WSMR Schedule
Sunday 12.15 ~ Christmas with Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs
6:00pm – 7:00pm
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' trademark mixture of spirituals and carols.
Sunday 12.15 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Magnificat
7:00pm
Enjoy Bach’s, Magnificat, based on the biblical text “My soul shall magnify the Lord.” Bach’s musical setting is a standard for the Christmas season.
Wednesday 12.18 ~ All is Bright
10:00am – 11:00am
This is a lovely hour of contemplative, sacred choral music to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene.
Thursday 12.19 ~ Welcome Christmas
1:00pm – 2:00pm
There’s no better way to welcome Christmas than with an hour of joyful, classical, holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups, singing tradition carols and featuring some new discoveries you’re sure to enjoy.
Thursday 12.19 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Rutter, Gloria
7:00pm
Listen for the prolific English composer of holiday music as we present the uplifting Rutter Gloria.
Friday 12.20 ~ Carols as Home with the Imani Winds
6:00pm – 7:00pm
This lovely hour of music features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz. Toyin coaxes intimate stories of Christmas memories from the members of the ensemble, and why these classic carols are still essential today.
Friday 12.20 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Poulenc, Gloria
7:00pm
Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation and composed during 1959-1960, Francis Poulenc’s Gloria is an engaging musical interpretation of the same text Vivaldi used more than two centuries earlier. Energetic in some passages and ethereal in others, it has become an enduring favorite.
Saturday 12.21 ~ Winter Welcome
10:00am – 11:00am
We invite you on the first day of winter to have some cocoa and enjoy a beautiful hour of wintry music!
Saturday 12.21 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Vivaldi, Gloria
7:00pm
A familiar staple of the holiday season, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D is a jubilant, lilting setting of the text from the Latin mass. Composed in the early 1700s, it is as fresh and inspiring today as at its first performance three centuries ago.
Saturday 12.21 ~ The St. Olaf Christmas Festival
8:00pm – 10:00pm
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.
Sunday 12.22 ~ A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
4:00pm – 5:00pm
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 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.
Sunday 12.22 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Handel’s Messiah
7:00pm
Tonight’s Evening Masterwork features selections from a longstanding holiday tradition, Handel’s Messiah. Although premiered in Dublin in April 1742, the tradition of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus is often said to have been begun by King George II standing at the London premiere in 1743.
Monday 12.23 ~ Cocoa and Carols
9:00am – 10:00am
This hour is all set up for kids as WSMR Host Russell Gant features an hour of fun and familiar holiday favorites! Deck the Halls, Feliz Navidad, Sleigh Ride, and Rudolph among many! Gather the family, turn up the radio and celebrate just before Christmas!
Monday 12.23 ~ A Chanticleer Christmas
10:00am – 11:00am
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.
Monday 12.23 ~ Your Classical Christmas Favorites
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Thank you for helping program this special. Join us as we count down the top Christmas songs as voted by listeners from around the country in this exciting two-hour special. You’re sure to hear a few of your own favs.
Monday 12.23 ~ Three Tales of Christmas with Cantus
5:00pm – 6:00pm
In Christmas with Cantus, 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 season.
Monday 12.23 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Rutter, Dancing Day
7:00pm
Inspired by Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, the prolific composer of Christmas music gives us his version with Dancing Day.
Christmas Eve - Tuesday 12.24 ~ Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
10:00am – 12:00pm (repeats 10:00pm – 12:00am)
The WSMR audience will share in a live, world-wide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Eve – Tuesday 12.24 ~The Story of the Bells
5:00pm – 6:00pm
A WSMR tradition – step back in time just a bit with us for an encore of Karl Haas’ Story of the Bells. Karl Haas, the Radio Hall of Fame’s first “classical music” inductee, hosts this all-time holiday favorite.
Christmas Eve - Tuesday 12.24 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: The Nutcracker
7:00pm
Join us for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s holiday favorite, The Nutcracker.
Christmas Eve - Tuesday 12.24 ~ Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
10:00pm – midnight (repeat broadcast)
The WSMR audience will share in a live, world-wide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Day! Wednesday 12.25 ~ Holiday Music with Classical WSMR 89.1 + 103.9
All day!
Florida’s Classical Music station is perfect company on Christmas. Turn on the radio, and enjoy your favorite holiday Christmas music! Bethany Cagle, Russell Gant, Tyler Kline, Thea Lobo, and Mark Michaud will spend the whole day with you and help you celebrate the holiday.
Christmas Day! Wednesday 12.25 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Ceremony of Carols
7:00pm
Written during a trip by ship from New York to England during the second World War, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols is one of his most performed works during the Christmas season. The text, along with inspiration from Gregorian Chant, makes this a wonderful narrative for your holiday evening.
Thursday 12.26 ~ Candles Burning Brightly
2:00pm – 3:00pm
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! We have lots of music from Jewish communities worldwide, a hilarious lesson on preparing a classic Hanukkah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home. Join us.
Saturday 12.28 ~ EVENING MASTERWORK: Judas Maccabeus
7:00pm
In observance of Hanukkah, listen as we hear Handel’s oratorio based on the story of the leader of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire. It is perhaps the most popular of Handel’s oratorios second only to Messiah!
New Year’s Eve Countdown! Tuesday 12.31.2024 ~ on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9!
Starts at 6am and goes throughout the day!
Florida’s Classical Music Station counts you down to the New Year. Each hour begins with a piece of music that has the number of hours left until midnight in the title.
New Year’s Day! Wednesday 1.1.2024 ~ Music of “Firsts” on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9!
Throughout the day!
Florida’s Classical Music Station starts the New Year with a day of…firsts! You’ll hear the first attempts at Symphonies, Concertos, and other works by the great composers. A wonderful way to welcome a New Year!
New Year’s Day! Wednesday 1.1.2025~ New Year's Day From Vienna 2025
11:00am – 1:00pm
Happy New Year! The ever popular annual New Year’s Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Riccardo Muti in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. WSMR’s most festive way to start 2025!
Saturday, December 14 - GROUNDED (Jeanine Tesori)
1:00pm-3:30pm
Saturday, December 21 - THE MAGIC FLUTE (Mozart)
1:00pm-3:05pm
Saturday, December 28 - HANSEL AND GRETEL (Humperdinck)
1:00pm-3:15pm
Saturday, January 4 - LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN (Offenbach)
1:00pm-4:45pm
Saturday, January 11 - RIGOLETTO (Verdi)
1:00pm-4:00pm
Saturday, January 18 - TOSCA (Puccini)
1:00pm-3:40pm
Saturday, January 25 - AIDA (Verdi)
12:30pm-4:10pm
Saturday, February 1 - Artist’s Choice: LA TRAVIATA (Verdi)
1:00pm-3:45pm
Saturday, February 8 - Artist’s Choice: DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER (Wagner)
1:00pm-3:50pm
Saturday, February 15 - Artist’s Choice: ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (Strauss)
1:00pm-3:45pm
Saturday, February 22 - Artist’s Choice: FALSTAFF (Verdi)
1:00pm-3:40pm
Saturday, March 1 - CARMEN (Bizet)
1:00pm-4:15pm
Saturday, March 8 - LA BOHÈME (Puccini)
1:00pm-4:15pm
Saturday, March 15 - FIDELIO (Beethoven)
1:00pm-4:05pm
Saturday, March 22 - L'ENFANT ET LES SORTILÈGES (Ravel)
1:00pm-TBD
Saturday, March 29 - MOBY-DICK (Jake Heggie) – Libretto By Gene Scheer
1:00pm-4:15pm
Saturday, April 5 - AINADAMAR (Osvaldo Golijov) – Libretto By David Henry Hwang
1:00pm-2:40pm
Saturday, April 12 - DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE (Mozart)
1:00pm-4:25pm
Saturday, April 12 - L'ASSEDIO DI CORINTO (Rossini)
1:00pm-4:15pm
Saturday, April 26 - LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (Mozart)
1:00pm-4:55pm
Saturday, May 3 - IL TROVATORE (Verdi)
1:00pm-3:50pm
Saturday, May 10 - Listeners' Choice: Great Met Broadcasts
1:00pm-TBD
Saturday, May 17 - SALOME (R. Strauss)
1:00pm-3:15pm
Saturday, May 24 - ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (John Adams)
1:00pm-4:35pm
Saturday, May 31 - IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA (Rossini)
1:00pm-4:35pm
Saturday, June 7 - THE QUEEN OF SPADES (Tchaikovsky)
1:00pm-4:45pm