Sunday 12.14 – “Candles Burning Brightly”
2:00pm - 3:00pm
A delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! We have an abundance of music from Jewish communities worldwide, a hilarious lesson on preparing a classic Hanukkah dish, and a timeless and touching holiday story that brings light into every home. Join us.
Monday 12.15 – Evening Masterwork: Castelnuovo-Tedesco's “Violin Concerto No. 2 , The Prophets”
7:00pm
Join us for Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “Violin Concerto No. 2, ‘The Prophets’”, which evokes the spirit of Hanukkah through its luminous, prayer-like themes and its celebration of resilience, echoing the festival’s story of perseverance and renewed light.
Tuesday 12.16 – Evening Masterwork: John Rutter’s “Gloria.”
7:00pm
Listen for an uplifting setting of the “Gloria,” by the prolific English composer of holiday music, John Rutter.
Wednesday 12.17 – Evening Masterwork: “Magnificat”
7:00pm
Enjoy Bach's “Magnificat,” based on the biblical text "My soul shall magnify the Lord." Bach's musical setting is a standard for the Christmas season.
Thursday 12.18 – “Welcome Christmas”
1:00pm - 2:00pm
There's no better way to welcome Christmas than with an hour of joyful, classical, holiday music from VocalEssence, one of the world's premiere choral groups, singing traditional carols and featuring some new discoveries you're sure to enjoy.
Thursday 12.18 – Evening Masterwork: Poulenc’s “Gloria.”
7:00pm
Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation and composed between 1959-1960, Francis Poulenc's “Gloria” is an engaging musical interpretation of the same text Vivaldi used more than two centuries earlier. Energetic in some passages and ethereal in others, it has become an enduring favorite.
Friday 12:19 – “All is Bright”
10:00am - 11:00am
This is a lovely hour of contemplative, sacred choral music to tell the traditional Christmas story by way of songs about angels, the star, and the manger scene.
Friday 12.19 – Evening Masterwork: John Rutter’s “Dancing Day”
7:00pm
Inspired by Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols", the prolific composer of Christmas music, John Rutter, gives us his version with “Dancing Day.”
Saturday 12.20 – Evening Masterwork: Judas Maccabeus
7:00pm
In observance of Hanukkah, listen for Handel's oratorio based on the story of the leader of the Maccabean Revolt against the Greek Seleucid Empire. It is perhaps the most popular of Handel's oratorios, second only to “Messiah!”
Sunday 12.21 – “Winter Welcome”
9:00am -10:00am
On the first day of winter, we invite you to have some hot cocoa or hot cider and enjoy a beautiful hour of wintry music!
Sunday 12.21 – Evening Masterwork: “Ceremony of Carols”
7:00pm
Benjamin Britten wrote this while traveling by ship from New York to England during the Second World War. His “Ceremony of Carols” is one of his most performed works during the Christmas season. The text, along with inspiration from Gregorian chant, makes this a wonderful narrative for your holiday evening.
Monday 12.22 – “A Chanticleer Christmas”
10:00am -11:00am
The beloved, Grammy-award 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.
Monday 12.22 – Evening Masterwork: Vivaldi’s “Gloria”
7:00pm
A familiar staple of the holiday season, Antonio Vivaldi's “Gloria in D" is a jubilant, lilting setting of the text from the Latin mass. Composed in the early 1700s, it’s as fresh and inspiring today as it was at its first performance three centuries ago.
Monday 12.22 – “The St. Olaf Christmas Festival”
8:00pm - 10:00pm
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 in music.
Tuesday 12.23 – “Cocoa and Carols”
9:00am - 10:00am
This hour is all set up for children and the young at heart, as WSMR Host Mark Michaud features an hour of fun and familiar holiday favorites! “Deck the Halls,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Rudolph” among many. Tell the family to gather ‘round, turn up the radio and celebrate just before Christmas!
Tuesday 12.23 – Evening Masterwork: Handel's “Messiah”
7:00pm
Tonight's Evening Masterwork features selections from a longstanding holiday tradition, Handel's “Messiah.” Although it premiered in Dublin in April 1742, the tradition of standing for the “Hallelujah Chorus” is often said to have been begun by King George II standing at the London premiere in 1743.
Christmas Eve - Wednesday 12.24 – “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols”
10:00am -12:00pm (repeats 10:00pm -12 Noon)
The WSMR audience will share in a live, worldwide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world's foremost male choirs. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Eve - Wednesday 12.24 –“The Story of the Bells”
5:00pm - 6:00pm
A WSMR tradition! Step back in time just a bit with us for an encore of Karl Haas' “Story of the Bells.” Karl Haas, the Radio Hall of Fame's first "classical music" inductee, hosts this all-time holiday favorite.
Christmas Eve - Wednesday 12.24 – Evening Masterwork: “The Nutcracker”
7:00pm
Join us for a performance of the holiday favorite, Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker.” Visions of sugar plums and giant mice may dance in your head as you listen to this traditional treat.
Christmas Eve - Wednesday 12.24 – “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols”
10:00pm - Midnight (repeat broadcast)
The WSMR audience will share in the repeat broadcast of this worldwide, traditional Christmas Eve broadcast of a service of biblical readings, carols, and related seasonal classical music presented by one of the world's foremost male choirs. All performed in the 500-year-old Chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England.
Christmas Day! Thursday 12.25 – Charpentier: “Midnight Mass”
Midnight
Join us for Charpentier’s “Midnight Mass for Christmas,” a delightful blend of sacred and folk traditions, weaving popular French Noël melodies into a graceful Baroque setting. The result is a joyful and intimate work that captures the warmth, wonder, and communal spirit of Christmas night.
Christmas Day! Thursday 12.25 - Holiday Music with Classical WSMR 89.1 + 103.9
All day!
Florida's Classical Music station is perfect company on Christmas. Turn on the radio and enjoy your favorite holiday Christmas music! WSMR hosts will spend the whole day with you and help you celebrate the holiday.
Christmas Day! Thursday 12.25 – Evening Masterwork: Saint-Saëns “Christmas Oratorio”
7:00pm
Enjoy Saint-Saëns’s “Oratorio de Noël,” which offers a serene and luminous vision of the Nativity, combining tender lyricism with gentle pastoral colors. Its intimate scale and warm, devotional tone create a sense of peaceful reverence, fitting for Christmas.
Christmas Day! Thursday 12.25 – “Concierto”
8:00pm
Join Frank Dominguez for a Christmas-themed broadcast of “Concierto,” classical music presented in Spanish and in English. The program features music by Latin American and Spanish composers and musicians.
New Year’s Eve! Wednesday 12.31.2025 – “Countdown to 2026!”
6:00am - Midnight
Join WSMR as we count down the hours until 2026 with thematic pieces based on the number of hours left in this year! We’ll start with a clock at 6 a.m., a 17th symphony at 7 a.m., 16th polonaise at 8 a.m., a 15th guitar quartet at 9,…you get the pattern, right? A great way to end the year!
New Year's Day! Thursday 1.1.2026 - Music of "Firsts" on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9!
Throughout the day!
Florida's Classical Music Station starts the New Year with a day of... firsts! You'll hear the first attempts at symphonies, concertos, and other works by the great composers. A wonderful way to welcome a New Year!
New Year's Day! Thursday 1.1.2026- “New Year's Day from Vienna 2026”
11:00am -1:00pm
Happy New Year! The ever-popular annual New Year's Day Concert will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic for the first time under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. WSMR's most festive way to start 2026!