WKMS celebrates the 2024 holiday season with a wide variety of seasonal programs interspersed with regularly scheduled programming. From all genres of music to cooking to storytelling, there are national and local shows for everyone to enjoy this November and December.
See the holiday programming for November and December below. Some programs TBA.
Wednesday, November 27th
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11 am - 12 pm
Every Good Thing
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.
12 pm - 1 pm
This Land: Thanksgiving with The American Sound
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. Produced by WOSU Public Media.
Thursday, November 28th
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11 am - 1 pm
Splendid Table Turkey Confidential
Turkey Confidential is The Splendid Table’s annual Thanksgiving show.
Friday, November 29th
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11 am - 1 pm
The Liquid Moment Indigenous Peoples Special*
Join WKMS' Derek Operle for an Indigenous Peoples edition of The Liquid Moment.
Tuesday, December 17th
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11am - 12 pm
A Special Thistle & Shamrock Christmas
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.
12 pm - 1 pm
Carols, Customs, and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration
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.
Wednesday, December 18th
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11 am - 12 pm
A Chanticleer Christmas
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.
12 pm - 1 pm
Welcome Christmas
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.
9 pm - 11pm
A Cafe Jazz Christmas with Brian Clardy*
Get cozy with jazz Christmas standards and host Brian Clardy. There's also an interview with Maestro Raffaele Ponti from the Paducah Symphony Orchestra about his career as a conductor, the PSO's plans for 2025 and the relevance of classical music in our culture today. Music from Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Charlie Parker and more!
Thursday, December 19th
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11 am - 12 pm
Jazz Piano Christmas 2024
Your favorite holiday classics as you’ve never heard them! 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 music. This year, we spotlight remarkable pianist, vocalist, and actress Melvis Santa—whose eclectic Afro-Cuban style has made her one of the most electrifying artists on the scene—in addition to internationally acclaimed Cuban composer and jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez. Hosted by Felix Contreras.
12 pm - 1 pm
A Swinging Holiday Jazz Party with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis hosts an hour of holiday jazz favorites by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gregory Porter, René Marie, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Friday, December 20th
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11 am - 1 pm
Tonic: The Funky Groove Show - Winter Holiday Episode
If you like holiday music, but you need a little Funk, don’t miss a special episode of Tonic: The Funky Groove Show! This week, we’ll hear funky, instrumental covers of classic holiday tunes, groovy organ takes on traditional songs of the season, and soulful tracks about winter weather. From classics to undiscovered rarities, we’re in for a funky sleigh ride.
Saturday, December 21st
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10 am - 1 pm
Music From the Front Porch Christmas*
The Porch will be two hours of classic bluegrass and Americana Christmas tunes, followed by an hour of live Christmas music featuring Melanie A. Davis and Fate McAfee, and The Pickett Brothers (Nathan Brown and Logan Oakley).
7 pm - 9 pm
The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice
CHRISTMAS REVELS performances have been described as entertaining collections of country, ritual and courtly dances, wassails, carols, songs and ballads, spirituals, hymns and anthems, story-telling, poetry and drama.
Sunday, December 22nd
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2pm - 4pm
The Christmas Sink*
Traditional, non-traditional, and “What was he thinking?” Christmas tunes from Rick Nance on The Kitchen Sink.
Monday, December 23rd
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11 am - 12 pm
The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays
In February 2016, Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips introduced The Film Score on WFMT, a series that celebrates great music composed for the movies. From short segments to hour-length programs, The Film Score has explored recent Academy Award-nominated scores, composer-director partnerships, as well as holiday specials dedicated to Memorial Day and Halloween. The series has generated enormous listener response, feedback, and appreciation.
12 pm - 1 pm
Your Classical Christmas Favorites
You ranked your favorite holiday tunes. Now, we’ve tallied the results to create YourClassical Christmas Favorites, an hour holiday special highlighting the top carols based on your votes. hosts Tom Crann and Valerie Kahler.
Tuesday, December 24th
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9 am - 11 am
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
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.
11 am - 12 pm
Three Tales of Christmas with Cantus
In Three Tales of 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.
12 pm - 1 pm
Holidays from Murray State University 2024*
Wednesday, December 25th
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11 am - 1 pm
St. Olaf Christmas Festival 2024
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.
Thursday, December 26th
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11 am - 12 pm
Candles Burning Brightly
A new, 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.
12 pm - 1 pm
Hanukkah Lights 2024
This NPR favorite returns with some of our favorite stories from the archives. 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.
Friday, December 27th
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11 am - 1 pm
Sounds Good: Favorite Songs of 2024 Special*
Tuesday, December 31st
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11 am - 1 pm
2024 Remembered from The Current
Join The Current in honoring the life, music, and legacy of artists we lost this year with 2024 Remembered from The Current. This two-hour musical tribute is a celebration of all sounds - from indie to influential - and the perfect way for music lovers to unite in paying homage to the artists who have shaped music history.
Wednesday, January 1st
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10 am - 12 pm
New Year's Day from Vienna 2025
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. Hosted by WBUR's Lisa Mullins.
12 pm - 1 pm
Sounds Good New Year's Day Special
Listen to WKMS' holiday programming on-air, online at WKMS.org, or via the NPR One app.
*Local show produced in West KY
