New York, NY —

To usher in the holidays, Classical 105.9 WQXR and 93.9 WNYC Radio will present music from a range of musical and cultural traditions honoring the season.

WNYC Specials

12/13-- 8pm on AM 820: A Great Miracle Happened There

A conversation between Rabbi Ismar Schorsch and host Larry Josephson about the history, rituals and meaning of Hanukkah—and its importance in our time.

12/20-- 12pm on 93.9 FM: The Jonathan Schwartz Christmas Show

The 40th anniversary of Jonathan’s special holiday gathering with friends, and the first time the show will stream live from WNYC’s The Greene Space!

12/25-- 2pm & 10pm on 93.9 FM: Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs

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' tradition of singing excellence, with their trademark mixture of spirituals and carols.

12/27-- 8pm on 93.9 FM: Spinning On Air “Holiday Hootenanny” featuring Common Rotation

Common Rotation is a band of three New Yorkers who have been living in L.A. making tuneful songs with gorgeous harmonies. Now they return to Spinning On Air to gather with friends, special guests, and host David Garland in the WNYC Studio for a musical party celebrating being home for the holidays, and the start of a new year. The band features the voice and guitar of chief songwriter Eric Kufs; the trumpet, flugelhorn, and banjo of Jordan Katz; and vocals and sundries by Adam Busch. Adam’s also an actor known to fans of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as evil genius Warren Mears. Also joining the party is Amber Benson, who played Tara on “Buffy.”

12/31-- 8pm on 93.9 FM: Paul Winter Solstice Concert

A dynamic musical celebration in the extraordinary acoustics of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral—New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine—highlights the music of the Winter Consort with Gospel singer Theresa Thomason, Brazilian singer/guitarist Renato Braz, and woodwind master Paul McCandless. John Schaefer hosts the production from Living Music and Murray Street.

12/11-- 3:30pm: A Chanukah Musical Celebration

WQXR host Naomi Lewin takes listeners on a sonic journey into the spirit of Chanukah, a holiday celebrating freedom's triumph and spiritual rededication, sharing folk melodies and songs from countries across the globe where Jews have lived and worshiped for centuries.

12/12-- 7pm: Chanukah in Story and Song

A returning one-hour Chanukah favorite, a celebration by The Western Wind performing Ladino songs of Spanish Jews, Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe and modern Israeli tunes. Leonard Nimoy hosts.

12/13-- 3pm: Trinity Church’s Messiah - LIVE

Jane Glover, Guest Conductor, with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and Robert Mealy, Concertmaster. Hosted for radio by WQXR Host David Garland.

The perennial favorite that always sells out, the Trinity Choir’s performance of George Frideric Handel's Messiah is considered by critics to be the one “to beat” in New York. This incredibly rich oratorio features an elaborate mix of chorus, soloists, and orchestra that must be heard live… and what better place than at Trinity Church where it received its New World premiere in 1770.

12/17-- 7pm: Chanukah Lights 2009

A perennial public radio favorite for nearly two decades, acclaimed authors explore Chanukah stories written expressly for Hanukkah Lights. This year's show features brand new stories by Danit Brown, Michael Blumenthal and Rachel Shukert. Hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.

12/19-- 7pm & 12/25-- 6am: A Chanticleer Christmas

America's finest male chorus celebrates the mystery and wonder of Christmas with traditional and best-loved Christmas songs from Gregorian chant to Gospel. The San Francisco-based chorus is recognized worldwide for its brilliant technique and musicality.

12/20-- 7pm: Cantus: All is Calm

Presenting an uplifting musical drama about the surprising 1914 World War I Christmas truce, Cantus- one of America's most accomplished male choirs—and Theater Latté Da have created a profoundly moving new work of musical radio theater. Using soldiers' diary entries and beautiful new arrangements of Christmas favorites, All is Calm tells both sides of the story as men who had been trying to kill each other in the fields of France spontaneously put down their guns, walked across no-man's land and sang together. All is Calm is written by Peter Rothstein with musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach.

12/20-- 3pm & 12/24-- 7pm: Welcome Christmas!

This lively musical program is a perennial broadcast favorite featuring the Minneapolis-based ensemble, VocalEssence.

12/21-- 7pm: Christmas Around the Country

The best of classical holiday music from coast to coast. NPR takes you from churches to concert halls to auditoriums to town halls all across the nation in search of performances that express the best of the holiday season.

12/20-- 2pm & 12/25-- 12pm: Echoes of Christmas

For more than 30 years, The Dale Warland Singers provided magical performances to listeners across the country, gaining acclaim as America's premier choir. The ensemble's signature holiday concert—beloved by public radio listeners nationwide—was the annual Echoes of Christmas program. Drawing upon the group's archive of live performances, Dale Warland together with host Brian Newhouse (SymphonyCast) create a very special musical treat: a collection of the best and most moving choral classics celebrating Christmas.

12/22-- 7pm: A Mexican Baroque Christmas

This holiday program features over two centuries of festive Christmas dances and songs from the great cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City.

12/23-- 7pm: St. Olaf Christmas Festival

This service in song and word has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

12/24-- 10am: A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols - LIVE

Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live, 90-minute 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.

12/25-- 3pm: Choirs & Carols: An NPR Christmas

Hear musicians from around the world in NPR's performance studio as they share special holiday moments. Join host Lisa Simeone for ancient harmonies from Trio Medieval, traditional carols from the Riga Dom Boys Choir, and a rarely heard Christmas song by Sibelius, straight from Finland's YL Choir. The Pittsburgh Brass unpacks a pair of 500-pound bells to ring in the holiday, and the members of Trio Voronezh tune up a balalaika or two.

1/1-- 11am: New Year’s Day from Vienna 2010

Join us on New Year's Day 2010, for a sparkling celebration, live from the Golden Hall at the Musikverein in Vienna. The Vienna Philharmonic presents its annual New Year’s Day from Vienna, including your favorite waltzes and polkas, and so much more.