Public Radio East’s holiday programming is sponsored exclusively by Century 21 Zaytoun-Raines.

Click here for a printable 2024 Holiday Program Schedule

Every Good Thing
Airs Monday, November 25th at 7pm
This Thanksgiving, host Andrea Blain and classical music fans from all around the country take time to give thanks and celebrate one of life's most meaningful gifts: music. It's Every Good Thing — an hour of stories and music to celebrate Thanksgiving.

This Land: Thanksgiving with The American Sound
Airs Monday, November 25th at 8pm
This land, the physical land called the United States of America, is home to people of a wide range of ethnicities, cultures, races, creeds and genders. This Thanksgiving Day join host Jennifer Hambrick for a musical celebration of the diversity of this land – the varied natural topographies and biospheres, and the many communities that make this land exceptionally rich.

Songs of Thanks
Airs Thursday, November 28th at 9am
Join us for "Songs of Thanks," an innovative new production by Cantus, presented exclusively by Minnesota Public Radio. Through their signature narrative programming, the acclaimed octet will weave together stories and songs celebrating gratitude and community. Don't miss this special broadcast, designed to uplift the human spirit and honor the season.

“Horn of Plenty” a Feast of Music for Thanksgiving
Airs Thursday, November 28th at 7pm
Paul Winter and friends celebrate the family of life and our planet home in this seasonal special. Winter’s sax and Consort offer a song of gratitude for the land, the sea, and the air -- from Grand Canyon to Ukraine, with some works recorded on location. Audience favorites like "Sun Singer" and "Icarus" herald the grand musical embrace of "And the Earth Spins".

A Chanticleer Christmas
Airs Monday, December 9th at 7pm
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.

Three Tales of Christmas with Cantus
Airs Thursday, December 12th at 7pm
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.

Welcome Christmas
Airs Friday, December 13th at 7pm
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 including the world premiere of three beloved Latvian carols by composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.

Christmas with Madrigalia
Airs Saturday, December 14th at 6pm
The Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia and their Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff return to celebrate the excitement and joy of the holiday season with traditional carols and anthems from the around the world celebrating the Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Christmas, and the New Year.

Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas Gift to Jazz with Jana Lee Ross
Airs Sunday, December 15th at 5pm
Host Jana Lee Ross presents a special filled with warm-hearted sounds to bring together everyone in the family. Vince Guaraldi‘s music to A Charlie Brown Christmas ushers in the sound of the holidays for jazz fans as well as Charlie Brown fans. Songs like “Linus and Lucy,” “Skating” and “Christmas Time Is Here” have become holiday classics and have inspired many a jazz player. Jana Lee Ross will explore interpretations of Vince Guaraldi’s tunes by Cyrus Chestnut, Dianne Reeves, David Benoit and others. And we’ll hear from Vince Guaraldi himself.

Carols, Customs and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration
Airs Monday December 16th at 7pm
Listen as host 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.

St. Olaf Christmas Festival 2024: Celebrating 150 Years of St. Olaf College
Airs Thursday, December 19th at 7pm
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.

A Rochester Festival of Lessons and Carols 2024
Airs Friday, December 20th at 7pm
The program was recorded at Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York under the direction of newly appointed organist/choirmaster James Kealey, winner of the AGO 2022 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance and one of The Diapason’s 2021 “20 under 30” young artists.

The Nutcracker ballet with Mindy Ratner
Airs Saturday, December 21st from 5pm – 7pm
From the Waltz of the Snowflakes to the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, few pieces of music capture the spirit of the season quite like Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker.

Jazz Piano Christmas 2024
Airs Sunday, December 22nd at 4pm
The Kennedy Center and NPR present A Jazz Piano Christmas, the annual sell-out event featuring jazz-infused renditions of the season’s most-loved tunes performed by Grammy Award–winning pianist Kris Davis, 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition winner Jahari Stampley, and Cuban sensation Roberto Fonseca.

Dee Alexander’s Christmas Soul Celebration
Airs Sunday, December 22nd at 5pm
Whether you have loved America’s Soul Music tradition all your life, or are first experiencing its riches now, Chicago’s First Lady of Jazz Dee Alexander has a hand-picked selection of Christmas classics by great Soul artists just for you! This wonderful special is perfect for celebrating the season with friends and family. Great instrumentalists like pianist Eric Reed and saxophonist Gene Ammons, and renowned vocalists, including Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and the group Take 6 guarantee your Christmas will be soulful.

A Special Thistle & Shamrock Christmas
Airs Monday, December 23rd at 7pm
Join Fiona Ritchie for a winter walk along the banks of the River Tay in Scotland, accompanied by music from the Celtic Christmas repertoire. Among restored riverside woodlands, Fiona finds her favorite bench, and sits there to reflect upon the scenes of midwinter. The location inspires seasonal tales, joyful songs, and tunes of rare beauty, with guitarist Tim Edey, singer Emily Smith, and more.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols LIVE
Airs Tuesday, December 24th from 10am – 12pm
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols presents your audience with an opportunity to share in a live, world-wide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of Biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal Classical music. This special will be presented by one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the 500-year-old Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England.

The Night Before Christmas
Airs Tuesday, December 24th at 10pm
The Night Before Christmas complete with classical music and sound effects, narrated by C24 host, Lynne Warfel.

Candles Burning Brightly
Airs Thursday, December 26th at 7pm
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! Lots of music from Jewish communities around the world, plus a hilarious lesson on how to prepare a classic Chanukah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home.

Hanukkah Lights 2024
Airs Friday, December 27th at 7pm
We’ll hear “Gifts of the Last Night” by Rebecca Goldstein, “Hanukkah Gelt, Hanukkah Money” by Sholem Aleichem, “Gifts of the Jewish Magi” by Allegra Goodman, How to Spell the Name of God” by Ellen Orleans and “Geek Week by Rebecca O’Connell.