Checking it twice: Holiday programs and other lists

Aside from the usual round of last-minute holiday preparations and seasonal face-stuffing, this is the time when all the best-of-the year lists come out. NPR Music has doing theirs in several versions—best songs, best albums, best dance tunes, staff and listener picks—and NCPR is doing theirs, too. David Sommerstein posted his Beat Authority top-ten list Friday; Barb Heller posted her String Fever bluegrass picks on Monday, and we’ll have more faves from music hosts and friends forthcoming as we wrap up the year.

Our holiday program listing is still coming together, but you can look forward to the return of some old favorites. Here is what we have lined up so far:

Christmas Eve

• 10 am to noon: A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. A live service of word and music (choral and organ) from the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England. Hosted by Michael Barone, this is a live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) 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.
• 2 pm: An Afro Blue Christmas.

Christmas Day

• 10 am to 11 am: Jonathan Winters’ A Christmas Carol. A public radio tradition hosted by NPR’s Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens’ holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. Also featuring Mimi Kennedy. From NPR and KCRW.
• 11 am: Crane School of Music Candlelight Concert. Recorded December 6, featuring the Crane Chorus and Crane Symphony Orchestra
• Noon: “Home for the Holidays” with Orchestra of Northern New York. Selections from performances recorded in Potsdam, Watertown and Massena. Featuring tenor Donald George and NCPR’s own Barb Heller narrating “The Night Before Christmas.”
• 1 pm: “North Country Christmas” with Glens Falls Symphony and Childrens Chorus, featuring holiday favorites from around the world.
• 2 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 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
  
• 3 pm: Tinsel Tales 3: Even More NPR Christmas Favorites. Listeners tune to NPR for extraordinary Christmas stories that transport you to unexpected places. Baxter Black ponders the meaning of Christmas for Cows, Bailey White sneaks into her neighbor’s yard in search of an elusive hemlock tree; Julie Zickefoose serenades her neighbors on the coldest night of the year.

Look for more details and further listings coming here. And if I don’t see you out and around, catching some live music of the season or shopping for that final stocking stuffer, all the best of the season to you and yours, and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2016.

Tags: listeningpost