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline. First, an exciting work titled “Starburst” by Jessie Montgomery, and works by David Liptak and Emma O’Halloran inspired by constellations. And pieces of the night, like Golfam Khayam’s “Night Triptych” and Helen Grime’s “Near Midnight.”
Saturday 12/17 – Metropolitan Opera Verdi, RIGOLETTO
1:00pm
After a lauded premiere on New Year’s Eve 2021, Bartlett Sher’s Art Deco–inspired production of Verdi’s ever-popular masterpiece returns for its first revival. Baritone Quinn Kelsey and soprano Rosa Feola reprise rapturously acclaimed turns as the tragic jester Rigoletto and his headstrong daughter, Gilda, and two artists make noteworthy Met debuts: tenor Benjamin Bernheim as the promiscuous Duke of Mantua, and Maestro Speranza Scappucci on the podium.
Saturday 12/17 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Bach, Magnificat
7:00pm
Enjoy Bach’s, The Magnificat, based on the biblical text “My soul shall magnify the Lord.” Bach’s musical setting is a standard for the Christmas season.
Sunday 12/18 – Sunday Baroque
10:00am-2:00pm
A week before Christmas, it’s Vivaldi, Handel, and host Suzanne Bona’s personal favorites from recent recordings for your holiday gift list – and holiday listening!
Sunday 12/18 – Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
6:00-7:00pm
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’ trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. NPR’s Korva Coleman hosts.
Sunday 12/18 – Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8:00-10:00pm
It is a Winter Solstice celebration on a special Modern Notebook, with pieces titled “Solstice” by various composers such as Hillary Tann, Lou Harrison, Melissa Hui, and Kitty Xiao; plus, a piece simply titled “Winter” by Stuart Saunders Smith. It is an aleatoric work for unspecified percussion instruments and winds which he describes as “music of co-existence.”
Monday 12/19 – All is Bright
10:00-11:00am
This is a lovely hour of contemplative, sacred choral music to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cambridge Singers, Cantus, and Chanticleer.
Monday 12/19 – Candles Burning Brightly
3:00-4:00pm
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! Lots of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus a hilarious lesson on how to prepare a classic Chanukah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.
Monday 12/19 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Judas Maccabeus
7:00pm
In observance of Hanukkah, listen as we hear Handel’s oratorio based on the story of the leader of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire. It is perhaps the most popular of Handel’s oratorios second only to Messiah!
Tuesday 12/20 – Welcome Christmas
1:00-2:00pm
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than Welcome Christmas! This is an hour of joyful, classical holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing tradition carols and featuring some new discoveries in a holiday concert conducted by Philip Brunelle.
Tuesday 12/20 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Rutter, Gloria
7:00pm
John Rutter’s Gloria, his first American commission, was premiered in Omaha, Nebraska in 1974 with the composer conducting. While later arranged for choir and full orchestra, the original featured brass, organ, and percussion accompanying the choir.
Wednesday 12/21 – Winter Welcome with Bethany Cagle
3:00-4:00pm
This first day of winter Bethany Cagle brings us an hour of wintery music including: Felix Bernard’s “Winter Wonderland,” Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 1 in g, Op. 13 Winter Dreams,” and Lars-Erik Larsson’s “Winter’s Tale.” Brrrrr!
Wednesday 12/21 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Poulec, Gloria
7:00pm
Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation and composed during 1959-1960, Francis Poulenc’s Gloria is an engaging musical interpretation of the same text Vivaldi used more than two centuries earlier. Energetic in some passages and ethereal in others, it has become an enduring favorite.
Wednesday 12/21 – A Chanticleer Christmas
8:00-9:00pm
This hour of a cappella holiday favorites, new and old, is presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man choral ensemble known as “an orchestra of voices.” We’re excited to present Chanticleer on WSMR, one of the premiere vocal ensembles in the nation; two-time Grammy award winner; and a member of the American Classic Music Hall of Fame.
Wednesday 12/21 – Solstice Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
9:00-11:00pm
It is a Winter Solstice celebration on a special Modern Notebook, with pieces titled “Solstice” by various composers such as Hillary Tann, Lou Harrison, Melissa Hui, and Kitty Xiao. Included tonight – music simply titled “Winter” by Stuart Saunders Smith. It is an aleatoric work for unspecified percussion instruments and winds which he describes as “music of co-existence.” Welcome in the Solstice with Tyler and his hand-picked selections just for you.
Thursday 12/22 – Cocoa and Carols with Russell Gant
9:00-10:00am
This hour is all set up for kids as Russell Gant features an hour of fun and familiar holiday favorites! Deck the Halls, Feliz Navidad, Sleigh Ride, and Rudolph among many! Gather the family, turn up the radio and celebrate with Russell!
Thursday 12/22 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Vivaldi, Gloria
7:00pm
A familiar staple of the holiday season, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D is a jubilant, lilting setting of the text from the Latin mass. Composed in the early 1700s, it is as fresh and inspiring today as at its first performance three centuries ago.
Friday 12/23 – A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico
10:00-11:00am
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 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.
Friday 12/23 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Messiah with Robert Shaw and Atlanta Symphony
7:00pm
Tonight’s Evening Masterwork features selections from a longstanding holiday tradition, “Handel’s Messiah.” Although premiered in Dublin in April 1742, the tradition of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus is often said to have been begun by King George II standing at the London premiere in 1743.
Saturday 12/24 – Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
10:00am-12:00pm
(repeats Saturday 12.24, 9-11pm) The WSMR audience will share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal ‘classical’ music (anthems, and a cappella with organ and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Saturday 12/24 – Metropolitan Opera Mozart, THE MAGIC FLUTE
1:00pm
The Met’s abridged, family-friendly version of Mozart’s musical fairy tale returns for the holiday season, with Maestro Duncan Ward making his company debut conducting Julie Taymor’s irresistible production.
Saturday 12/24 – The Story of the Bells
5:00-6:00pm
A WSMR tradition! Step back in time just a bit with us for an encore of Karl Haas’ Story of the Bells. Karl Haas, the Radio Hall of Fame’s only “classical music” inductee, hosts this all-time holiday favorite.
Saturday 12/24 – CHRISTMAS EVE MASTERWORK SPECIAL: Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker + Christmas Eve Stories!
7:00-9:00pm
Gather your family around for a special WSMR Christmas Eve of song and stories! Tyler Kline is your host for the Evening Masterwork: Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Then more celebration of the night before Christmas with wintery carols, the story of a donkey who loved to sing, and a Visit from St Nicholas.
Saturday 12/24 – Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
9:00-11:00pm
(repeat broadcast)
The WSMR audience will share in this world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal ‘classical’ music (anthems, and a cappella with organ and congregational hymns), presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Day! Sunday 12/25 – Sunday Baroque
10:00am-2:00pm
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, and Sunday Baroque is planning a special day of music to celebrate the season in a joyful way. It’s the perfect, sparkling playlist for this merry day as you’re unwrapping gifts, spending time with family and friends, and participating in beloved traditions.
You’ll hear charming Christmas carols that date back to the baroque era and earlier, joyful baroque Christmas Concertos, and music inspired by the arrival of the Winter Solstice. WSMR and Sunday Baroque will spice up your holiday and create a warm and inviting environment to enjoy on Christmas Day – with uplifting seasonal music, and engaging tidbits of holiday lore.
Christmas Day! Sunday 12/25 – Holiday Music with Classical WSMR 89.1 + 103.9
All day!
Florida’s Classical Music station will be perfect company on Christmas. Turn on the radio, and stay with us throughout the day for your favorite holiday Christmas music! Bethany Cagle, Russell Gant and Tyler Kline are just the right company to help you celebrate the holiday…
Christmas Day! Sunday 12/25 – EVENING MASTERWORK: Ceremony of Carols
7:00pm
Written during a trip by ship from New York to England during the second World War, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols is one of his most performed works during the Christmas season. The text, along with inspiration from Gregorian Chant, makes this a wonderful narrative for your holiday evening.
Christmas Day! Sunday 12/25 – Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8:00-10:00pm
On a special Holiday edition of Modern Notebook, you’ll hear a unique mix of new works inspired by peace, light, and the Advent season. Included are three new carols by Reena Esmail titled “A Winter Breviary,” Dai Fujikura’s “Ghost of Christmas,” inspired by his own memories of Christmastime, selections from George Crumb’s “A Little Suite for Christmas” and a vocal work by Sungji Hong, “Missa Lumen de Lumine [Light from Light Mass].”
Saturday 12/31 – Metropolitan Opera ARTIST DEBUT HIGHLIGHTS
1:00pm
To wrap up the year, WSMR listeners can enjoy highlights of artists making their Metropolitan Opera debuts during live broadcasts.
Sunday 1/1/23 – Sunday Baroque
10-11am
coming soon
Sunday 1/1/23 – New Year’s Day From Vienna 2023
11:00am-1:00pm
Happy New Year! This beloved, annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Franz Welser-Most. With this concert it is not only the desire of the Vienna Philharmonic to provide musically definitive interpretations of the masterworks of this genre, but also, as musical ambassadors of Austria, to send people all over the world a New Year’s greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace.
WSMR’s most festive way to start 2023!
Sunday 1/1/23 – Sunday Baroque
1-2pm
coming soon
New Year’s Day! Saturday 1/1/2023 – Music of “Firsts” on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9!
THROUGHOUT THE DAY!
Florida’s Classical Music Station starts the New Year with a day of…firsts! You’ll hear the first attempts at Symphonies, Concertos, and other works by the great composers. A wonderful way to welcome a brand, new year!
