Morehead State Public Radio has special programs planned for the holiday season, as we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, the Winter Solstice and more. Happy Holidays from Morehead State Public Radio!
Updated: 12/20/23 (2:15pm)
A Hanukkah Celebration
(Thursday, December 7th @ 9am / Thursday, December 14th @ 9am)
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 Hanukkah texts. Heartfelt original compositions by American and British composers provide added depth of expression to celebrating the holiday. Such works include "Lo Yisa Goy," a plea for peace by Stacy Garrop; Bob Applebaum's stirring new version of "Haneirot Halalu"; and movements from the majestic "Hallel Suite" by London-based Daniel Tunkel. All selections are performed by Chicago a cappella, the virtuoso vocal ensemble now in its 23rd season. Jonathan Miller provides liturgical and cultural background as part of this unique look inside old and newer choral Hanukkah traditions.
Hanukkah in Story and Song
(Thursday, December 7th @ 10am / Thursday, December 14th @ 10am)
Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and sung by the acclaimed vocal sextet The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, "Hanukkah in Story and Song" is a unique holiday program created especially for public radio listeners. This delightfully engaging program presents 25 eclectic selections, from the Ladino songs of the Spanish Jews and Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe to modern Israeli tunes and the ensemble's original version of "I Have a Little Dreydle."
Big Band Boulevard: A Swinging Big Band Christmas
(Sunday, December 10th @ 8:00pm)
Big Band and swing tunes for the holidays! Selections from Gene Krupa, Bob Crosby, Glenn Miller and more.
The Children's Hour Holiday Special
(Sunday, December 17th @ 3:00pm)
This week on The Children’s Hour, winter break is here and we’re celebrating with a holiday special. We’ll play some of our favorites Christmas and Hanukkah songs. Hear our favorite holiday story, and dance along with us. We’ve got your family friendly soundtrack for the holiday season.
Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander
(Sunday, December 17th @ 8:00pm)
With support from emcee and Chicago radio luminary Richard Steele and longtime collaborators pianist Miguel de la Cerna, bassist Junius Paul and drummer Yussef Ernie Adams, the beloved Chicago vocalist and WFMT Radio Network Jazz Network host Dee Alexander entertains and enchants with songs and reminiscences of holidays past. The performance includes favorites “White Christmas,” “Coventry Carol”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and show-stopping renditions of spirituals inspired by Chicago gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Don’t miss Chicago’s first lady of jazz song serving up the winter holiday season in style.
A Leroy Anderson Christmas Festival
(Monday, December 18th @ 9:00am / Sunday, December 24th @ 9:00pm)
Hear classic Christmas arrangements and original music by Leroy Anderson. The program is hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin and the composer's son Kurt Anderson, and features recorded performances of Leroy Anderson's Christmas Music with Leonard Slatkin conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra, and Leroy Anderson conducting his "Pops" Concert Orchestra. Listeners will also hear Leroy Anderson talking about how he wrote some of his famous Christmas music and what Christmas means to him.
American Landscapes: An American Christmas
(Monday, December 18th @ 10:00am)
Music by American composers in celebration of Christmas.
This Holy Night
(Tuesday, December 19th @ 9:00am)
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, with special guests Megan Hilty and Neal McDonough, perform “The Holly and the Ivy,” “O Holy Night,” and other carols for this Christmas Day special celebrating the light of the world.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
(Tuesday, December 19th @ 10:00am)
The complete ballet with Yuri Temirkanov and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Ballad of the Brown King
(Wednesday, December 20th @ 9:00am)
Dr. Louise Toppin, a preeminent performer and scholar specializing in the concert repertoire of African American composers, presents the world premiere recording of Margaret Bonds’s The Ballad of the Brown King (Avie Records, 2018). With a libretto by Langston Hughes, this Christmas cantata focuses on Balthazar, the dark-skinned king who journeyed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. This gorgeous work is beautifully interpreted by New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra, soloists soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and tenor Noah Stewart, with Malcolm J. Merriweather at the podium.
Winter Holidays around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
(Wednesday, December 20th @ 10:00am)
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Bill McGlaughlin, celebrated educator, performer, conductor, and composer and host of Exploring Music, gathers and presents this spirited selection. In this special, we start in the 12th century with Nova Stella, medieval Italian Christmas music from Saint Francis of Assisi’s staging of the nativity; we hear jazz pianist Dave Brubeck’s classical composition La Fiesta de la Posada, evoking a Mexican Christmas celebration; and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols.
American Landscapes: Another American Christmas
(Wednesday, December 20th @ 11:00am)
Part II of music by American composers in celebration of Christmas.
The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
(Thursday, December 21st @ 9:00am)
Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips is your host for The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays, an hour-long special devoted to holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards (“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), Michael shares an eclectic mix of wintry film scores, ranging from “It Happened in Sun Valley” (from “Sun Valley Serenade”) to Alexandre Desplat’s folk-inspired score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to Bernard Herrmann’s bracing sleigh ride accompaniment composed for the Orson Welles drama “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Bundle up and enjoy The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays!
The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023
(Thursday, December 21st @ 10:00am)
A musical celebration of the winter holidays – Advent, Chanukah, the Solstice, Christmas, Dongzhi, New Year’s and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, wassails, hymns, ballads, children’s game-songs, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas Revels stage productions presented around the country.
Christmas with Madrigalia 2023
(Friday, December 22nd @ 9:00am)
This holiday season, the Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia and their Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff return to public radio for Christmas with Madrigalia. Christmas with Madrigalia celebrates the excitement and joy of the holiday season with traditional carols and anthems from the Medieval era through the 21st century celebrating Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Christmas, and the New Year.
A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart
(Friday, December 22nd @ 10:00am / Sunday, December 24th @ 3:00pm)
Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and Ebenezer Scrooge come to marvelous life in Patrick Stewart's critically-acclaimed solo interpretation of A Christmas Carol. The star of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart has performed his one-man stage production of A Christmas Carol to sell-out audiences. Now, in this studio recording of the dazzling achievement that has thrilled audiences in New York and Los Angeles, Stewart invites listeners to rediscover the timeless story at its source: Dickens' own, classic words, presented in a soaring, virtuoso solo performance in which Stewart plays all parts.
Hip Holiday Mix with Paul Ingles
(Friday, December 22nd @ 8:00pm / Saturday, December 23rd @ 3:00pm)
Music History Producer Paul Ingles gently hosts an hour of pop, rock and soul holiday music. Paul Simon, Otis Redding, Charles Brown, Pretenders, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Kinks, Shawn Colvin, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Beatles, and more. Perfect for giving your regulars time off for the holidays and treat your listeners to some of the cooler holiday tunes.
Odd Numbers Christmas 2023
(Friday, December 22nd @ 9:00pm / Saturday, December 23rd @ 4:00pm)
Join Doug Chatham for a collection of odd songs for the holiday season! Featuring "Thirty-three Carols of Fun" by The Suspenders, "You Ain't Getting Diddly Squat" by Heywood Banks, and many more!
Christmas On The Air
(Sunday, December 24th @ 8:00pm)
On this Afterglow holiday special, we’ll be featuring some classic Christmas radio broadcasts, performed by favorite jazz singers like Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and more.
Nine Lessons & Carols
(Sunday, December 24th @ 10:00pm)
Nine Lessons & Carols with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
A Rochester Festival of Lessons and Carols 2023
(Monday, December 25th @ 9:00am)
One of the most beloved traditions of the holiday season is the Festival of Lessons and Carols, a service made famous at King’s College in Cambridge, England. This Christmas, treat your listeners to A Rochester Festival of Lessons and Carols! The program was recorded at Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York under the direction of organist/choirmaster Peter DuBois. The one-hour program will consist of the traditional readings that were selected by King’s College Dean Eric Milner White, and music by William Mathias, Tomas Luis de Victoria, David Hogan, and Jessica French.
Pittsburgh Symphony Radio: Messiah
(Monday, December 25th @ 10:00am)
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs Handel's Messiah.
The Lasting Impact of Robbie Robertson
(Saturday, December 30th @ 8:00pm)
Robbie Robertson, chief writer for the legendary and hugely influential rock group simply called The Band, passed away this year at the age of 80. Music specials producer Paul Ingles will present the most important music written by Robertson for The Band, as well as spotlighting his significant solo work after leaving The Band in the late 1970's. Guest commentators will include musicians and writers Jeff Slate and David Gans, Rolling Stone Magazine's Anthony DeCurtis, music critics and authors Holly Gleason, and John Kruth, plus radio host Gregg McVicar.
Tony Bennett - Class Act
(Saturday, December 30th @ 10:00pm)
Music highlights from the remarkable career of one of the most revered pop singers in American history, Tony Bennett, who passed away July 21, 2023 at the age of 96. Music history specials producer Paul Ingles hosts an hour of nearly 20 of Bennett's classic performances.
New Year - Jazz & The American Spirit
(Saturday, December 30th @ 11:00pm)
Jazz and the American Spirit examines the great stories of Jazz across America by looking at and listening to the musicians who have created it. Hosted by saxophonist and University of Central Florida Director of Jazz Studies Jeff Rupert
No Small Endeavor Holiday Toolkit: Gratitude and Conversation
(Sunday, December 31st @ 3:00pm)
This Holiday, No Small Endeavor brings you four conversations to tee you up for a successful and meaningful time with family and friends. We hear from 4 guests—Amy Grant on gratitude after a bike accident, CNN hero Diane Latiker on the gratefulness that comes from serving her community, Heather Holleman with practical tips on how to have a meaningful conversation, and Oliver Burkeman on contemplating life's finitude to be more present.
Nothin' But The Blues: Best of 2023
(Saturday, January 6th @ 8:00pm)
Paul Hitchcock presents the best blues releases of 2023.