On 90.5 FM | Celebrate the holiday season with WKAR Radio! Tune in and enjoy a variety of holiday classics and seasonal favorites.
Schedule and descriptions subject to change. All times Eastern.
DECEMBER 2025
15 | Mon
11am – noon
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.
6pm – 7pm
NPR's Hanukkah Lights 2025
This NPR favorite returns with new stories plus gems from the archive. Hosted by Murray Horwitz with Susan Stamberg.
22 | Mon
1pm – 2pm
A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a capella
Join Jonathan Miller, founding artistic director of Chicago a cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring and informative show featuring choral music set to Chanukah texts. Familiar tunes include "I Have a Little Dreidel" (both in its original Yiddish form and in a neo-funk Hebrew/English setting), a swing version of "S'vivon" by Steve Barnett, and a lively setting of the traditional melody for "Al-Hanissim" ("For the Miracles") by Elliot Levine. Heartfelt original compositions by American and British composers provide added depth of expression to celebrating the holiday. Such works include "Lo Yisa Goy," a plea for peace by Stacy Garrop; Bob Applebaum's stirring version of "Haneirot Halalu;" and movements from the majestic "Hallel Suite" by London-based Daniel Tunkel. All selections are performed by the virtuoso vocal ensemble Chicago a cappella. Jonathan Miller provides liturgical and cultural background as part of this unique look inside old and newer choral Chanukah traditions.
13 | Sat
4pm – 5pm
A Jane Austen Christmas Musicale
Step into the Regency era this Christmas, as book lovers everywhere are also celebrating the 250th birthday of Jane Austen. This immersive program features the carols her heroines would have enjoyed, along with music from Austen’s own collection. Austen’s own descriptions of the holiday from her letters and her novels will set the scene.
19 | Fri
2pm – 3pm
MSU's “Alegría Navideña” Part 1
Celebrate the season with one of MSU’s most treasured musical traditions. The Symphony Orchestra joins Choral Union, State Singers, and University Chorale for Alegría Navideña (Holiday Joy), a program highlighting the spirit of the season through music sung in Spanish. Featured works include El Mesías (Handel’s Messiah, Part I) and Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra, rich with Latin American rhythms. Lee R. Kesselman’s Festival of Lights offers a vibrant setting of English and Hebrew texts, and the evening concludes with a joyful audience sing-along. Conducted by Sandra Snow and Octavio Más-Arocas.
20 | Sat
4pm – 5pm
Carols, Customs and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration
The Celtic lands of Northwestern Europe have an especially rich musical heritage, and many Christmas songs and carols come from places like Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and other Celtic nations. Listen as host Andrea Blain explores music and customs that have roots in ancient winter celebrations and traditional Christmas festivals. The music features classical ensembles and soloists like Apollo’s Fire and Bryn Terfel, as well as traditional instruments like harp, fiddle and mandolin. Lots of well-known Christmas music comes from the Celtic tradition, and some very beautiful but lesser-known festive music.
8pm – 10pm
MSU’s A Jazzy Little Christmas
Get into the holiday groove with the MSU Professors of Jazz as they return for a festive evening filled with seasonal favorites reimagined through swing, soul, and classic jazz. Led by bassist and director Rodney Whitaker, this annual concert brings together the College of Music’s exceptional jazz faculty for joyful arrangements, spontaneous improvisation, and high-spirited music with festive charm. Joining the lineup is celebrated jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford, whose warm, expressive voice adds sparkle to this can’t-miss holiday tradition.
22 | Mon
11am – noon
A Chanticleer Christmas
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an evening of wonder and joy.
6pm – 7pm
In Winter’s Glow
A winter solstice program, with modern classical sounds for the longest night of the year, chosen especially to complement the chilly, starry nights of the season.
23 | Tue
2pm – 3pm
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.
24 | Wed
9am – 10am
Welcome Christmas with VocalEssence
Welcome Christmas is a perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world's premier choral ensembles, conducted by Philip Brunelle and G. Phillip Shoultz. Join host Bonnie North for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries.
10am – noon
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel.
Noon – 1pm
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. Korva Coleman hosts.
1pm – 2pm
Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season
Sara Schneider, producer and host of Early Music Now, presents Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season, with joyful and contemplative sounds of the season. In this uplifting and memorable holiday special, we’ll hear Byzantine chant by Kassiani, and selections from Missa Puer natus est nobis by Thomas Tallis, plus hymns and motets from Spain, Germany, and France. Our performers include The Cardinall’s Musick, Theatre of Voices, Cappella Romana, and Oltremontano.
2pm – 3pm
A Chanticleer Christmas
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an evening of wonder and joy.
3pm – 4pm
Carols, Customs and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration
The Celtic lands of Northwestern Europe have an especially rich musical heritage, and many Christmas songs and carols come from places like Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and other Celtic nations. Listen as host Andrea Blain explores music and customs that have roots in ancient winter celebrations and traditional Christmas festivals. The music features classical ensembles and soloists like Apollo’s Fire and Bryn Terfel, as well as traditional instruments like harp, fiddle and mandolin. Lots of well-known Christmas music comes from the Celtic tradition, and some very beautiful but lesser-known festive music.
10pm – noon
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel.
25 | Thu
9am – 11am
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
A service in song and word that has become one of the nation’s most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works, as well as orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians in five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.
11am – noon
MSU's “Alegría Navideña” Part 1
Celebrate the season with one of MSU’s most treasured musical traditions. The Symphony Orchestra joins Choral Union, State Singers, and University Chorale for Alegría Navideña (Holiday Joy), a program highlighting the spirit of the season through music sung in Spanish. Featured works include El Mesías (Handel’s Messiah, Part I) and Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra, rich with Latin American rhythms. Lee R. Kesselman’s Festival of Lights offers a vibrant setting of English and Hebrew texts, and the evening concludes with a joyful audience sing-along. Conducted by Sandra Snow and Octavio Más-Arocas.
Noon – 2pm
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel.
2pm –3pm
Apollo's Fire Presents Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain: An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Listeners are transported from Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to the folk carols and shape‐note hymns at a toe‐tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia in this spectacular special sharing the spirit and history of Appalachia’s Irish and Scottish roots through music. Apollo’s Fire is a GRAMMY®‐award winning period‐instrument orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. Your hosts are Apollo’s Fire Artistic Director, conductor and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell and WFMT’s Candice Agree.
3pm – 4pm
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.
26 | Friday
1pm – 2pm
The Sounds of Kwanzaa
During the aftermath of the Watts Uprisings in the 1960s, Dr. Maulana Karenga decided to create a special December holiday designed for Black people to celebrate themselves, their culture, and their future liberation. Today, Kwanzaa is still celebrated by not only Afro-Americans, but Black people around the globe!
In this broadcast, Loki Karuna offers a background on the history of Kwanzaa and its guiding principles, alongside musical selections that highlight the spirit of the celebration. The show features the compositions of Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Sean O’Loughlin, and special performances by Imani Winds.
2pm – 3pm
MSU's “Alegría Navideña” Part 2
Celebrate the season with one of MSU’s most treasured musical traditions. The Symphony Orchestra joins Choral Union, State Singers, and University Chorale for Alegría Navideña (Holiday Joy), a program highlighting the spirit of the season through music sung in Spanish. Featured works include El Mesías (Handel’s Messiah, Part I) and Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra, rich with Latin American rhythms. Lee R. Kesselman’s Festival of Lights offers a vibrant setting of English and Hebrew texts, and the evening concludes with a joyful audience sing-along. Conducted by Sandra Snow and Octavio Más-Arocas.
JANUARY 2026
1 | Thu
11am – 1pm
New Year’s Day from Vienna
The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguin in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.