To spread holiday cheer New Hampshire Public Radio will air special programming beginning Sunday, December 23rd. Listeners will be treated to holiday songs from different places and cultures, as well as poetry, and interviews. The seasonal programming will feature a variety of holiday celebrations and traditions from around the nation and world.
On December 23rd special programming will begin at 1p.m. and air through the evening. From 1 to 2 p.m. Robert Aubry Davis will host "Lessons and Carols from Washington National Cathedral." The service combines Biblical readings that chronicle the story of Jesus' birth with age-old and all-new carols. "New Traditions from NHPR" will follow with Andrew Walsh cooking up a two-hour spicy holiday music stew. Next, Bill McGlaughlin will host "Footprints to Paradise: A Mediaeval Christmas 2007" featuring the unique vocal artistry of New York Polyphony, an elite quartet of solo male voices. The program "The Pleasures of Winter" will follow as a live special hosted by folk duo Jay Ungar & Molly Mason. The music will range from lively, seasonal offerings to deeply moving pieces that reflect the more thoughtful and reflective side of winter and the holiday season.
On December 24th special programming will begin at 9 a.m. and air throughout the day. The programming will include the following programs: "I Saw Three Ships: From Jamestown to the World," an hour-long holiday special on the settlement of Jamestown as a pivotal historical marker for contemporary times will be hosted by Dan Roberts and joined by actors Dorothy Holland and Michael Goodwin. The program "Carols for Dancing" will showcase instrumental music and reveal the fascinating and often unexpected stories behind familiar carols. "Jazz at Lincoln Center: Red Hot Holiday Stomp" hosted by Wynton and Ellis Marsalis with Roberta Gumbel, Herlin Riley, Wycliffe Gordon, Don Vappie and friends rattle the rafters with holiday classics swung with Crescent City style. "Putamayo New Orleans Christmas" will invite listeners to join in on Christmas New Orleans style with Louis Armstrong, Topsy Chapman, Charmaine Neville and many more of the Crescent City's finest. "Peter Ostroushko's Heartland Holiday Concert 2007" will celebrate the spirit of the season from a multi-cultural perspective. Also airing is the "St. Olaf Christmas Festival," one of the oldest and most cherished celebrations of the holidays in the United States since 1912.
The Festival is a worship service of hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections that celebrate the birth of Christ. Additionally, "A Baroque Christmas" will include music from Bach's "Christmas Oratorio," sonatas from Schmelzer and Biber, plus a festive European sampler of popular carols from centuries past.
On December 25, Christmas Day, holiday programming will begin at 9 a.m. and air throughout the day. The programming will include the following programs: "The Rose Ensemble 2007" will feature the Twin Cities-based group recognized for its ability to reawaken the ancient through imaginative performances of vocal music celebrating Christmastime in the age of Queen Elizabeth I. The "Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" service will be aired featuring stereo music and a spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. "Welcome Christmas!" is the annual Christmas concert from VocalEssence, recognized internationally as one of America's premier choral groups. John Birge is the producer and host of this one-hour special. "The Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas Special" will feature instrumental pop and rare jazz and bossa nova and Latin-flavored Christmas tunes. "Echoes of Christmas" will bring together Dale Warland and host Brian Newhouse who will mix old and new treasures for listeners looking for Christmas inspiration. "Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers" with host Ed Cunningham will share seasonal sounds with cherished favorites old and new. Also airing will be "Fear Not: For Behold" hosted by Timothy Kunau, including works by Jean Berger, Healey Willan, Knut Nystedt, Will Todd, John Rutter, Pierre Villette, Mack Wilberg, Säde Rissanen, Paul Tschesnokoff, René Clausen.
In the days following Christmas, more special programs will air. "Chanticleer Christmas" celebrating the mystery and wonder of Christmas with an elegant blend of traditional carols, medieval and Renaissance sacred works, and moving spirituals, hosted by Brian Newhouse. "A Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2007" is an all-new program that is a delightful compilation of country dance tunes, carols, songs and motets excerpted from nine unique Revels celebrations performed across the country in 2006, hosted by Elaine Kennedy.
"A Season's Griot 2007" is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for the last 15 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual one-hour special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African peoples. Additionally, "Watch Night" is a vigil kept on the last night of the year in services that are thoughtful, solemn, soulful, joyous and celebratory. The program will showcase this observance and highlight its unique, historic meaning for African American churches, illuminating and personalizing the significance of the service using interviews, music, poetry and song.
For more special program information, visit the station online at www.nhpr.org.
NHPR broadcasts in Concord and Manchester at 89.1 FM, Nashua at 88.3 FM, Keene at 90.7 FM, Littleton at 91.3 FM, Plymouth at 97.3 FM, Hanover at 91.3 FM, Jackson at 99.5 FM, Portsmouth at 103.9 FM, Dover at 104.3 FM, Gorham at 107.1 FM, Colebrook at 105.9 and on the Internet at www.nhpr.org.