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!
A Hanukkah Celebration
(Sunday, December 14th @ 6:00pm / Monday, December 15th @ 9:00am)
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
(Sunday, December 14th @ 7:00pm / Monday, December 15th @ 10:00am)
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."
Candles Burning Brightly
(Sunday, December 14th @ 8:00pm / Monday, December 15th @ 11:00am)
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 Hanukkah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.
Welcome Christmas
(Monday, December 15th @ 12:00pm)
Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world's premier choral ensembles, conducted by Philip Brunelle and G. Phillip Shoultz. Join host Bonnie North for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries.
American Landscapes: An American Christmas
(Tuesday, December 16th @ 9:00am)
Music by American composers in celebration of Christmas.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
(Tuesday, December 16th @ 10:00am)
The complete ballet with Yuri Temirkanov and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Ballad of the Brown King
(Wednesday, December 17th @ 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.
A Leroy Anderson Christmas Festival
(Wednesday, December 17th @ 10:00am)
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.
A Chanticleer Christmas
(Wednesday, December 17th @ 11:00am)
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an evening of wonder and joy.
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
(Thursday, December 18th @ 9:00am)
A service in song and word that has become one of the nation’s most cherished holiday celebrations. 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.
American Landscapes: Another American Christmas
(Thursday, December 18th @ 11:00am)
Part II of music by American composers in celebration of Christmas.
In Winter’s Glow
(Friday, December 19th @ 9:00am)
A winter solstice program, with modern classical sounds for the longest night of the year, chosen especially to complement the chilly, starry nights of the season.
The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
(Friday, December 19th @ 10:00am)
A musical celebration of the winter holidays – Advent, Chanukah, the Solstice, Las Posadas, Christmas, New Year’s, and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, wassails, pub songs, hymns, spirituals, children’s singing games, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas and Midwinter Revels stage productions presented around the country.
Odd Numbers Christmas
(Friday, December 19th @ 8:00pm / Saturday, December 20th @ 3:00pm)
Join Doug Chatham for a collection of odd songs for the holiday season!
A Rochester Festival of Lessons and Carols
(Thursday, December 25th @ 9:00am)
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 James Kealey, winner of the AGO 2022 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance and one of The Diapason’s 2021 “20 under 30” young artists. The one-hour program will consist of the traditional readings that were selected by King’s College Dean Eric Milner White in 1918, and music by Boris Ord, C V Stanford, Sir John Rutter, and Morten Lauridsen.
Pittsburgh Symphony Radio: Messiah
(Thursday, December 25th @ 10:00am)
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs Handel's Messiah.