KSUT has created a carefully curated mix of seasonal storytelling and yuletide tunes for Christmas week special programming.
Our regular program schedule will be largely preempted Christmas Eve and Day, except for Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
See our at-a-glance programming grid here, complete with all holiday programming. Scroll down for detailed descriptions of each program.
WINTER SOLSTICE - MONDAY, DECEMBER 21:
8 PM – 10 PM: Paul Winter's 35th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration - Celebrate the return of the sun and the warming of the earth with an exuberant Feast of Sound captured live in the majestic Cathedral of St. John the Divine. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts this all new performance, featuring the Paul Winter Consort with Paul McCandless, gospel singer Theresa Thomason, Danny Rivera -- the "National Voice of Puerto Rico”, and Abdel Salaam's Forces of Nature percussion and dance ensemble.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22:
7 PM – 9PM: A Barrelhouse Blues Christmas – Holiday blues from B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Charles Brown, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and lots more.
9 PM – 10 PM: A Swinging Holiday Jazz Party with Wynton Marsalis - Marsalis hosts an hour of holiday jazz favorites by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23:
7 PM – 9PM: Tales of the New West Holiday Spectacular – Chris Aaland spins yule tunes from Greg Trooper, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Peter Rowan and many others.
9 PM – 10 PM: A Holiday Music Tour with Judy Collins - Collins is joined by musicians from around the country, including Steve Earle, Jesse Colin Young, The Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Tom Waits, Tish Hinojosa, and others. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull even makes an appearance.
10PM – 11 PM: Sound Opinions Holiday Hillbilly Spectacular - Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are joined by avid music collector Andy Cirzan for their annual holiday spectacular featuring seasonal country, bluegrass, and hillbilly tunes you won't hear anywhere else.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24:
2 PM – 3 PM: All Songs Considered for the Holidays - Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton of the popular NPR podcast All Songs Considered are kidnapped and taken to outer space! Oh, there'll be music too. The adventures continue...
3 PM – 4 PM: Dinner Party Holiday Special - Hip-hop legend Darryl McDaniels, the "DMC" of Run DMC, riffs on his mega-hit "Christmas in Hollis" - and on the tenderness of Charlie Brown ... TV's "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver injects some health into our holiday menu (but don't mess with his decadent cheese toasty) ... Humorist Fran Lebowitz keeps the season from getting too sappy with very tart etiquette tips ... And chart-toppers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis craft a Yuletide playlist, featuring crazy relatives and, even crazier, David Bowie's "Labyrinth." You'll also hear winning remembrances of both The Star Wars Holiday Special – arguably the worst show ever on TV – and of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, courtesy of star Beverly D'Angelo. Plus, a tale of Santa's whereabouts ... during the Iranian Revolution.
7 PM – 8 PM: A Christmas Carol with Jonathan Winters - A public radio tradition hosted by NPR's Susan Stamberg. Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens' holiday classic, with a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations.
8 PM – 9 PM: Hollywood Holiday – A one-hour musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas-themed movies. Hear music and narration from “It's A Wonderful Life,” “The Polar Express,” “A Muppet Christmas Carol,” and many others, as performed by the Boston Pops, Royal Philharmonic, Bing Crosby, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and Albert Finney.
9 PM – 10 PM: A Rose in Winter: A Garden of Music for the Nativity - The Rose Ensemble presents familiar stories of wise men and shepherds, and ancient Christmas legends. The acclaimed vocal ensemble’s holiday concert explores choral works, medieval English ballads, Spanish cantigas, and more.
10 PM – 12 AM: Echoes 'Night Before Christmas' – A soundscape for wrapping presents and putting together those last minute toys. Hear carols that depart from the shopping mall repetition. Past playlists included Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Kate Bush, George Winston, Loreena McKennitt, and more.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25:
9 AM – 10 AM: Tinsel Tales 1 - Stories from the NPR archives that touch on the meaning of Christmas. Hear David Sedaris, Bailey White, John Henry Faulk, and other NPR voices past and present tell stories of the season.
10 AM – 11 AM: Tinsel Tales 2 - Another collection of the best and most requested NPR holiday stories, overflowing with joy, hope, and childhood memories.
11 AM – 12 PM: Tinsel Tales 3 – More NPR holiday stories: Baxter Black ponders the meaning of Christmas for Cows, Bailey White sneaks into her neighbor’s yard in search of an elusive hemlock tree; Julie Zickefoose serenades her neighbors on the coldest night of the year.
12 PM – 1 PM: Frank and Friends 2015 Christmas Special - Christmas songs and interviews recorded by Frank Sinatra, culled from rare radio recordings. Frank's friends include Bing Crosby and his own children. The show is newly updated in honor of this month's 100th birth anniversary of Francis Albert Sinatra.
1 PM – 2 PM: Joy to the World: A Holiday In Pink - The internationally acclaimed “little orchestra" Pink Martini bedecks the airwaves with festive holiday songs from across the globe. A multi-denominational, multi-cultural jubilee of timeless classics and rarely heard gems. Hosted by All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro.
2 PM – 3 PM: Sound Opinions Holiday Hillbilly Spectacular - Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are joined by avid music collector Andy Cirzan for their annual holiday spectacular featuring seasonal country, bluegrass, and hillbilly tunes you won't hear anywhere else. (Encore)
3 PM – 4 PM: The Splendid Table’s Global Holiday Celebration – Lynne Rosetto Kaspar visits with chef Rick Bayless as he guides us through Christmas in Oaxaca; Nigella Lawson takes on London; Indian food authority Madhur Jaffrey explores holiday traditions in Goa, India; and our road food duo Jane and Michael Stern share wonderful culinary wackiness for the holidays.
7 PM – 9 PM: Echoes 'Sonic Seasonings' - Music for the season that goes beyond traditional carols. You'll hear them, but usually in reinvented form. You'll also hear new sounds for the season, a Christmas of the imagination. Past playlists included . Carlos Nakai, George Winston, Moya Brennan, and the California Guitar Trio.
9 PM – 11 PM: An Echoes Christmas - A soundscape for winding down after all the Christmas celebrations have ebbed, to send you into that long winter's night.
