A most wonderful time of year is here at All Classical Radio! We are delighted to be your Soundtrack for the Season, sharing favorite musical traditions and special programs throughout the holidays. Join us for joyful and festive music to lift your spirit and warm your heart, this winter and all year long.
Tune in at 89.9 FM in Portland or worldwide via the live player on our website to keep your holidays merry and bright.
2023 Holiday Programming
Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert
January 1, 2024 | 8:00 AM PT
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Connecting communities through music locally and globally, All Classical Radio will kick off 2024 with a live morning broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert. The acclaimed orchestra will share lively and nostalgic music to usher in the New Year, under the baton of Maestro Christian Thielemann in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.
The program consists of the lively and at the same time nostalgic music from the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauß and their contemporaries. Learn more at wienerphilharmoniker.at.
PAST PROGRAMS
Hanukkah
December 7 – 15, 2023
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All Classical Radio celebrates The Festival of Lights with traditional melodies, festive dances, and more shared by hosts throughout the days and nights of Hannukah.
- Enjoy traditional Hanukkah music, including I Have a Little Dreydle, Maor Tzur (Rock of Ages), Chanukkah, Oy Chanukkah (Chassidic Melody for Hanukkah), and more.
- You will also hear works by classical Jewish composers, including David Weintraub‘s 8 Bright Candles (Hanukkah melody), Hugo Adler‘s Hannerot Hallalu (Hanukkah song), Leo Low‘s Likhtelekh (Hanukkah song), and more.
Holiday Happy Hour
Hosted by Warren Black & Christa Wessel
Aired Friday, December 15, 2023
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Happy Hour returns with a special edition for the holiday season, co-hosted by Warren Black and Christa Wessel. Join us for festive tunes, a sneak peek of what’s ahead for the holiday season, and all the puns you can Handel…! Listen in the All Classical Audio Archive until December 29, 2023.
First Day of Winter
Thursday, December 21, 2023
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- All Classical’s hosts will welcome in the season of winter on the Winter Solstice, with music evoking the shortest day of the year, and the promise of the return of the light.
- Our sister station the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN) will air a 2-hour Winter Solstice Special from 1:00 – 3:00 PM PT. Your hosts Sarah Zwinklis and Steven Joinson will share music that illustrates the perfect Winter day and also give a shout-out to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, celebrating the Summer Solstice. Plus, pianist María García, All Classical Radio’s Artist in Residence, will perform carols from around the world.
- Listen at icanradio.org.
Handel’s Messiah
Performed by Portland Baroque Orchestra
Thursday, December 21, 2023 | 8:00 PM PT
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- Portland Baroque Orchestra and the Cappella Romana chorus present the only period instrument performance of George Frideric Handel’s beloved oratorio in the region. This 2016 performance was conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, and features celebrated vocal soloists Nathalie Paulin, Abigail Levis, Aaron Sheehan, and Dashon Burton.
- Find program notes and more.
- Following the PBO Messiah, enjoy a curated collection of some of the region’s best soloists and ensembles perform favorite seasonal music, leading up to the official start of the Festival of Carols at midnight PT.
All Classical Radio’s Festival of Carols
December 22 – 25, 2023
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- Four days of cherished seasonal music from cultures around the world, creating a beautiful Soundtrack for the Season curated just for you by All Classical’s hosts.
- Listeners can expect programming unlike any that you will find anywhere else, including beloved Christmastime classics, excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah, alongside new releases, and all-time favorite carols.
- Festival of Carols also includes a live broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge, on December 24th at 7:00 AM PT.
- Click here to view the complete Festival of Carols Playlist
All Classical Radio’s Festival of Carols is generously sponsored by Albertina Kerr, Backyard Bird Shop, IBEW Local 48, and Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, Cambridge
Sunday, December 24, 2023 | 7:00 AM PT
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Join us on the radio for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcasting LIVE from King’s College, Cambridge in England. This program was first introduced to King’s College on Christmas Eve 1918 to offer solace to people who were distressed, exhausted, and bereaved at the end of the First World War. Though not invented at King’s College, it was introduced by then Dean, Eric Milner-White, who wrote his own intro to set the scene for the reading of the lessons and singing of the carols.
Learn more and find the full program text at kings.cam.ac.uk.
This live broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is part of All Classical Radio’s beloved Festival of Carols.
The New Year’s Eve Classical Countdown
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Each year, All Classical Radio closes out the year in style with YOUR favorite pieces. Our annual Classical Countdown begins at 7:00 AM PT on New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31st! The top 100 pieces will be revealed throughout the day on the 31st, leading up to the #1 piece before midnight.
ICAN
The Cinnamon Bear
on the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN)
November 24, 2023 – January 6, 2024 | Daily at 12:00 PM & 6:00 PM PT
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First aired in Portland in November 1937, the six-week-long series tells the tale of Paddy O’Cinnamon (the Cinnamon Bear), as he prepares and counts down to Christmas. Narrated by Bud Hiestand, with songs composed by Don Honrath and conducted by Felix Mills, lyrics by Glanville Heisch, and vocals by the Paul Taylor Quartet.
Listen at ICANradio.org.
ICAN Winter Solstice Special
December 21, 2023 | 3:00 PM
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- The International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN) will air a 2-hour Winter Solstice Special from 1:00 – 3:00 PM PT. Your hosts Sarah Zwinklis and Steven Joinson will share music that illustrates the perfect Winter day and also give a shout-out to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, celebrating the Summer Solstice. Plus, pianist María García, All Classical Radio’s Artist in Residence, will perform carols from around the world.
- Listen at icanradio.org.
The Snowman
December 31, 2023 | 5:00 PM PT
Performed by pianist María García, All Classical Radio’s Artist in Residence, with a special appearance by Youth Roving Reporter, Elaina Stuppler.
ON-DEMAND
Karaoke Carols
Sing along to some of your favorite holiday hits with family and friends and pianist David Saffert!
Visit singalong.allclassical.org for lyrics and music, all season long.
THANK YOU
All Classical Radio’s Festival of Carols is generously sponsored by Albertina Kerr, Backyard Bird Shop, IBEW Local 48, and Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza.
