Sunday, December 16
9 p.m. Soundspace's 5th Annual Solstice Show
Join us for a special holiday show, including a phone in interview with singer/songwriter Jay Psaros in the Spotlite.
Monday, December 17
11 a.m. New Releases
Featuring new Choral and Christmas themed releases.
10 p.m. Jazz with Jan and Zan
Join Jan for her yearly holiday music mix show with guest host Zan Agzigian of Soundspace. It's always a fun program to get you in the mood for the season...join us!
Friday, December 21
9 p.m. Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
A two-hour compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from the live Christmas/Winter Solstice Revels stage productions that took place in December, 2017, in eight cities across the United States.
Saturday, December 22
9 p.m. Johnson’s Improbable History of Pop: Saint Etienne Presents A Basket of Gifts
Selections from the wide range of various artist compilations assembled by the English alt rock/dance trio, including a few holiday tidbits.
Sunday, December 23
1 p.m. A Celtic Christmas Sojourn
Brian O'Donovan's A Celtic Sojourn draws on Celtic, Pagan, and Christian traditions to celebrate the music of this season.
4 p.m. Selected Shorts: Tough Love for the Holidays, hosted by Robert Sean Leonard
Interview with God, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, performed by James Naughton and Jayne Atkinson
The Fir Tree, by Hans Christian Andersen, performed by James Naughton
A Present for Big Saint Nick, by Kurt Vonnegut, performed by Tate Donovan.
9 p.m. Soundspace Holiday
It's a Full Moon Show featuring a mash up of holiday moonsounds/music from bands all around the world/including local vibes. Grab your blankie and cuddle back with Sara Edlin-Marlowe as she reads "The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde, plus a short history of the song "Good King Wenceslas," (Zan's Mom's favorite Christmas Carol). For In the Spotlite: Acoustic Ocean's new album Blue Moon Rising.
Monday, December 24
9 a.m. Messiah from Pittsburgh Symphony
Handel's much adored oratorio, Messiah, returns to Heinz Hall! Led by Music Director Manfred Honeck and featuring a cast of guest vocalists and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, this work is a religious story of hope, inspiration and timeless expression.
11 a.m. Christmas with the Enemy
The story of the 1914 truce spontaneously arranged among soldiers along the Western Front on Christmas day. The program features voices reading from letters and diaries of those who were there as well as songs that the soldiers sang.
Noon The Earth is Our Home for the Holidays
Living on Earth's annual holiday show is back! The program features stories from three performers about living on Earth, sharing the planet, and universal themes of the season. The roster includes storyteller Jay O'Callahan, singer Denny Breau, and green hip-hop artist Tem Blessed. They sing, rap, and talk the need for love, good food, kindness toward all creatures and the value of imagination.
2 p.m. Chatham Baroque: A Jubilant Season
Ring in the holiday season with Baroque music from internationally-renowned Chatham Baroque. Each year, the Pittsburgh-based ensemble presents dazzling historically-informed interpretations of 17th and 18th century music at Chatham University!
6:30 p.m. Christmas stories from Spokane
7 p.m. Christmas from Spokane
Our annual compendium of holiday concerts from Colleges, churches, and arts groups.
Midnight-2 a.m. A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
A live service of spoken word and music, broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice choir performs a service of Biblical readings and music.
Tuesday, December 25
9 a.m. Gloria in Excelsis: Christmas with the New Jersey Master Chorale
The New Jersey Master Chorale, accompanied by musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Friends, with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale and mezzo soprano Deidra Palmour presents music of the season, including John Rutter’s festive Gloria, the Te Deum by William Gorton and other much-loved carols including I wonder as I wander and the Coventry Carol.
10 a.m. Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
A two-hour compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from the live Christmas/Winter Solstice Revels stage productions that took place in December, 2017, in eight cities across the United States.
Noon A Broadway Christmas
Broadway songs for the season, including We Need a Little Christmas, Happy Holiday, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and White Christmas
2 p.m. Christmas at the Movies
The Christmas holiday is charged with nostalgia and hope, so a Christmas setting can effectively heighten the emotional power of any film. There have been many Christmas scenes in movies, and host David Garland unwraps some of the accompanying music for them. Holiday favorites such as It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street and The Bishop's Wife are included.
6:30 p.m. Christmas stories from Spokane
7 p.m. Re:Sound: The Twisted X-Mas Show
Selections from the Third Coast Audio festival just for the holidays
8 p.m. A Christmas Carol Redux
A modern twist on the classic tale.
Wednesday, December 26
7 p.m. Early Music Now: Gaudete! Music for Christmas
This week's program features Christmas music from several centuries to help get you in the holiday spirit, with hymns and carols by Michael Praetorius and Johannes Brassart, a Christmas concerto by Francesco Manfredini, and a traditional German carol sung by Emma Kirkby. Other performers include La Morra and the Gabrieli Consort and Players.