Christmas and Chanukah Specials

DAILY SCHEDULE
For program descriptions scroll further down the page

Dec. 16-20
8am, noon, 4pm - High School Choir Festival

Dec. 16
8pm - Carols, Customs, and Candlelight

Dec. 17
8pm - Christmas with Cantus

Dec. 18
8pm - Welcome Christmas

Dec. 19
5pm - A Chanticleer Christmas
8pm - Winter Holidays Around the World

Dec. 20
5pm - All is Bright
8pm - In Winter's Glow

Dec. 21
11am - BYU Celebration of Christmas
3pm - In Winter's Glow
4pm - A Chanticleer Christmas
8pm - St. Olaf Christmas Festival

Dec. 22
3pm - St. Olaf Christmas Festival
6pm - BYU Celebration of Christmas

Dec. 23
5pm - Carols, Customs, and Candlelight
8pm - A Chanticleer Christmas

Dec. 24
8am - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (LIVE)
10am - Welcome Christmas
4pm - BYU Celebration of Christmas
8pm - All is Bright

Dec. 25
12pm - BYU Celebration of Christmas
4pm - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (REPEAT)
8pm - Christmas with Cantus

Dec. 26
8pm - Candles Burning Brightly (Chanukah)

Jan. 1
8pm - A Chanukah Celebration

All is Bright: Contemplative Music for Christmas

December 20 at 5pm | December 24 at 8pm

Lynne Warfel hosts an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story with songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene.

BYU Celebration of Christmas

December 21 at 11am | December 22 at 6pm | December 24 at 4pm | December 25 at noon

Join us for this concert recorded live earlier this month. Performances by the BYU Philharmonic, Singers, Concert Choir, Women's Chorus, and Men's Chorus.

Candles Burning Brightly

December 26 at 8pm

A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! There is lots of music from Jewish communities worldwide, a hilarious lesson on preparing a classic Chanukah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.

Carols, Customs and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration

December 16 at 8pm | December 23 at 5pm

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.

A Chanticleer Christmas

December 19 at 5pm | December 21 at 4pm | December 23 at 8pm

The beloved, Grammy-winning men’s chorus brings its “rich, intricately blended sound” (The Washington Post) to its signature holiday celebration. The centuries-spanning program ranges from Renaissance masterworks to roof-raising spirituals.

Christmas with Cantus

December 17 at 8pm | December 25 at 8pm

In this program, Cantus weaves together three holiday stories with time-honored carols and new classics. Blending narration and song, the program features Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Christine Lê’s The Hawai’i Snowman, alongside Mark Twain’s “A Letter from Santa Claus,” offering an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and joy of the holiday

Classical 89 High School Choir Festival

December 16-20, 8am, 12:02pm, and 4:00pm

Classical 89 has invited 5 high school choirs to showcase their talents on the air. Each choir has recorded a Christmas song in our studios, and we’ll schedule one choir’s song three times each day.

A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago A Cappella

January 1 at 8pm

Join Jonathan Miller, 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.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

December 24, 8:00-10:00am (LIVE) | December 25, 4:00-6:00pm (Rebroadcast)

The legendary music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England. Since 1928, this service of Biblical readings with choral and organ selections has been broadcast live by the BBC. It’s now a treasured worldwide Christmas Eve tradition.

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

December 8 at 6pm

Christmas messages from General Authorities and Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with music by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

Handel’s Messiah

December 15, 3-5:30pm

In the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel was at the peak of his musical prowess, but depressed and in debt. He began setting Charles Jennens' Biblical libretto to music at his usual breakneck speed. In just 24 days, Messiah was complete. Right up to the day of the premiere, Messiah was troubled by production difficulties and last-minute rearrangements of the score. Despite these difficulties, the oratorio soon became a favorite of audiences, with a popularity that lasts to this day. Join us for a recording featuring soloists Kaaren Erickson, Sylvia McNair, Alfreda Hodgson, Jon Humphrey, and Richard Stilwell, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw.

The Nutcracker

December 8 from 3:00-4:30pm

The complete ballet by Tchaikovsky about Clara's magical journey to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In Winter’s Glow

December 20 at 8pm | December 24 at 8pm

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.

Salt Lake Children’s Choir at Christmas

December 9-13 at 10am and 4pm

Join Classical 89 for selections from the choir’s 2023 Christmas concert in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

St. Olaf Christmas Festival

December 21 at 8pm | December 22 at 3pm

For one and a half centuries, St. Olaf has been a hub of connections, knowledge, and growth. And for more than a century, the St. Olaf Christmas festival has been a cherished part of that history. Join us as we celebrate their legacy.

Welcome Christmas

December 18 at 8pm | December 24 at 10am

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, including the world premiere of three beloved Latvian carols by composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.

Classical 89 Top 100 Countdown

December 30 - January 3, 8am-6pm.

The votes are in, and Classical 89 is all set to do a countdown of our listeners’ Top 100 favorite classical compositions. Be sure to tune in each day, Monday through Friday and follow the countdown at Classical 89 dot org.

Translator change

Our southern Utah County translator is no longer 89.5 FM. It's now 89.3 FM. Our main frequency for all of the Wasatch Front is still 89.1.