Here’s the complete list of the specials for Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s on WPSU-FM.
Friday, December 12
Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
Friday, December 12, 11:00 a.m.
Itzhak Perlman invites you to his Hanukkah Radio Party. Join the superstar violinist as he tells the story of the Jewish festival of lights, and shares his favorite recordings for the holiday — some serious, some silly. This engaging one-hour special includes numbers from Itzhak Perlman’s radio-addicted childhood in Israel; evocative songs in Yiddish and Ladino; classical music that revolves around the Maccabee heroes of the story; and Hanukkah gems by American folk singers.
The master storyteller also regales you with jokes and memories, plus tales of three classic Hanukkah symbols: the menorah, the latke, and, of course, the dreidel. A good time for the whole family, at Itzhak Perlman’s Chanukah Radio Party!
Thursday, December 18
Hanukkah Lights 2025
Thursday, December 18, 3:00 p.m.
This NPR favorite returns with new stories plus gems from the archive. The program is hosted by Murray Horwitz and features a tribute to NPR's beloved Susan Stamberg.
Thursday, December 18
WPSU’s Holiday Jazz
Friday, December 19, 10:00 p.m.
Join host Jeff Hughes for a show filled with jazz favorites, old and new, from artists including Samara Joy, Stan Kenton, Joe Pass, Louis Armstrong, The Vince Guaraldi Trio, Bill Evans and many more. It’s a swingin’ way to ring in the holidays!
Saturday December 20th
The Local Groove Holiday Show
Saturday, December 20, 9:00 p.m.
The Mighty Wiggus hosts an hour of fine holiday tunes from artists in central and northern Pennsylvania, culminating in a Groove tradition: John Vickers Jones reading “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”
Tuesday, December 23
Handel’s “Messiah” from IndyBaroque
Tuesday, December 23, 8:00 p.m.
Michelle Louer conducts the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and Beecher Singers of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis in Handel’s oratorio, “Messiah.” The musicians employ period performance practices, presenting Messiah as it might have sounded when it was first performed in 1742. Greg Kostraba is your host.
A Choral Christmas with Stile Antico
Tuesday, December 23, 10:00 p.m.
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 radiant sacred 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. Hosted by Cathy Fuller of WGBH.
Wednesday, December 24
Holiday Music from WPSU
Wednesday, December 24, 9:00 a.m.
An hour of eclectic holiday tunes from WPSU, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Wednesday, December 24, 10:00 a.m. & Thursday, December 25, 9:00 p.m.
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel. The recording will be broadcast Christmas night at 9:00 p.m.
Holiday Music from WPSU
Wednesday, December 24, 12:00 p.m.
WPSU's Kristine Allen hosts an hour of eclectic holiday tunes, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
Apollo’s Fire Presents Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain: An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Wednesday, December 24, 1:00 p.m. & Thursday, December 25, 6:00 p.m.
The latest holiday program from Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire is a communal celebration of the American immigrant experience, sharing the spirit and history of Appalachia’s Irish and Scottish roots through music. The 35-member ensemble includes 10 children and brings a joyous concert experience with the warmth of period instruments. Fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes, singers, and children’s voices join together to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian holiday. In this one-hour special, the listener is transported from Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to the folk carols and shape‐note hymns at a toe‐tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia.
Holiday Music from WPSU
Wednesday, December 24, 2:00 p.m.
WPSU's Kristine Allen hosts an hour of eclectic holiday tunes, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas Gift to Jazz
Wednesday, December 24, 3:00 p.m. & Thursday, December 25, 8:00 p.m.
Host Jana Lee Ross presents a special filled with warm-hearted sounds to bring together everyone in the family. Vince Guaraldi‘s music in "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 of course we’ll hear from Vince Guaraldi himself.
A Christmas Carol from Penn State
Wednesday, December 24, 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a re-broadcast of a special Penn State School of Theatre and Centre Stage event, performed at the Playhouse Theatre at University Park in 2023. Hear Rick Lombardo’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol," as a 1941 radio play, performed this season by professional artists in the School of Theatre’s faculty, along with students and members of the local community.
Holiday Music from WPSU
Wednesday, December 24, 8:00 p.m.
WPSU's Kristine Allen hosts two hours of eclectic holiday tunes, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
A Chanticleer Christmas
Wednesday, December 24, 10:00 p.m.
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an evening of wonder and joy.
Thursday, December 25
Holiday Music from WPSU
Thursday, December 25, 9:00 a.m.
WPSU's Kristine Allen hosts two hours of music for Christmas morning, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
A Chanticleer Christmas
Thursday, December 25, 11:00 a.m.
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program including original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions. They fluently weave between diverse musical styles to create an hour of wonder and joy.
Winterfest: Our Gift In Song
Thursday, December 25, 12:00 p.m.
Celebrate the season with holiday music in the African and African American choral traditions with “Winterfest: Our Gift in Song” from Penn State’s Essence of Joy and Essence 2, directed by the choirs’ beloved founder, the late Tony Leach. WPSU recorded this concert live in December 2011. We present it this year in memory of Dr. Leach.
Carols, Customs and Candlelight: a Celtic Christmas Celebration
Thursday, December 25, 2:00 p.m.
The Celtic lands of Northwestern Europe have an especially rich musical heritage, and many Christmas songs and carols come from places like Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and other Celtic nations. 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. Lots of well-known Christmas music comes from the Celtic tradition, and some very beautiful but lesser-known festive music.
Holiday Music from WPSU
Thursday, December 25, 3:00 p.m.
WPSU presents an hour of eclectic holiday tunes, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
Apollo’s Fire Presents Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain: An Irish-Appalachian Celebration
Thursday, December 25, 6:00 p.m.
The latest holiday program from Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire is a communal celebration of the American immigrant experience, sharing the spirit and history of Appalachia’s Irish and Scottish roots through music. The 35-member ensemble includes 10 children and brings a joyous concert experience with the warmth of period instruments. Fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes, singers, and children’s voices join together to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian holiday. In this one-hour special, the listener is transported from Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to the folk carols and shape‐note hymns at a toe‐tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia.
Holiday Music from WPSU
Thursday, December 25, 7:00 p.m.
WPSU presents an hour of eclectic holiday tunes, including classical music, folk, jazz and more.
Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas Gift to Jazz
Thursday, December 25, 8:00 p.m.
Host Jana Lee Ross presents a special filled with warm-hearted sounds to bring together everyone in the family. Vince Guaraldi‘s music in "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 of course we’ll hear from Vince Guaraldi himself.
A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Thursday, December 25, 9:00 p.m.
Since 1918, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has offered listeners an opportunity to share in a live, worldwide Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols and related seasonal classical music. This special event is presented by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, one of the world’s foremost choirs of men and boys, and performed in an acoustically and architecturally renowned venue, the college’s 500-year-old chapel. The live performance on Christmas Eve will be recorded and rebroadcast Christmas night at 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 31
Our Common Nature with Yo-Yo Ma and Ana González
Wednesday, December 31, 6:00 p.m. & Thursday, January 1, 11:00 a.m.
After a career spent inside concert halls and recording studios, Yo-Yo Ma had never spent much time in nature. That changed four years ago as he began traveling across the United States, inspired by the idea that our music, stories, and traditions — our culture — can remind us that we are part of nature and reunite us in pursuit of a common future. In Our Common Nature, host Ana González — who accompanied Yo-Yo on many of his travels — explores the sounds, stories, and communities they encountered that remind us that, in Yo-Yo’s words, “we are part of nature … to love each other is to love our planet.” Through a fusion of music, personal narratives, and local histories with rich ambient sounds of running water, mountain winds, melting glaciers, whale and birdsong, Our Common Nature affirms our connections to the natural world, our own humanity, and each other.
2025 Remembered from The Current
Wednesday, December 31, 7:00 p.m.
Join the public radio service, "The Current," from Minnesota Public Radio in honoring the life, music, and legacy of artists we lost this year — in many genres of music. 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.
Toast of the Nation
Wednesday, December 31, 9:00 p.m.
An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve since the 1970s, Toast of the Nation is the perfect audio complement for the occasion. It's festive jazz you can party to, all night long. Hosted by Christian McBride.
Thursday, January 1
Our Common Nature with Yo-Yo Ma and Ana González
Thursday, January 1, 11:00 a.m.
After a career spent inside concert halls and recording studios, Yo-Yo Ma had never spent much time in nature. That changed four years ago as he began traveling across the United States, inspired by the idea that our music, stories, and traditions — our culture — can remind us that we are part of nature and reunite us in pursuit of a common future. In Our Common Nature, host Ana González — who accompanied Yo-Yo on many of his travels — explores the sounds, stories, and communities they encountered that remind us that, in Yo-Yo’s words, “we are part of nature … to love each other is to love our planet.” Through a fusion of music, personal narratives, and local histories with rich ambient sounds of running water, mountain winds, melting glaciers, whale and birdsong, Our Common Nature affirms our connections to the natural world, our own humanity, and each other.