With music and stories for Thanksgiving, host John Birge creates a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday. For 2014, two great poets join us at the table. We remember Maya Angelou, and she shares her Thanksgiving blessing and memories. Nikki Giovanni reads food poems from her new book, and recalls the Thanksgiving she got kicked out of college.
Holiday Classics Stream
Listen to the sounds of classical music throughout the holiday season with our seasonal all-holiday music stream, Holiday Classics from Thanksgiving through January 1, or listen to the Classical Stream.
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Happy Holidays from all of us at Classical Minnesota Public Radio!
We're glad you stopped by to explore our holiday offerings. We hope you find the music is a kind of companion for the holiday months, whether you're getting ready for Chanukah or looking for that perfect mood for your December gatherings.
Seasonal specials are presented on Classical Minnesota Public Radio stations and stream.
Past Programs
November 26
With music and stories for Thanksgiving, host John Birge creates a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday. For 2014, two great poets join us at the table. We remember Maya Angelou, and she shares her Thanksgiving blessing and memories. Nikki Giovanni reads food poems from her new book, and recalls the Thanksgiving she got kicked out of college.
Cantus, one of the premiere men's vocal ensembles, talk with host Alison Young about the holiday, music and food. This year's special presentation will focus on gratitude for nourishment and all that surrounds us.
Advent is a time of quiet contemplation and waiting. It's waiting for darkness to become light and for hopes to be realized. Throughout the centuries Advent has been observed musically in sacred and secular ways.
Advent is a time of quiet contemplation and waiting. It's waiting for darkness to become light and for hopes to be realized. Throughout the centuries Advent has been observed musically in sacred and secular ways.
A service in song and word that has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. Tickets to the event, which takes place at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, are always gone months in advance. 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.
A perennial broadcast favorite featuring the Minneapolis-based ensemble, VocalEssence. Recognized internationally as one of America's premier choral arts organizations, VocalEssence is led by the visionary Philip Brunelle. This year, a tribute to the late Dave Brubeck with his classical Christmas cantata "La Fiesta de la Posada."
Join Bill Morelock and Lynne Warfel for an hour of holiday movie music that ranges from the sentimental to the completely cranky. From "White Christmas" and cozy homes for the holidays to Grinches and Scrooges, A Hollywood Holiday takes in your favorite holiday movies from a musical point of view.
From traditional favorites to new arrangements of popular classics, Cantus celebrates the sounds that fill the airwaves each year with "Christmas on the Radio." Live broadcast from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.
Classical MPR's Steve Staruch airs selections from "A Taste of the Holidays" -- a collection of seasonal offerings performed by some of the region's finest ensembles, recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater.
Holiday music of Stephen Paulus with Dale Warland.
Eric Whitacre is America's most popular composer today, and his choral works are beloved by choirs throughout the world. In this one-hour programs, he introduces the music with co-host Brian Newhouse and describes the often-colorful backstory of how each piece came to be.
Imagine 600 musicians -- singers, bell-ringers, organ, brass, percussion, strings and winds -- dressed in elegant robes, and lit by candlelight singing some of the most ravishing music for the season.
A one-hour celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. There's plenty of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus an exploration of holiday traditions, and a special story reading by the incomparable Theodore Bikel.
Now in their 88th year, Concordia Christmas Concerts join vocalists and instrumentalists from Concordia College in Moorhead to create some of the most beautiful collection of Christmas music you'll hear during the holiday season. "Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come" features The Concordia Choir, The Chapel Choir, the Bel Canto singers, Cantabile, Mannerchor and the Concordia Orchestra.
Eric Whitacre is America's most popular composer today, and his choral works are beloved by choirs throughout the world. In this one-hour programs, he introduces the music with co-host Brian Newhouse and describes the often-colorful backstory of how each piece came to be.
We'll sample the artistry of choirs from across Minnesota, as represented in Classical MPR's audio archive. You'll hear a beguiling array of seasonal and sacred pieces, in performances that haven't aired in years.
A service in song and word that has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. Tickets to the event, which takes place at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, are always gone months in advance. 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.
On Friday, Dec. 19, at 3 p.m., join us for Carol with Classical MPR, a new special featuring beloved carols. It culminates with a special live broadcast at 4 p.m., featuring The Singers vocal ensemble. They will perform 15 carols selected by you, our audience -- watch for the list to be revealed over the next few days!
A celebration of the season as told through the glorious voices of Chanticleer, the 12-voice San Francisco-based men's choir.
A one-hour celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. There's plenty of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus an exploration of holiday traditions, and a special story reading by the incomparable Theodore Bikel.
Australian Chamber Orchestra Richard Tognetti, conductor Choir of London
From the land down under, a festival performance of one of the biggest works for Christmas.
Holiday music of Stephen Paulus with Dale Warland.
Celebrate the holidays with one of classical music's most cherished works. Handel's "Messiah" continues to captivate generations of music lovers with iconic refrains from "Comfort ye, my people" to the "Hallelujah Chorus." The Basilica of Saint Mary provides the perfect setting to enjoy these sublime performances led by conductor Paul Agnew.
The Rose Ensemble, renowned for its expansive repertoire of "music from around the world and across the centuries" presents a unique Christmas special to add warmth and distinction to your holiday lineup. And Glory Shone Around: An Early-American Christmas draws from 19th-century songbooks, featuring carols of the New England colonies, Appalachian folk tunes, Southern shape-note singing, Shaker spiritual songs and the close harmonies that gave birth to bluegrass.
Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live stereo music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music.
The Nutcracker is the most popular ballet in the United States. But it took a number of years to become that. In fact, even Tchaikovsky considered it one of his least successful efforts. Join Alison Young December 24 at 11 a.m. for flying cooks, dancing snowflakes and the sugar plum fairy herself.
Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live stereo music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music.
Join us as we air a rebroadcast of Carol with Classical MPR, a special featuring 15 of our most beloved carols performed by The Singers vocal ensemble.
Giving Thanks with John Birge
With music and stories for Thanksgiving, host John Birge creates a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday. New for 2015, two special guests: Christopher Kimball and Stephen Hough.
Giving Thanks with John Birge
With music and stories for Thanksgiving, host John Birge creates a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday. New for 2015, two special guests: Christopher Kimball and Stephen Hough.
Sponsor
Sponsor
ArkivMusic.com
Gifts for the Classical Music Lover
ArkivMusic presents a collection of the best classical music for gift-giving this holiday season. Including rare and value-priced items, this gift guide contains something for any classical music lover.
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