KMFA Classical 89.5, Austin's Home for the Holidays is presented by ABC Home & Commerical Services with additional support by I Live Here I Give Here, Loewy Law Firm, Jackson Walker, Prosperity Bank, Audio Nova (Formerly Estes Audiology), Dr. Simone Scumpia of Austin Thyroid and Endocrinology, Terry McDaniel & Company Investment Counsel, Terra Toys and Mozart's Coffee Roasters.
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KMFA'S 12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS
DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO 12 BIG EVENTS OVER 12 BIG DAYS
Click the image above for more information about KMFA's 12 Days of Giveaways taking place December 13-24, presented by ABC Home & Commercial Services
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SHOP LOCAL WITH OUR "FAVORITE THINGS" HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
CHECK OUT OUR FAVORITE GIFTS TO GIVE AND SOME GIFTS THAT GIVE BACK!
Click the image above to check out KMFA's Favorite Things Holiday Gift Guide featuring local faves + gifts with a purpose presented by Prosperity Bank
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HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
CELEBRATE WITH THE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON ON KMFA!
*Please note that this list will continue to be updated and is subject to change. To receive up-to-date playlists in your inbox each morning, subscribe to our Daily Playlist at kmfa.org/signup or check back here for the latest information.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
6:00 p.m. | 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 the world premiere of three beloved Latvian carols by composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
6:00 p.m. | Carols as Home, with Imani Winds
Carols as Home features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz. Toyin coaxes intimate stories of Christmas memories from the members of the ensemble, and why these classic carols are still essential today.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
6:00 p.m. | 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.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
6:00 p.m. | All Is Bright
All Is Bright, with host Lynne Warfel, offers an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story with songs about angels, the star and the manger scene. Featured artists include Cantus, Chanticleer, Cambridge Singers, Bryn Terfel, Emma Kirkby, Jessye Norman, and a variety of choirs.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
6:00 p.m. | Carols, Customs and Candlelight: A Celtic Christmas Celebration
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 wellas traditional insturments 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.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
10:00 a.m. | Wind and Rhythm Christmas Edition
11:00 a.m. | From the Top - What We're Thankful For
12:00 p.m. | Met Opera The Magic Flute (Family Friendly English Version)
5:00 p.m. | Concierto Christmas Edition
In this special holiday edition of Concierto we wish you Feliz Navidad with traditional Mexican music featurig the chorus Voz en Punto; Slavic seasonal favorites performed by Argentine pianist Martha Argerich and Uruguayan conductor Jose Serebrier; and teno Juan Diego Florez with beloved holiday sacred music.
7:00 p.m. | Christmas Revels
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. They are made up of sacred and secular folk materials, plus some compoosed popular and "art" music, from traditional European, Middle Eastern, Asian and American celebrations of Advent, Chanukah, Las Posadas, Christmas, the Fesast of Fools, New Year's, Twelfth Night, Epiphany/Old Christmas, and other end-of-the-year festivals, along with various cultures' hereditary observances of the Winter Solstice, some elements of which date back to pre-Christian times.
9:00 p.m. | In Winter's Glow
A winter solstice program, with modern classical sounds for the longest night of the year, chosen especially to compliment the chilly, starry nights of the season.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
10:00 a.m. | Early Music Now Holiday Special
11:00 a.m. | A Classically Austin Holiday
12:00 p.m. | Classical Guitar Alive Holiday Special
5:00 p.m. | Pianoforte Holiday Special
6:00 p.m. | A Charlie Brown Christmas
Celebrate the season with the Austin Chamber Music Center's beloved performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas, recorded live at the State Theatre. Enjoy all your favorite tunes from the holiday classic and more as this cherished Austin tradition brings the magic of Vince Guaraldi's music to life. Gather your family and tune in to start your holidays on the perfect note!
7:00 p.m. | Bach's Christmas Oratorio
Over 35 years after his legendary first recording of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, John Eliot Gardiner returned to the work on a new recording for Deutsche Grammophon, which was recorded live at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London in December 2022, with Gardiner leading the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists. The Times of London called it "a festive triumph", and host Sara Schneider brings it to you on this special broadcast on KMFA.
9:00 p.m. | Pipeworks Holiday Special
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
12:00 a.m. | The Nutcracker (complete)
9:00 a.m. | 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 Hawi'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.
12:00 p.m. | Your Classical Christmas Favorites
Join us this holiday season as we count down the top Christmas songs as voted by you in a one-hour special.
4:00 p.m. | Carols, Customs, and Candlelight: A Celtic Christmas Celebration (Encore Presentation)
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 wellas traditional insturments 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.
6:00 p.m. | KMFA By Request Holiday Edition
7:00 p.m. | Winter Holidays Around the World with Bill McGlaughlin
Winter holidays are celebrated around the world, and their music is wonderful to hear, regardless of which tradition you observe. Bill’s spirited selection starts in the 12th century with Nova Stella, medieval Italian Christmas music from Saint Francis of Assisi’s staging of the nativity; jazz pianist Dave Brubeck’s classical composition La Fiesta de la Posada, evoking a Mexican Christmas celebration; and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols. We will enjoy this time of year in Paris with music from Debussy, and then travel to Polynesia for a traditional hymn, Anau Oia Ea. And then ending with an excerpt from Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors from the original television production. Turn on your radio, pour a cup of tea, cozy up to a warm fire, and enjoy the music!
8:00 p.m. | From the Butler School Holiday Special
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24 (Christmas Eve)
6:00 a.m. | Christmas Eve with Emilio
9:00 a.m. | Lessons and Carols LIVE
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols presents 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.
11:00 a.m. | Christmas Eve with Dianne
12:00 p.m. | Pianoforte Holiday Special
2:00 p.m. | Christmas Eve with Sara
4:00 p.m. | ¡Vamos a Belén! Christmas with The Rose Ensemble
The acclaimed Ros Ensemble returns with a free one-hour special featuring festive and evocative music from early Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, and beyond. Colonial Latin America was a melting pot of ethnic diversity, when newcomers wresteled with a melting pot of ethnic diversity, when newcomers wrestled with local traditions, and cultural conflict was often reconciled through musical collaboration. Dances from the streets of Mother Spain mingle from African rhythms and indigenous languages, while celebration turns glorious in the pageantry of the Franciscan missions of California and New Mexico. The Rose Ensemble is joined by special guests, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band.
5:00 p.m. | Christmas Eve with Sara (Encore Presentation)
6:00 p.m. | KMFA By Request Holiday Edition
7:00 p.m. | Lessons and Carols (Encore Presentation)
8:00 p.m. | Chanticleer Christmas (Encore Presentation)
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.
10:00 p.m. | Christmas Eve with Jess
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25 (Christmas Day)
Carols as Home features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz. Toyin coaxes intimate stories of Christmas memories from the members of the ensemble, and why these classic carols are still essential today.
For one and half centuries, St. Olaf has been a hub of connections, knoledge, 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 this 2-hour special broadcast.
9:00 p.m. | CA Classically Austin Holiday (Encore Presentation)
10:00 p.m. | Lessons and Carols (Encore Presentation)
*Please note that this list will continue to be updatedand is subject to change. To receive up-to-date playlists in your inbox each morning, subscribe to our Daily Playlist at kmfa.org/signup or check back here for the latest information.
KMFA, Austin's Home for the Holiday Sponsors
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