Making the List

By Misty L. Harris

When I think of the holiday season, I think of two things: great food (cookies especially) and great music. Yes, I’m one of those people…as soon as Thanksgiving ends, I pull out the holiday CD collection (I secretly consider myself the holiday DJ of the family). I fill my iPad with a wide variety of music ranging from soul, classical, to jazz and “let the good times roll.” My co-workers in my immediate area have the fortune or misfortune of listening to at least 10 different versions of “White Christmas” on a daily basis. I haven’t heard any complaints as of yet.

I consider the list (playlist for all your iPod/iPad friendly people) to be a carefully selected one. One that I would be proud to share if someone asked me to bring music to a dinner gathering or party. What holiday music would you create as your soundtrack to December? Need some help thinking about that? Turn on the radio to Classical 94.5 FM WNED. The seasonal programming has begun to air and I think you will like what you hear.

For the past few years the Classical 94.5 WNED team has added a personal touch to holiday programming with making a list. Again…. very careful planning goes into this list. We’re all invited to recommend a CD, poem, book, recipe, etc. that we feel would make a great gift to someone near and dear to our listeners. We go into the studio and record either a reading of the poem, a passage from a book or a personal narrative of why a CD means so much to us during this festive time. It really does bring the spirit of the holiday out as well as a little nostalgia for my childhood when my sisters and I made sugar cookie cut-outs with my mother as we listened to our favorite Christmas tunes!

If that isn’t enough, the Classical 94.5 WNED station has local holiday programming that’s sure to spark your interests as well. The “American Legion Band of the Tonawandas” and the “Vocalis Holiday” special are two annual favorites that feature chamber music as well as seasonal favorites. And of course it wouldn’t be the holidays without the national broadcast of the “NY Philharmonic Holiday Special” featuring Leonard Bernstein, “A Leroy Anderson Christmas” and “Brother Heinrich’s Christmas & Hely Hutchinson.” The list goes on and on!

So essentially, you don’t have to pull out your old records, CD’s or new mp3 downloads - just turn on the radio to Classical 94.5 FM WNED. There has to be something in our holiday programming that is worthy enough to make your list!

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wned/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&id=1881552&pid=178&sid=2