NHPR and Classical New Hampshire bring together a festive programming line up sure to give you those holiday feels, with traditional favorites like NPR’s The Big Tiny Desk Holiday Special, Hanukkah Lights 2022, and NHPR’s Holidays By Request, returning for the 6th year.
NPR brings back well-loved programs such as, A Season's Griot, an hour-long celebration of Kwanzaa, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas eve, and Tinsel Tales, stories from the NPR archives that speak to the meaning of Christmas.
Christmas day will feature locally produced holiday programs including, An Exchange Tradition: Gerald Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' and an encore presentation of Yule Log Old Time Radio Show with Rick Ganley and Sean Hurley teaming up for an old-timey hour of Christmas stories and memories.
You can find the full holiday schedule for both NHPR and Classical New Hampshire below.
NHPR
Friday Dec. 16
7-9 pm
Holidays By Request
NHPR is wrapping up 20-22 on a high note with Holidays By Request. Listen this Friday evening at 7 with hosts Rick Ganley and Emily Quirk for two live hours of under-appreciated holiday tunes requested by you! Plus live in-studio performances and good cheer from NHPR staff and friends. We’re hosting a holiday party live on your radio- this Friday night on NHPR.
9-10 pm
The Big Tiny Desk Holiday Special
Celebrate the season with amazing holiday performances from The Tiny Desk Concert series including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Martin, Hanson, The Polyphonic Spree and more! Hosted by NPR Music frenemies Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson.
Sunday Dec. 18
6-7 pm
Hanukkah Lights 2022
This NPR favorite returns with the best of the best Hanukkah Lights stories from the last 30 years. Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.
7-10 pm
The Folk Show - Stocking Stuffer Edition
Host Kate McNally takes listener requests to celebrate the holiday season.
Monday Dec. 19
9-10 pm
The One Recipe Holiday Special
Join host Jesse Sparks for a holiday edition of The Splendid Table’s newest “podbaby,” The One Recipe. Jesse talks to culinary superstars about their “One,” the recipe that signals the holiday has begun! They’ll get into traditions and food with influences from all over the world and leave you with recipes that could jumpstart your own festivities! It’s delicious eating all month long.
Guests include chef, YouTube personality and best-selling author Carla Lalli Music; The New York Time’s food writer Eric Kim, author of Korean- American: Food That Tastes Like Home and more to come!
Tuesday Dec. 20
9-10 pm
Selected Shorts: Holidays With Mom
Guest host Meg Wolitzer presents our holiday show--two stories about being home for the holidays and how you can count on your Mom to be there for you—and possibly to complicate things.
First, memoirist Augusten Burroughs recalls a disastrous—and hilarious—childhood cooking project. Reader Michael Cerveris relishes every bite.
And in “Live Wires” by Thomas Beller, a young man invites his girlfriend to his mother’s annual Hanukkah party. The reader is Jane Curtin.
Wednesday Dec. 21
9-10 pm
Joy To The World - A Holiday In Pink
The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra" Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. From timeless classics to rarely heard gems, hear a multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee, overflowing with enough holiday spirit to warm your entire family. Hosted by All Things Considered’s Ari Shapiro
Thursday Dec 22
9-10 pm
Festival AltLatino with Cantigas
NPR Music’s Alt.Latino presents the 2014 edition of Festivo Alt.Latino -- a special holiday concert featuring the 20 piece choral ensemble Choral Cantigas. This musical performance also includes stories about holiday traditions and cultures. Hear a traditional Peruvian Christmas carol, folk music from Brazil, Spain, and Mexico plus Parrandas from Venezuela and Puerto Rico. The many rich styles of Latino choral music will unite listeners through the joyful and trans-formative power of music. Hosted by Felix Contreras.
Friday Dec. 23
7-8 pm
Yule Log Old Time Radio Show
NHPR's Rick Ganley and Sean Hurley team up for an old-timey hour of Christmas stories and memories. Sean will share his favorite “winter essays” and heartwarming family stories. This special - broadcast each year on NHPR for the holiday season - will become one of your family's favorite holiday listening traditions!
8-9 pm
Jazz Night in America: A Holiday Celebration
This year's Jazz Night in America holiday special will feature drummer Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O; a ruckus band recorded at Jazz at Lincoln Center that flip seasonal songs on their head while inserting humor and joyful swing. and new takes on classics in this special episode. Christian McBride hosts.
9-10 pm
A Mountain Stage Holiday
Join Mountain Stage host Larry Groce for an hour filled with beautiful music to mark the season. The show features special guests Holly Cole, Joan Baez, Bruce Cockburn, Loudon Wainwright III, The Roches, Kathy Mattea and more. All performances were recorded live on the Mountain Stage.
Saturday, Dec 24
Noon-2
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols presents your audience with an opportunity to share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal Classical music. This special will be presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England.
6-10 pm
World Cafe: Los Lobos Christmas Show
Los Lobos went through nearly 150 Christmas-related songs from North, South and Central America to pick what to cover on their first ever holiday album called Llegó Navidad. In the end, they narrowed it down to 11 and wrote one new song. Hear them play live and share how they created a Christmas album that will make you want to get up and dance like no other.
8-10 pm
Holidays By Request (encore broadcast)
Sunday, Dec. 25
7-8 am
An Exchange Tradition: Gerald Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'
On Christmas Day, we listen back to a seasonal favorite, our 2005 conversation with Gerald Charles Dickens, Charles Dickens's great-great-grandson and an actor. He toured America with his one-man performance of "A Christmas Carol," and we speak with him about the legacy of his namesake and the magic of "A Christmas Carol." He also performs a handful of scenes from his show.
10-11 am
The New London Barn Playhouse Presents 'A Miracle On 34th Street'
Miracle on 34th Street is based on the classic 1947 film. Recorded live with Foley effects (sound reproductions) and holiday carols, this special radio rebroadcast of Miracle on 34th Street from 2020 will melt even the most cynical of hearts. Produced by the New London Barn Playhouse - the oldest, continuously operating Summer Stock theater in New Hampshire, and a longtime NHPR trade partner.
11 am-noon
Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites
This program features stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk -- these and other NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
Noon-1 pm
Tinsel Tales 2: More NPR Christmas Favorites
NPR fills millions of homes each holiday with humor, warmth, and a host of festive voices. Continuing with the tradition of the first Tinsel Tales program, this is another collection of the best and most requested holiday stories. Joy, hope, and childhood memories overflow as NPR voices, past and present, tell stories of the season. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
1-2 pm
Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites
In keeping with a well-loved NPR holiday tradition, hear the third collection of extraordinary Christmas stories that will transport you to unexpected places.
Audie Cornish, Ken Harbaugh, Nina Totenberg and other voices from NPR's past and present tell stories of the season in this hour-long special. Some tales are funny; some are touching; some are insightful or irreverent or nostalgic or surprising. You might recognize them from our broadcast archives — or you might fall in love with them for the first time. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
2-3 pm
Tinsel Tales 4: NPR Christmas Stories Told Through Song
NPR revisits interviews with musicians about their Christmas albums. Some, like Katie Melua and Sting, celebrate tradition and winter mystery in their Christmas songs. Others, like Kenny Rogers and Amy Grant, find spirituality and stability in holiday music. Jon Batiste and Anthony Hamilton bring new energy to old favorites on their Christmas albums. Hosted by Lynn Neary.
3-4 pm
An Afro Blue Christmas
Join us for a very special holiday concert with Howard University's premiere vocal ensemble Afro Blue and special guest pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Hear the a-cappela group perform a variety of holiday songs including African-American spirituals, jazz and pop tunes, and classical repertoire. The joyous celebration includes one of a kind arrangements on traditional holiday songs plus new compositions…music perfect for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. Hosted by Michele Norris.
4-5 pm
A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico
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 radiant sacred 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. Hosted by Cathy Fuller of WGBH. Presented by NPR Music.
6-7 pm
Yule Log Old Time Radio Show (encore broadcast)
NHPR's Rick Ganley and Sean Hurley team up for an old-timey hour of Christmas stories and memories. Sean will share his favorite “winter essays” and heartwarming family stories. This special - broadcast each year on NHPR for the holiday season - will become one of your family's favorite holiday listening traditions!
Monday, Dec. 26
2-3 pm
A Season's Griot 2022
Hosted by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, A Season's Griot is an annual one-hour special that captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. The show’s poet laureate, Beverly Fields Burnette, and other members of the Season’s Griot family return with familiar and favorite elements of Griot.
Friday, Dec. 30
8-9 pm
NHPR Presents Long Story Short: Growing Pains
Youth is wasted on the young, or so they say. For all we enjoy in energy, glowing looks, and endless freedom, youth is a time of uncertainty, big mistakes, and exploring new personas. This show features the good, bad, and ugly of growing up and the wisdom we gained along the way. Of course, not all growing up happens in our youth. Expect a story or two about lessons learned at all stages of life.
9-10 pm
Object of Sound: This Year in Music
Join host Hanif Abdurraqib for a special episode of Object of Sound, from PRX and Sonos, reflecting back on the year in music. December is the perfect time to look back on all the incredible music that has been released over the past year: the songs that moved us to dance, and the songs that helped us endure. Together with special guests Kelela, Sam Sanders, and Santigold, we'll review the musical highlights of 2022 and make predictions about the future of music in 2023.
Saturday, Dec. 31
Join NHPR on New Years Eve for a marathon of special broadcasts of Long Story Short, a local storytelling event held at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth. We'll listen back to our all of our specials from 2022:
1-2 pm
NHPR Presents Long Story Short: Out There
There's your every day, and then there are the things that go beyond the norm. A trip to a far-off place, a strange encounter with an eccentric person, an adventure with new people. This show aims to explore all things "Out There" and those times we step out of our comfort zone, challenge ourselves and gain a better understanding of our capabilities--and limitations.
2-3 pm
NHPR Presents Long Story Short: Truth or Consequences
Sometimes honesty is the best policy, and other times, it's a total disaster. This show features stories about subjective truths, things we wish we didn't know, and times a lie causes more trouble than it's worth. Whether we're being honest with others or ourselves, telling the truth is not always easy.
3-4 pm
NHPR Presents Long Story Short: NSFW
In this era of the Great Quit, people are taking a step back and looking at work in all new ways. This show is an opportunity to hear and share stories about nightmare customers, toxic bosses, and jobs we should have given up on long ago. It's also a place to hear about meaningful work, the jobs that transformed our lives, and the co-workers we've met along the way.
4-5 pm
NHPR Presents Long Story Short: Growing Pains
6-8 pm
World Cafe: Best interviews of 2022
In the 1980s, if you lived in East Berlin and you wanted to go see live music, your options were limited. Then, along came Mark Reeder. In going back to some of our favorite interviews of 2022, we revisit the final installment of our Sense of Place Berlin series where Mark shares his incredible story of smuggling punk across the Berlin Wall – and the role music played after it fell. Plus, Bonnie Raitt. She has been releasing albums for over half a century but she still performs every show like it’s her first. On the next World Cafe, Bonnie sits down for a wide-ranging conversation about things like getting back on the road, making her new album Just Like That, how her voice has changed over the years, and... sexy music! Plus, she performs some new songs – and an old favorite – live!
8-9 pm
2022 Remembered from The Current
Join The Current in honoring the life, music, and legacy of artists we lost this year with 2022 Remembered from The Current. This hour-long musical tribute is a celebration of all sounds - from indie to influential - and the perfect way for music lovers to unite in paying homage to the artists who have shaped music history.
From musicians and producers to industry icons, the playlist will feature legends like Ronnie Spector, Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Olivia Newton-John, Meat Loaf, Naomi Judd, Lamont Dozier (Motown Songwriter), and many more. Host Jill Riley will highlight milestones in each artist's life and career, explore their lasting impact on the music world, and spin their most beloved songs.
9 pm-1am
Toast of the Nation
An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. Hear sets from Ibrahim Maalouf, Lizz Wright, Ranky Tanky and Chucho Valdés.
Sunday, Jan. 1
11 am-1 pm
New Year's Day from Vienna 2023
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Franz Welser-Most. With this concert it is not only the desire of the Vienna Philharmonic to provide musically definitive interpretations of the masterworks of this genre, but also, as musical ambassadors of Austria, to send people all over the world a New Year's greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace. Hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.
Classical NH
Sunday, Dec. 18
6-7 pm
Candles Burning Brightly
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! Lots of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus a hilarious lesson on how to prepare a classic Chanukah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.
Wednesday, Dec. 21
8-9 pm
The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
A musical celebration of the winter holidays -- Christmas, the Solstice, Jonkonnu, New Year’s and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, wassails, hymns, spirituals, children’s game-songs, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas Revels stage productions presented around the country.
Saturday, Dec. 24
6-7 pm
All Is Bright
All Is Bright is an hour of contemplative music related to the Christmas season and its symbolism. This program uses sacred choral music grouped in a way to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cambridge Singers, Cantus, and Chanticleer.
7-8 pm
A Chanticleer Christmas
This one-hour program of holiday favorites, new and old, will be presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices." Chanticleer is one of the premiere vocal ensembles in the nation. The ensemble has won two Grammys and is a member of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
Sunday, Dec. 25
10-11 am
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a chance for listeners across the country and around the world to participate in one of the nation’s most treasured holiday celebrations. Programming includes sacred choral and instrumental music from many traditions: beloved hymns, classical masterworks, folk songs from around the world, and African-American spirituals.
11 am-noon
Welcome Christmas
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than Welcome Christmas!, the VocalEssence holiday concert conducted by Philip Brunelle. It’s an hour of joyful, classic holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing traditional carols and new discoveries.
Noon-1pm
A Soulful Christmas
A Soulful Christmas is an uplifting, relevant display of Black music in the classical, gospel, spiritual, and jazz-inspired style. This special celebrates the non-idiomatic Black classical music, while exploring non-idiomatic choral traditions.
