WNYC Holiday Specials 2018

Join WNYC for another year of holiday programs featuring a range of specials celebrating the Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the general spirit of the season. 

Hanukkah Lights 2018

• Saturday, December 1 at 10pm on AM820 /New Jersey Public Radio
• Sunday, December 2 at 6pm on AM820

A perennial NPR favorite with all new Hanukkah stories. Hosted by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz. Hear all new stories: Ellis Island Hanukkah, The Magic Candles, The View From Masada, plus more.

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Itzhak Perlman’s Chanukah Radio Party

• Saturday, December 8 at 10pm on AM820 /New Jersey Public Radio
• Sunday, December 9 at 7pm on 93.9FM

Join the superstar violinist as he tells the story of the Jewish festival of lights and shares his favorite recordings for the holiday – some serious, some silly. This engaging one-hour special includes numbers from Itzhak Perlman’s radio-addicted childhood in Israel; evocative songs in Yiddish and Ladino; classical music that revolves around the Maccabee heroes of the story; and Chanukah gems by American folk singers. The master storyteller also regales you with jokes and memories, plus tales of three classic Chanukah symbols: the menorah, the latke, and, of course, the dreidel.

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Paul Winter’s Annual Winter Solstice Celebration

• Friday, December 21 from 10pm – 12am on 93.9FM (2 hours)

Hosted by WNYC's John Schaefer, celebrate the return of the sun in an encore performance recorded in the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. Musicians include gospel singer Theresa Thomason, multi-instrumentalist and singer Arto Tunçboyacıyan and double reed wizard Paul McCandless. Hear the American Performance Premiere of the Grammy-winning suite MIHO with The Paul Winter Consort: Eugene Friesen, Paul Sullivan, Eliot Wadopian, Jamey Haddad, Tim Brumfield and the thundering Cathedral Pipe Organ. 

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Tinsel Tales 3: NPR Christmas Favorites

• Saturday, December 22 at 10pm on AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio
• Tuesday, December 25 at 1pm on 93.9FM / AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio

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.  Hosted by Lynn Neary

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Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs

• Tuesday, December 25 at 10am on 93.9 FM / AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio

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.

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Pink Martini's Joy to the World: A Holiday in Pink

• Tuesday, December 25 at 11am on 93.9FM / AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio

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

 Listen here.

An Afro Blue Christmas

• Tuesday, December 25 at 12pm on 93.9FM / AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio

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.

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A Season's Griot 2018

• Wednesday, December 26 at 9pm on 93.9FM

This one-hour celebration in story and song is public radio's only nationally syndicated Kwanzaa program. Hosted for 23 years by acclaimed storyteller Madafo Lloyd Wilson, this annual special captures the tales and traditions of African American and African people. 

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Third Coast Festival: Best of the Best 2018

• Hour 1 Saturday, December 29 at 10pm on AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio
• Hour 2 Saturday, January 5 at 10pm on AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio
• Hours 1 & 2 Monday, December 31 from 9-11pm on 93.9FM

The Third Coast Festival is back with our annual Best of the Best broadcast featuring the winners of the 2018 Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation documentary competition. These stories intrigue, inform and inspire.  In this two-part special, host Gwen Macsai presents the top audio stories of the year!

Listen here.

The Jazz Loft Anthology 

• Tuesday, January 1 from 10am - 2pm on 93.9FM / AM820 / New Jersey Public Radio

W. Eugene Smith was a famous photo essayist for LIFE magazine and a suburban family man when he left it all in 1957 and moved to a rundown loft in Manhattan. The building had already become a popular hangout and jamming space for jazz players both prominent and obscure, and Smith spent the next decade documenting the music, conversations and personalities that passed through. To commemorate the centenary of W. Eugene Smith's birthday on December 30 we present a New Year's Day re-broadcast of this program. Produced and hosted by WNYC's Sara Fishko and originally heard as a 10-part radio series in 2009, this four hour radio series contains audio pulled from over 4,000 hours of audio recorded by Smith.

Listen here.