The 2015 holiday season is here, and CPR Classical has more than a month of special programming to help you celebrate the season!
We'll air unforgettable seasonal performances by national groups like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Chanticleer as well as concerts by local artists, like the Colorado Children's Chorale and the Colorado Symphony. And we'll tally our listeners' favorite Christmas carols as part of our annual Carol Countdown.
From Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, let CPR Classical provide the soundtrack for a memorable holiday season!
| Date | Time | Program |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | 5 p.m. | Giving Thanks with John Birge On Thanksgiving, a classical celebration of the spirit of gratitude. |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | 10 a.m. | An All-American Thanksgiving Music by American composers featured throughout the day. |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | 6 a.m. | A Classical Colorado Christmas begins Hear your favorite holiday music on CPR Classical throughout the day this holiday season. |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | 6 a.m. | Carol Countdown voting begins Cast your vote to help us determine Colorado's favorite holiday music. (Check back soon; voting ends Dec. 9.) |
| Sun, Nov. 29 | 6 & 8 a.m. | A Colorado Choral Christmas David Rutherford hosts a two-hour look at Colorado choral ensembles' holiday performances. Repeats at 7 p.m. Dec 22, and in two one-hour installments at 7 p.m. Dec. 14-15. |
| Thu, Dec. 3 | 7 p.m. | Christmas with the Colorado Children’s Chorale An encore of the group's 2014 holiday concert. |
| Sat, Dec. 5 | 3 p.m. | Tchaikovsky’s complete "Nutcracker" ballet A full performance, and the story behind the piece. Repeats 1 p.m. Dec. 9; 10 a.m. Dec. 18 and 1 p.m. Dec. 24. |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | 6 and 8 a.m. | Bach's Christmas Oratorio Hosted by David Rutherford. |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | 4 p.m. | "Eight Nights of Channukah" begins The sounds and stories of Channukah, presented in five-minute vignettes. New installments daily through Dec.13. |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | 6 p.m. | Handel's "Judas Maccabeus" A 2 1/2-hour performance. |
| Mon, Dec. 7 | 7 p.m. | Charles Dickens and the Spirit of Christmas A look at the sounds and history of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Repeats at noon Dec. 13, noon Dec. 24 and 3 p.m. Dec. 25. |
| Tue, Dec. 8 | 8 p.m. | "Amahl and the Night Visitors" A look at Menotti's moving one-act opera, and a full performance. |
| Sat, Dec. 12 | 3 p.m. | Carol Countdown Three hours of Colorado's favorite holiday music, as selected by CPR Classical listeners. Repeats at 9 a.m. Dec. 15, noon Dec. 20 and noon Dec. 25. Or catch it on CPR News at 7 p.m. Dec. 24. |
| Sat, Dec. 12 | 7 p.m. | Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir A 1-hour special. |
| Sun, Dec. 13 | 7 p.m. | L'enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ) Charley Samson hosts the 90-minute oratorio telling of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt after Christ's birth. Orchestra, choir and seven soloists retell Hector Berlioz's grand, allegorical account of the biblical story. |
| Fri, Dec. 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Colorado Symphony Performs Handel's "Messiah" A live broadcast from Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver featuring Handel's masterpiece. David Rutherford hosts. Part of the CPR Classical LIVE concert broadcast series. |
| Sat, Dec. 19 | 6 p.m. | St. Olaf Christmas Festival A two-hour holiday choral concert that's part of a 100-year tradition. View this year's program. |
| Mon, Dec. 21 | 7 p.m. | "Light and Gold: The Music of Eric Whitacre" A special presentation. |
| Wed, Dec. 23 | 6 p.m. | Welcome Christmas! A one-hour special hosted by John Birge. |
| Wed, Dec. 23 | 7 p.m. | Colorado Spotlight: Richard Toensing A look at a sacred Christmas work by a beloved Colorado composer. |
| Thu, Dec. 24 | 8 a.m. | A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols A two-hour Christmas program from King's College in Cambridge, England. |
| Thu, Dec. 24 | 10 a.m. | A Chanticleer Christmas A one-hour choral celebration of the season featuring the talented choir from San Francisco. |
| Thu, Dec. 24 | 6 p.m. | A Candlelight Christmas Enjoy 12 continuous hours of holiday music on Christmas Eve. |
| Fri, Dec. 25 | 9 a.m. | Christmas with the Colorado Children’s Chorale A two-hour broadcast of the group's 2015 holiday concert. |
| Thu, Dec. 31 | 6 p.m. | Beethoven Bash Ring in the new year with host Charley Samson and all nine Beethoven symphonies, including the "Ode to Joy" from Symphony No. 9 at midnight. |
| Fri, Jan 1 | 9 a.m. | New Year's Day Live from Vienna Ring in the new year with the Vienna Philharmonic. |
