KUNC: KUNC's Holiday Program Schedule (2003-12-17)

Holiday Programs 2003

Friday 12/19 8pm - Chanukah Lights 2003
Chanukah Lights is a collection of some of the most beloved readings from the perennial NPR holiday favorite which explores Chanukah traditions in original stories: "The Miracle of the Oil" by Simone Zelitch, "The Two Menorahs" by Daniel Mark Epstein, "Chanukah in Malaga" by Peter Beagle, "Gifts of the Last Night" by Rebecca Goldstein, and "A Candle for Kerala" by Ariel Dorfman. Murray Horwitz and Susan Stamberg host the program.

Saturday 12/20 8pm - Blue Christmas
Here's a chance to wrap up the Year of the Blues in style and keep the spirit alive Blue Christmas. From the holiday recordings of Charles Brown and Clarence Carter to Bonnie Raitt and Dr. John, blues records have become an essential part of the season, and multiple Grammy winner Keb' Mo', host of the acclaimed radio series, The Blues, returns to the airwaves for this Blue Yule.

Saturday 12/20 9pm - Blue Christmas
Marc Applegate brings you an hour of holiday blues.

Monday 12/22 8pm - Paul Winter's Winter Solstice
Paul Winter's Winter Solstice Celebration is the 23rd anniversary ecumenical performance from New York's Cathedral of St. John The Divine, featuring the joyous vocals of Lucky Moyo (of Zimbabwe's Black Umfolosi), the expressive percussion of Valerie Dee Naranjo (of "Lion King" and "Saturday Night Live" band), mbira virtuoso Chris Berry, and Paul Winter's soaring soprano saxophone.

Tuesday 12/23 8pm - UNC Holiday Concert
A holiday concert featuring students from the University of Northern Colorado.

Wednesday 12/24 9am - A Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols 2003
The service begins as it has since 1918, with a boy soprano singing the opening line to "Once in Royal David's City." The service has grown into a symbol that signals a time, after all of the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holiday, to settle down to the true meaning of Christmas and to focus on family traditions. Each year, selected speakers from the King's College community read the lessons. The lessons are woven among great anthems that originate from deep inside the storied English choral tradition. The choir not only performs the anthems every year, it also performs a newly commissioned work, rooting the service firmly in the present as well as the past. A few years ago, it was American composer Stephen Paulus whose work was so honored.

Wednesday 12/24 11am - Greeley Philharmonic Poinsettia Pops Concert
The concert is a rebroadcast of the Greeley Philharmonic's annual Holiday Concert, featuring many holiday favorites.

Wednesday 12/24 Noon - Peace on Earth: A Holiday Folk Tour with Judy Collins
Judy Collins hosts an all-new, hour-long tour around the nation featuring musical takes on the holiday season from folk artists. The music includes many new originals -- some thoughtful, some delivered with tongues planted firmly in cheek - along with a few holiday favorites. Along the way, many of the artists reflect on the holidays and tell the stories behind their songs.

Wednesday 12/24 1pm - St. Olaf Christmas Festival
One of the nation's great and most enduring holiday observances returns: the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, an authentic outgrowth of America's a cappella choral tradition. An annual offering of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, the concert features a compelling sequence of traditional and modern works, some created specifically for and premiered in this event. The exceptional musical forces encompass more than 500 student musicians, including the St. Olaf Orchestra and five of St. Olaf's celebrated choirs, appearing individually and as a massed ensemble.

Wednesday 12/24 7pm - Holiday Pops with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops
A Boston classic returns. Hear the world's most famous orchestra (and one of its most popular conductors!) on their "home turf" -- Symphony Hall in Boston -- performing music for the holidays under the leadership of charismatic conductor Keith Lockhart.

Wednesday 12/24 9pm - A Candlelight Christmas
Recorded in the beautiful and historic Heinz Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh, A Candlelight Christmas, the Heinz Chapel Choir holiday concert, evokes the holiday's spirit of wonder. Host Ted Sohier introduces holiday choral favorites spanning many centuries and continents. Repertoire includes "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," "In the Bleak Midwinter," and popular carols like "The Christmas Song" as well as ethnic holiday music from Brazil and folk carols from America.

Thursday 12/25 9am - A Vermont Christmas with Counterpoint and Robert De Cormier
Host Noah Adams explores a new Vermont holiday tradition -- the annual holiday concerts by Counterpoint, held in the excellent acoustics of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT. Counterpoint is an 11-member choral ensemble directed by Robert De Cormier, the acclaimed music director of Peter, Paul, and Mary and the former director of the New York Choral Society. Counterpoint debuted in 2000 and quickly gained acclaim for their varied repertoire performed with style and understanding. Enjoy the sounds of a Vermont Christmas along with a stellar selection of international carols and readings that celebrates the rich traditions of the holiday the whole world over. Produced by Vermont Public Radio and NPR.

Thursday 12/25 10am - A Christmas Celtic Sojourn
The Celtic countries are steeped in traditions of Winter Solstice and Christmas. Many of the songs people immediately associate with the season trace their origins to Ireland, Scotland, and England. With the explosion of interest in this genre, new material is constantly being recorded specifically for the winter holidays. In years past, A Christmas Celtic Sojourn explored the more solemn, contemplative aspects of Celtic holiday traditions through songs, stories, and poetry. This year, host Brian O'Donovan invites listeners to embrace the joy and jubilance of the season, aiming to drive away the cold winter through a warm evening of caroling.

Thursday 12/25 11am - Joy of Heaven To Earth Come Down
The renowned choirs and symphony orchestra of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, have been presenting the Concordia College Christmas Concert for over 75 years. Dubbed Concordia's "Christmas gift to the Midwest," the performance begins the holiday season for thousands of concertgoers at Memorial Auditorium on campus and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Thursday 12/25 Noon - Handel's Messiah from Boston Live
A live performance of Handel's masterpiece from Symphony Hall in Boston by the venerable Handel and Haydn's Society - the ensemble that gave the American premiere of Messiah in 1818. Direct from Symphony Hall, we'll bring you their 148th annual performance of Messiah, performed for over a million concert-goers. NPR teams up with WGBH-FM to share one of Boston's most cherished holiday traditions with the nation. New Handel & Haydn Society Music Director Grant Llewellyn, conducts; with soprano Nancy Argenta; Brian Asawa, countertenor; Finnur Bjarnason, tenor; and Stephen Powell, baritone. Produced by NPR and WGBH/Boston.