WMRA Holiday Specials 2005 10 pm Peter Ostroushko's Heartland Holiday 2005

st Wednesday, Dec. 21 Spend an hour with internationally renowned instrumentalist and A Prairie Home Companion regular Peter Ostroushko. Peter and his Heartland 3 pm Spirit of Christmas Ensemble warm your soul with folksy holiday favorites and traditional carols from around the world. Hosted by Julie Amacher. 1 hour. The engaging Jim Cunningham hosts The Spirit of Christmas, a one-hour holiday program that showcases the acclaimed Pittsburgh Symphony 11 pm The Pleasures of Winter 2005 Brass. 1 hour. This is a live performance music special hosted by folk duo Jay Ungar & 7 pm Carols for Christmas Molly Mason and recorded at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, NY. The music ranges from lively seasonal offerings to Acclaimed host Bill McGlaughlin brings one of Boston's most loved deeply moving pieces that reflect the more thoughtful and reflective side of Christmas celebrations to the entire nation in Carols for Christmas 2005 winter and the holiday season. This year's program features favorite with the Handel and Haydn Society. 1 hour. performances from past shows and showcases such artists as Peter Schickele, Dar Williams, Butch Thompson, Kate Pierson of the B-52's, Pete Seeger, and David Bromberg, along with the hosts and their house band. 1 hour. nd Thursday, Dec. 22

3 pm Christmas with Dale Warland Saturday, Dec. 24th

The famed music director of one of the world's great choirs, the Dale 11 am A Christmas Carol Warland Singers, hosts a one-hour celebration of Christmas choral music new and old. 1 hour. From WBUR/Boston and National Public Radio, “A Car Talk Christmas Carol” stars Tom and Ray Magliozzi and a stellar cast of public radio 7 pm Welcome Christmas personalities including as Bob Cratchit. It parodies the classic story’s themes of generosity and redemption. 30 minutes. Welcome Christmas! has become a perennial broadcast favorite. It features the Minneapolis-based ensemble, VocalEssence, recognized internationally 11:30 am A Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols as one of America's premier choral organizations. Philip Brunelle leads the 120-voice VocalEssence Chorus and the 32-voice VocalEssence Ensemble Live music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King's College Singers. 1 hour. in Cambridge, England presenting the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service (Biblical readings and music) as performed by the 30- voice King's College Choir. 90 minutes. rd Friday, Dec. 23 1 pm St. Olaf Christmas Festival 2005 3 pm Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers One of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations, the St. Olaf An annual favorite, Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers is a concert of Christmas Festival is a service in song and word featuring more than 500 traditional and contemporary holiday music performed by the renowned student musicians. Hosted by Brian Newhouse, the broadcast includes choral group. This year, the famed ensemble celebrates Christmas on hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections celebrating the Logan Square with a program of 20th-century music. 1 hour. Nativity. 2 hours. Andreas Scholl, countertenor; John Tessier, tenor and Nathan Berg, bass- WMRA Holiday Specials 2005 baritone. 3 hours.

th Saturday, Dec. 24 6 pm Jonathan Winters – A Christmas Carol 3 pm Holiday Pops with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops A public radio tradition. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a A Boston classic returns to NPR. Hear the world's most famous pops distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, using a special performing orchestra (and one of its most popular conductors) on their "home turf" -- edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. Also featuring Mimi Symphony Hall in Boston -- performing music for the holidays. From WGBH Kennedy. From NPR and KCRW. 1 hour. and NPR. 2 hours. 8 pm A Celtic Christmas Sojourn

This compelling program is an edited version of a series of live concerts th Sunday, Dec. 25 presented to sold-out audiences at The Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA, in December 2004. This celebration of the Christmas holiday, carefully 10 am A Vermont Christmas crafted by host Brian O'Donovan, features Sharon Shannon's fiery accordion playing, Irish traditional singing by Sean Keene and emerging Host explores a new Vermont holiday tradition - the annual artist Aoife O'Donovan. 1 hour. holiday concerts by Counterpint, held in the excellent acoustics of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT. Counterpoint is an 11- 9 pm A Soggy Bottom Christmas - Live at the World Café member choral ensemble directed by Robert De Cormier, the acclaimed music director of Peter, Paul and Mary and the former director of the New Taking off on the Coen Brothers' mythical trio The Soggy Bottom Boys in O York Choral Society. 1 hour. Brother, Where Art Thou, NPR and WXPN team up for a very special "roots Christmas" stage show of new takes on holiday classics, as well as new 1 pm A Chanticleer Christmas contributions to the holiday tradition. David Dye hosts this one-hour program of roots, blues, Americana, and other contemporary music artists From the acoustic excellence of St. Vincent's Church in Petaluma, providing some old-fashioned Christmas cheer - recorded onstage at the California, inspiring sounds of the season from one of the world's finest World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Guest artists include, Raul Midon, Jonatha choral ensembles - the twelve men of Chanticleer, led by Joseph Jennings. Brooke, and the Old Crow Medicine Show. 1 hour. It’s an hour of music from the renaissance to spirituals, all performed with impeccable taste and captivating style. One of NPR's most popular holiday 10 pm Paul Winter's Silver Solstice specials. 1 hour. From the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, the 25th- 2 pm Handel’s Messiah anniversary celebration of a public radio tradition: Paul Winter's unique exploration of the solstice tradition in cultures near and far. The Paul Winter NPR and CBC/Radio Canada join forces for an encore broadcast of Consort is joined by musicians from Russia, Ireland, and Zimbabwe, Handel's masterpiece, featuring an American orchestra with a Canadian including special guests The Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble, piper Davy conductor and choir. Quebec City conductor Bernard Labadie leads the Los Spillane, gospel singer Teresa Thomason, and mbira wizard Chris Berry. 2 Angeles Philharmonic, the singers of his hometown Chapelle de Quebec, hours. and four world-class soloists for an all-star performance of this holiday classic, from the stunning acoustics of the new Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Bernard Labadie, conductor; Karina Gauvin, soprano;

WMRA Holiday Specials 2005

th Monday, Dec. 26 Sunday, Jan. 1st

3 pm Chanukah in Story and Song 12:10 am NPR’s Toast of the Nation

Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and sung by the acclaimed vocal sextet The Toast of the Nation rings out the perils of '05 with the promise of '06 by Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, Chanukah in Story and Song is a unique returning to the crucible of Jazz - New Orleans, Louisiana. Toast of the holiday program created especially for public radio listeners. 1 hour. Nation is live from Tipitina's throughout the night, and also from Boston for New Orleans piano legend Henry Butler; Sanibel Island, Florida for a taste 7 pm Chanukah Lights of BBQ: the Brubeck Brothers Quartet; New York for the Chico O'Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra directed by Arturo O'Farrill; to Columbia, A perennial NPR favorite, now in its second decade. Four authors explore Missouri for the divine singing of René Marie; and Portland, Oregon for a Chanukah traditions in original stories. Hosted by Murray Horwitz and sip of Pink Martini with special guests Jimmy Scott and the Jazz . 1 hour. Expressions. 6 hours.

1 pm New Year's Day from Vienna 2006

th Tuesday, Dec. 27 NPR takes you direct to the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna for the most popular classical music concert in the world, the Vienna 7 pm A Taste of Chanukah Philharmonic New Year's Day concert. Korva Coleman hosts. 2 hours.

A Taste of Chanukah is a joyous celebration of Chanukah that the whole 3 pm New Year's Eve with the New York Philharmonic family can enjoy. Hosted by Theodore Bikel and led by Artistic Director Hankus Netsky, the program serves up a festive hour-long concert. The NPR & WNYC team up to offer the acclaimed New York Philharmonic New program features over 150 musicians from the New England Conservatory, Year's Eve concert which was broadcast live to the nation on PBS. Hosted the Boston Community Choir, and other ensembles, all recorded live at the by NPR's Fred Child and WNYC's Margaret Juntwait. 2 hours. New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston. 1 hour.

Note: programming may change with little advance notice.