Holiday Stream Stories

We have a variety of classical specials for the holiday season, from Christmas to New Year's Day. Listen to them any time that's convenient using this comprehensive listing.

On Jan. 1, 2023, conductor Mei-Ann Chen and the Minnesota Orchestra rang in the new year with a program featuring music by Leonard Bernstein, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and a piece by Jessie Montgomery performed by special guest Awadagin Pratt. Listen to the concert now as we prepare for 2024!

How much do you know about Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, beyond its signature melodies? Let’s crack it open for Christmas!

For a 7-year-old kid growing up on a farm in Nebraska in the 1960s, the best Christmas gift came from Goodyear’s annual ‘Great Songs of Christmas’ albums, especially the 1965 and ‘66 volumes. YourClassical host Ward Jacobson remembers.

You ranked your favorite holiday tunes. Now, we’ve tallied the results to create ‘YourClassical Christmas Favorites,’ a two-hour holiday special highlighting the top carols based on your votes. Listen now, with hosts Tom Crann and Valerie Kahler.

In this season of holiday traditions, few are as magnificent and memorable as Handel's ‘Messiah.’ British conductor Christopher Warren-Green returns to lead the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Chorale and soloists in this glorious work. Listen live at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, on YourClassical MPR.

Hosted by Mindy Ratner, ‘Candles Burning Brightly’ is a delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights! There is lots 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.

Each December, the Center for Faith and Life at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, rings out with the sacred and the exuberant: the sounds of the Christmas season. Enjoy the 2022 program, ‘The Gifts They Gave Emmanuel.’

‘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 John Birge for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including compositions and arrangements by Mack Wilberg, Glenn Rudolph and John Rutter.

Celebrate the season with song! Melissa Ousley hosts this one-hour program of holiday favorites, new and old, presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the two-time Grammy-winning 12-man ensemble known as ‘an orchestra of voices.’