Nathan Irwin
Program Director

Program Notes, November-December 2007

            In this article, you’ll find a schedule of WCBU’s holiday programming. As in years past, we’ve tried to assemble a mix of favorites – like the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concert – and new programs we hope will become part of your annual traditions.

            Some of the new offerings this year include Turkey Confidential, a live broadcast with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, taking calls from listeners around the country, and helping them navigate Thanksgiving Day cooking crises. Also, on New Year’s Eve, Garrison Keillor rings in the new year with a live broadcast, featuring Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band and the cast of “A Prairie Home Companion.” The show wraps up just after midnight, so you should recover in time for the Vienna Philharmonic on New Year’s Day.

            The 2007-08 season of Music from the Heartland is off and running, with new concerts from Bradley University, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Knox-Galesburg Symphony and other performers in Central Illinois. Remember, if you miss any of these broadcasts on Wednesday night, they will air again the following Sunday at 7:00pm.

            WCBU Showcase closes out 2007 with three more debates from the series Intelligence Squared. If you’ve missed the earlier broadcasts, the series brings Oxford-style debating to America – with one motion, a moderator, and three panelists arguing on each side. The intent is to address some of the hot-button issues of the day with facts, analysis and persuasion instead of the contentious name-calling we see too much of in the media. Tune in, and listen for yourself.

            And, as always, please bear in mind that this issue of Fanfare went to print in early October. Some of these programs may be cancelled or re-scheduled by the time this reaches your mailbox.

Holiday Programming:

Thanksgiving

“Turkey Confidential”            Thursday, 11/22          10:00am

It's two hours of Thanksgiving morning triage for cooks across the nation. Lynne Rossetto Kasper will be taking calls in a live, two-hour broadcast when you need it most, on the biggest cooking day of the year.

Giving Thanks                         Thursday, 11/22          1:00pm

As Thanksgiving brings family together to share common blessings and a bountiful meal, John Birge brings music and stories together in a thoughtful, contemporary reflection on the meaning of the holiday.

ContentDepot: Nov 6 at 9:00am ET

Thanksgiving with Anonymous 4       Thursday, 11/22          3:00pm

A Thanksgiving concert vocal ensemble Anonymous 4, fiddler Darol Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard.

Chanukah

Happy, Joyous Hannukah       Sunday, 12/9               11:00am

A concert from the Grammy-award-winning band, the Klezmatics. Hosted by Murray Horwitz.

Hannukah Lights                    Sunday, 12/ 9              12:00pm

Acclaimed authors explore Hanukkah traditions in original stories written expressly for Hanukkah Lights. Hosted by Murray Horwitz and Susan Stamberg.

Christmas

Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” Sunday, 12/23             11:00am

A Carnegie Hall concert performance of selections from one of the most joyful and sumptuous works from Johann Sebastian Bach. The Collegiate Chorale performs three sacred cantatas, each depicting a different scene from Christ's birth, along with some traditional holiday favorites.

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols          Monday, 12/24            9:00am           

A live music and spoken-word broadcast from the chapel of King's College in Cambridge, England presenting the legendary Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service as performed by the King's College Choir.

Christmas Around the Country                      Monday, 12/24            11:00am         

NPR takes you from churches to concert halls to auditoriums to town halls all across the nation in search of performances that express the best of the holiday season.

St. Olaf Christmas Festival                             Monday, 12/24            8:00pm           

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival is one of the oldest and most cherished celebrations of the holidays in the United States. Featuring more than 550 student musicians, it takes place on the St. Olaf campus in Northfield, Minnesota.

Christmas with the Philadelphia Singers        Tuesday, 12/25            11:00am         

A concert of traditional and contemporary holiday music performed by the renowned choral group. This year, the famed ensemble celebrates Christmas on Logan Square with a program of 20th-century music.

Handel’s “Messiah” from Philadelphia           Tuesday, 12/25            7:00pm

Handel's holiday masterpiece performed by the "Fabulous Philadelphians" -- one of the world's great orchestras, joined by the nationally-renowned Philadelphia Singers Chorale. Richard Hickox conducts.

Concordia College Christmas Concert           Wednesday, 12/26      11:00am         

The Concordia College Christmas concert, under the direction of René Clausen, mixes traditional and new music for Christmas. It moves into the spiritual and calming waters of the beauty inspired by the season.

A Chanticleer Christmas                                 Thursday, 12/27          11:00am         

From the beautiful acoustics of St. Vincent's Church in Petaluma, California, sounds of the season from one of the world's finest choral ensembles... the twelve men of Chanticleer, led by Joseph Jennings.

Lessons and Carols from National Cathedral             Friday, 12/28   11:00am         

Each Christmas Eve, the Cathedral hosts a quietly spectacular Lesson and Carols, one of its most attended and cherished events of the year. The service combines biblical readings that chronicle the story Jesus' birth with age-old and all-new carols.

New Year’s

New Year’s Eve Special with Garrison Keillor          Monday, 12/31            9:00pm           

Treat your listeners to an evening with Garrison Keillor as he celebrates New Year's Eve from St Paul. Garrison will be joined by the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band and other Prairie Home Companion favorites for a terrific evening of music and laughter.

New Year’s Day from Vienna                        Tuesday, 1/1                10:00am

NPR and WGBH, Boston take you direct to the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna for the most popular classical music concert in the world, the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concert.

Music from the Heartland

Wednedays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 7:00 p.m.

11/7     Bradley Faculty Recital: Marcia Henry (9/30)

11/14   Knox-Galesburg Symphony (10/13)

11/21   St. Martin Chamber Players (10/24)

11/28   Peoria Symphony (10/27)

12/5     Nova Singers (10/27)

12/12   Knox-Galesburg Symphony (11/10)

12/19   Peoria Symphony (11/17)

12/26   Prairie Wind Ensemble (11/11)

1/2       Peoria Symphony (9/15)

WCBU Showcase

Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.

November 3                Testing the Schools

November 10              TBA

November 17              Intelligence Squared: Russia is Becoming Our Enemy Again
November 24              Design of Desire

December 1                 Intelligence Squared: It's Time to End Affirmative Action
December 8                 Battles of Belief in World War Two

December 15               Radio Lab: Mortality
December 22               Intelligence Squared: Aid to Africa is Doing More Harm than Good
December 29               Green Rush: The Business of Saving the Planet