WMSR 89.1 FM - Tampa, FL
Special Holiday Programming On Classical WSMR -
www.wusf.org/classical/holiday-specials-on-classical-wsmr-2023Join Classical WSMR for holiday specials!
Sunday 12.3 ~ Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8-10pm
Music of Snow, Ice, and Cold
On a special Modern Notebook, Tyler gets ready for winter with a program of music inspired by the colder weather this time of year. Tune in for works by composers Shuying Li and Elena Langer inspired by snowfall; and some icier music from Nicky Sohn that asks, "What Happens When Pipes Burst?" Plus, some particular chilly pieces by Alex Dowling for auto-tune choir, and Mette Nielsen for string quartet.
Friday 12.8 ~ Candles Burning Brightly
4:00-5:00pm
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! We have lots of music from Jewish communities worldwide, a hilarious lesson on preparing a classic Hanukkah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home. Join us.
Saturday 12.9 ~ Metropolitan Opera Daniel Catan, FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS
1:00pm
Inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas tells the enthralling story of an opera diva who returns to her native South America to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle.
Saturday 12.9 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Judas Maccabeus
7:00pm
In observance of Hanukkah, listen as we hear Handel’s oratorio based on the story of the leader of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire. It is perhaps the most popular of Handel’s oratorios second only to Messiah!
Sunday 12.10 ~ Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8-10pm
Music of Stars and the Stillness of Night
There is a certain stillness on a cold, clear night when the stars are shining brightly, that captures the feeling of the winter season. On this special Modern Notebook, Tyler explores music inspired by starry skies and still moments: solo piano by Chris Opperman titled "Underneath the Starlit Skies;" works by David Liptak and Emma O'Halloran inspired by constellations; and a work by Kenji Bunch that draws its inspiration from the Las Posadas holiday celebrated each year in December in the Southwestern United States.
Saturday 12.16 ~ Metropolitan Opera Mozart, THE MAGIC FLUTE
12:00pm (a special holiday presentation – Abridged English-language version)
The Met’s family-friendly production of Mozart’s dazzling fairy tale returns, sung in English and running under two hours. Listen for a standout cast in Julie Taymor’s magical staging.
Sunday 12.17 ~ Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
6:00-7:00pm
One of the great holiday traditions in America, the choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges -- two of the most prestigious historically black institutions in the nation -- get together to present a spine-tingling concert program. This encore presentation features the best works of the last several years. It's a joyous celebration of the schools' trademark mixture of spirituals and carols. NPR’s Korva Coleman hosts.
Sunday 12.17 ~ Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8-10pm
Music for the Solstice
As we enter the longest nights of the year, Tyler celebrates with works inspired by the Winter Solstice and beginning of the Winter season. Featuring a work by Greenlandic composer Arnannguaq Gerstrom titled "Ukioq," which means "winter" in the Inuit language. Plus, Monty Adkins' "Winter Tendrils," which comes from the image of freshly fallen snow on the fragile bare branches of a tree. And others inspired by the Solstice, including Anna Meredith, Melissa Hui, and Lou Harrison.
Monday 12.18 ~ All is Bright
10:00-11:00am
This is a lovely hour of contemplative, sacred choral music to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene.
Monday 12.18 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: The Nutcracker
7:00pm
Join us for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, The Nutcracker.
Tuesday 12.19 ~ Welcome Christmas
1:00-2:00pm
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than with an hour of joyful, classical, holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing tradition carols and featuring some new discoveries you’re sure to enjoy.
Tuesday 12.19 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Magnificat
7:00pm
Enjoy Bach’s, The Magnificat, based on the biblical text “My soul shall magnify the Lord.” Bach’s musical setting is a standard for the Christmas season.
Wednesday 12.20 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Poulenc, Gloria
7:00pm
Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation and composed during 1959-1960, Francis Poulenc’s Gloria is an engaging musical interpretation of the same text Vivaldi used more than two centuries earlier. Energetic in some passages and ethereal in others, it has become an enduring favorite.
Wednesday 12.20 ~ Carols as Home with the Imani Winds
8:00-9:00pm
This lovely hour of music features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz. Toyin coaxes intimate stories of Christmas memories from the members of the ensemble, and why these classic carols are still essential today.
Thursday 12.21 ~ The St. Olaf Christmas Festival
2:00-4:00pm
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations and we’re thrilled to share it with you this holiday season. Started in 1912 by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf College Music Department, the festival includes hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity. It features the St. Olaf Choir, the St. Olaf Orchestra, the St. Olaf Cantorei, the St. Olaf Chapel Choir, the Manitou Singers and the Viking Chorus, performing as individual groups and as a massed ensemble.
Thursday 12.21 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Vivaldi, Gloria
7:00pm
A familiar staple of the holiday season, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D is a jubilant, lilting setting of the text from the Latin mass. Composed in the early 1700s, it is as fresh and inspiring today as at its first performance three centuries ago.
Thursday 12.21 ~ Winter Welcome
9:00-10:00pm
On the first day of winter we invite you to cozy up with some cocoa and enjoy a beautiful hour of wintry music!
Thursday 12.21 ~ Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
10:00pm-midnight
Music for the Solstice
As we enter the longest nights of the year, Tyler celebrates with works inspired by the Winter Solstice and beginning of the Winter season. Featuring a work by Greenlandic composer Arnannguaq Gerstrom titled "Ukioq," which means "winter" in the Inuit language. Plus, Monty Adkins' "Winter Tendrils," which comes from the image of freshly fallen snow on the fragile bare branches of a tree. And others inspired by the Solstice, including Anna Meredith, Melissa Hui, and Lou Harrison.
Friday 12.22 ~ A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico
10:00-11:00am
Celebrate Christmas with the sound of soaring voices! Stile Antico, the award-winning choir from London, pays a visit to St. Paul’s church on Harvard Square for a concert of music for the Christmas season by the most acclaimed composers of the Renaissance. Hear the group’s luminous blend of voices sing the intricately woven music of Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.
Friday 12.22 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Rutter, Gloria
7:00pm
Listen for the prolific English composer of holiday music as we present the uplifting Rutter Gloria.
Saturday 12.23 ~ Cocoa and Carols
9:00-10:00am
This hour is all set up for kids as Bethany Cagle features an hour of fun and familiar holiday favorites! Deck the Halls, Feliz Navidad, Sleigh Ride, and Rudolph among many! Gather the family, turn up the radio and celebrate with Bethany just before Christmas!
Saturday 12.23 ~ Metropolitan Opera Wagner, TANNHAUSER
1:00pm
Following his heroic performance as Siegfried in the Met’s 2019 Ring cycle, dashing Austrian tenor Andreas Schager returns as the knight Tannhäuser in Wagner’s ravishing opera of love, lust, and redemption.
Saturday 12.23 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Messiah with Robert Shaw and Atlanta Symphony
7:00pm
Tonight’s Evening Masterwork features selections from a longstanding holiday tradition, Handel’s Messiah. Although premiered in Dublin in April 1742, the tradition of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus is often said to have been begun by King George II standing at the London premiere in 1743.
Saturday 12.23 ~ Your Classical Christmas Favorites
8:00-10:00pm
Thank you for helping program this special! Join us as we count down the top Christmas songs as voted by listeners from around the country in this exciting two-hour special. You’re sure to hear a few of your own favs!
Christmas Eve - Sunday 12.24 ~ Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
10:00am-12:00pm
The WSMR audience will share in a live, world-wide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Eve - Sunday 12.24 ~ Sunday Baroque
12-2pm
This Christmas Eve Sunday Baroque has a special day of music to celebrate the season in a joyful way. It’s the perfect, sparkling playlist for this merry day as you’re unwrapping gifts, spending time with family and friends, and participating in beloved traditions.
You’ll hear charming Christmas carols that date back to the baroque era and earlier, joyful baroque Christmas Concertos, and music inspired by the arrival of the Winter Solstice. WSMR and Sunday Baroque will spice up your holiday and create a warm and inviting environment.
Christmas Eve – Sunday 12.24 ~The Story of the Bells
5:00-6:00pm
A WSMR tradition! Step back in time just a bit with us for an encore of Karl Haas’ Story of the Bells. Karl Haas, the Radio Hall of Fame’s only “classical music” inductee, hosts this all-time holiday favorite.
Christmas Eve - Sunday 12.24 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Ceremony of Carols
7:00pm
Written during a trip by ship from New York to England during the second World War, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols is one of his most performed works during the Christmas season. The text, along with inspiration from Gregorian Chant, makes this a wonderful narrative for your holiday evening.
Christmas Eve - Sunday 12.24 ~ Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline
8-10pm
A Modern Notebook Christmas
It’s a Modern Notebook gift as Tyler shares a mix of new works inspired by peace, light, and the Advent. Enjoy a collection of contemporary works for voice that expands the rich tradition of choral music for the Holiday season with music by Owain Park, Sungji Hong, Joanna Forbes L'Estrange, and others. Then, it's solo piano music by Kimberly R. Osberg titled "Peace by Piece,” which musically quotes some familiar carols; and Dai Fujikura's "Ghost of Christmas."
Christmas Eve - Sunday 12.24 ~ Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
10:00pm-midnight
The WSMR audience will share in a live, world-wide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Eve – Sunday 12.24 ~ Christmas Eve Midnight Mass special
12:00am
Join us for a lovely holiday performance of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noel performed by the Aradia Ensemble.
Christmas Day! Monday 12.25 ~ Holiday Music with Classical WSMR 89.1 + 103.9
All day!
Florida’s Classical Music station is perfect company on Christmas. Turn on the radio, and enjoy your favorite holiday Christmas music! Bethany Cagle, Russell Gant, Tyler Kline, Thea Lobo, and Mark Michaud will spend the whole day with you and help you celebrate the holiday.
Christmas Day! Monday 12.25 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Rutter, Dancing Day
7:00pm
Inspired by Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, the prolific composer of Christmas music gives us his version with Dancing Day.
Saturday 12.30 ~ Metropolitan Opera Mozart, LE NOSSE DI FIGARO
1:00pm
Honoring the centenaries of Cesare Siepi and Victoria de los Angeles with an archival performance from April 7, 1956
New Year’s Day! Monday 1.1.2024 ~ New Year's Day From Vienna 2024
11:00am-1:00pm
Happy New Year! The ever-popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Christian Thielemann. As musical ambassadors of Austria, The Vienna Philharmonic hopes to send people all over the world a New Year's greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace. WSMR’s most festive way to start 2024!
New Year’s Day! Monday 1.1.2024 ~ Music of “Firsts” on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9!
THROUGHOUT THE DAY!
Florida’s Classical Music Station starts the New Year with a day of…firsts! You’ll hear the first attempts at Symphonies, Concertos, and other works by the great composers. A wonderful way to welcome a brand, new year!