WNIN FM is celebrating the season with some special holiday programming to get you into the spirit, or to simply offer a moment of reflection. Join us on WNIN 88.3 FM or online for a cornucopia of programs including music and conversations all entertaining you during the season.
November 23 (Thanksgiving Day), 9-11am CST, Giving Thanks: Giving Thanks offers a contemporary celebration of gratitude, with classical music and stories of Thanksgiving hosted by John Birge. This year's special guests include world-famous French chef Jacques Pepin, and his 13-year-old granddaughter, Shorey, with whom he co-authored his most recent book, "A Grandfather's Lessons,” and Francis Lam, with his recent, James Beard Award-winning Thanksgiving essay about immigrants.
November 23 (Thanksgiving Day), 11am-1pm CST, Splendid Table Turkey Confidential: Carve the turkey, pass the stuffing and tune into Turkey Confidential, a live culinary call-in show. Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Francis Lam team up this year for Lynne's final Turkey Confidential and Francis' first! This year's guest include chef Lidia Bastianich, Marcus Samuelsson and comedian and lifestyle TV host Amy Sedaris.
December 2, 8-9pm CST, Christmas in New Orleans: Music, dance, seasonal readings, bluegrass fiddling, Cajun and Ragtime Piano music, New Orleans-Style!
Narrator Greg Kostraba and the music festival student players along with bagpiper Christopher Layer will usher in the festival's 7th season LIVE on WNIN 88.3 FM. Special guests include New Orleans' pianist of the year, Tom McDermott plus two young Nashville up-and-comers Jordan Tice (of Haas, Kowert & Tice and David Rawlings Machine fame) and fiddler Mike Barnett ( Ricky Scaggs, Steve Martin, Tony Trischka, etc.)
December 10, 5-6pm CST, Advent Voices: Host Lynne Warfel presents an hour of gorgeous, contemplative music related to the Advent season, the Christmas story, and its symbolism.
Selections include "I Wonder As I Wander," "Gabriel's Message," "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime," and "Still, Still, Still."
December 17, 5-6pm CST, Candles Burning Brightly: Mindy Ratner hosts a new edition of this holiday favorite, in celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. "Candles Burning Brightly" explores Chanukah foods and traditional activities - and plenty of music. Broadcast made possible in part by Temple Adath B'Nai Israel.
December 19, 12-1pm CST, Marketplace Tech's The Holidays of the Future: Marketplace Tech conversation host Molly Wood explores the future of holiday purchases and celebrations. How will the holiday experience change in the next decade? How will we buy things? What machines and bots will join us around the dinner table? What companies will be household names? How will people with less money be utilizing technology? It's an entertaining examination of current tech trends and predictions on tech's lasting effects on our most special occasions.
December 20, 12-1pm CST, The Hilarious World of Depression Holiday Coping Mechanism Spectacular: Host John Moe presents an hour of fun, unusual, and intriguing ways for people with depression to get through the holiday season. With family visits, consumer demands, brutal weather, dark skies, and other factors, this time of year tries a depressive's nerves the most, especially when they're constantly being told how wonderful things are and how happy they should be.
Enjoy entertaining, moving, useful, and, yes, hilarious stories from celebrity guests and listeners about the unusual tips and tricks they use to get through the holidays.
December 21, 12-1pm CST, Tick, Tock, Circadian Clock - A Brains On! Special: Brains On!, the public radio science show for kids and curious adults, explores the fascinating science behind circadian rhythms. Host Molly Blooms delves into how humans have a ticking clock inside them, looks as what happens to hibernating animals and explores how all life is affected by light and dark.
"Tick, Tock, Circadian Clock" offers a unique, scientific celebration of the Winter Solstice.
December 22, 12-1pm CST, Christmas in New Orleans: Music, dance, seasonal readings, bluegrass fiddling, Cajun and Ragtime Piano music, New Orleans-Style!
Enjoy WNIN's rebroadcast of the New Harmony Music Festival & School's 7th season LIVE performance from the Historic Thrall's Opera House.
December 23, 12-1pm CST, The Big Tiny Desk Concert Holiday Special: Celebrate the season with amazing holiday performances from The Tiny Desk Concert series including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Steve Martin, Hanson, The Polyphonic Spree and more! Hosted by NPR Music frenemies Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson.
December 24 (Christmas Eve), 9-11am CST, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols: Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music.
December 24, 11am-1pm CST, St. Olaf Christmas Festival: This service in song and word has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works, as well as orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians in five choirs, and the St. Olaf Orchestra. SymphonyCast host Alison Young shares the sights and sounds of this choral favorite.
December 24, 1-2pm CST, Carols and Cheer: Host Scott Blankership joins forces with Matthew Culloton, artistic director of The Singers, to review their favorite carols this holiday season. From holiday classics to contemporary hits, audiences will love singing along as the two share their top picks for the Christmas season, preformed by today's leading artists and ensembles.
December 24, 2-3pm CST, Welcome Christmas!: A perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world's premier choral ensembles. Join host John Birge for an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries, including the world premiere of two carols from the annual Christmas Carol Contest.
December 24, 3-4pm CST, Happy(ish) Holidays from Terrible, Thanks For Asking: In this second-annual holiday radio extravaganza, Terrible, Thanks for Asking host Nora McInerny will once again bedazzle this difficult time of the year with humor, stories, and the very real realness of reality.
Join Nora for a conversation about holiday missteps with memoirist Augusten Burroughs, enjoy cheer and some humbug from special guests, and stories from listeners about their worst holidays ever.
December 24, 5-6pm CST, Awesome Holiday Etiquette: The Holiday season can be a minefield when it comes to good behavior. Do I wish people Merry of Happy or not? What if I get cornered by my weird uncle at the family gathering? How much of the menu do I need to change because my brother is now bringing a vegan? (Wait, now he's vegan too?) Can I still wear my favorite leather belt?
Awesome Holiday Etiquette is an entertaining way to learn how you can take some of the stress out of being social during the Holidays. Hosts Lizzie Post and Dan Post Senning - the great-great-grandchildren of etiquette icon Emily Post - will talk with friends and special guests about etiquette throughout the season - from food to decorating to social situations. They will answer etiquette questions from listeners, and invite storytellers to tell the tales of their biggest Holiday wins (or fails).
December 24, 7-8pm CST, The Song Show Holiday Special: Join host Brick Briscoe for a special holiday episode.
December 25 (Christmas Day), 9-10am CST, The Song Show Holiday Special: Join host Brick Briscoe for a special holiday episode.
December 25, 10am-12pm CST, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols: Pipedreams host Michael Barone presents this live service of spoken-word and music (choral and organ) broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England. The 30-voice King's College Choir performs the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service of Biblical readings and music.
December 25, 12-1pm CST, Christmas in New Orleans: Music, dance, seasonal readings, bluegrass fiddling, Cajun and Ragtime Piano music, New Orleans-Style!
Enjoy WNIN's rebroadcast of the New Harmony Music Festival & School's 7th season LIVE performance from the Historic Thrall's Opera House.
December 25, 1-3pm CST, St. Olaf Christmas Festival: This service in song and word has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. The festival includes hymns, carols, choral works, as well as orchestral selections celebrating the Nativity and featuring more than 500 student musicians in five choirs, and the St. Olaf Orchestra. SymphonyCast host Alison Young shares the sights and sounds of this choral favorite.
December 25, 3-4pm CST, A Chanticleer Christmas: This unique, one-hour program of holiday music is presented live in concert by Chanticleer. Hear why this superb 12-man ensemble is known as "an orchestra of voices," as they perform holiday classics and new favorites, with choral commentary by host Brian Newhouse.
December 25, 5-6pm CST, Hollywood Holiday: Saturday Cinema host Lynne Warfel presents an hour-long musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas-themed movies.
December 25, 6-7pm CST, Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir continues its tradition of great artistry this holiday season, with touching arrangements of familiar carols, and lesser-known melodies that are fast becoming the new classics. Julie Amacher hosts this annual favorite.
Additional December Special Holiday Programming will be announced later on this page.