The Evening Concert on Illinois Classical
ILLINOIS CLASSICAL: The Evening Concert: DECEMBER 21 – 22 – 23 – 24 – 25 – 26, 2025
(contact trauth@illinois.edu for details).
Sunday, December 21, 6:00 pm: Chamber Mus. Soc. of Lincoln Center (CMS 26-14)
PRE-EMPTED FOR A HOLIDAY PROGRAM:
An Anonymous 4 Christmas
For Christmas, the legendary Anonymous 4 sings medieval music from England, France and Spain that praises the Virgin Mary. The devotional songs come from the Codex Las Huelgas, Montpellier Codex, and Cantigas de Santa Maria. Anglo-American ballads such as the Cherry Tree Carol and A Virgin Unspotted add a homespun seasonal touch.
Sunday, December 21, 7:00 pm: Fiesta! With Elbio Barilari (FST 25-40)
Classical Christmas in Latin America
As a priest and a professional composer working for the church, Jose Mauricio de Nunes Garcia
wrote several pieces celebrating Christmas. And in this program, Fiesta celebrates the season
with a recording of his monumental mass entitled “Missa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição”, a
great example of the early Classical style developed on this side of the Atlantic in the transition
between the 18th and the 19th century.
Monday, December 22, 7:00 pm: The New York Philharmonic (NYP 26-14)
PRE-EMPTED FOR A HOLIDAY PROGRAM:
The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2025
… … … is a brand-new, 119-minute compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from live Christmas and Midwinter Revels stage productions presented in eight cities across the United States.
Tuesday, December 23, 7:00 pm: Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO 25-52)
Handel Messiah & Tchaikovsky Nutcracker
George Frideric Handel: Part One of Messiah
Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano; Anne Gjevang, contralto; Keith Lewis, tenor; Gwynne Howell, bass-baritone;
David Schrader, harpsichord; Chicago Symphony Chorus, Margaret Hillis, director; Sir Georg Solti, cond.
Giovanni Gabrieli/Eric Crees: Sacrae Symphoniae No. 6, Sonata Pian e forte
Giovanni Gabrieli/ Eric Crees: Canzon duodecimi toni à 10
Giovanni Gabrieli/ Eric Crees: Canzon septime toni à 8 (No. 2)
CSO Brass, Mark Ridenour, conductor
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Selections from The Nutcracker, Op. 71. Fritz Reiner, conductor
Wednesday, December 24, 7:00 pm: Los Angeles Philharmonic
PRE-EMPTED FOR A HOLIDAY PROGRAM:
St. Olaf Christmas Festival
A service in song and word that 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.
Thursday, December 25, 7:00 pm: Prairie Performances with Mel Miller
Friday, December 26, 7:00 pm: Heifetz On Air
PRE-EMPTED FOR A HOLIDAY PROGRAM:
The Sounds of Kwanzaa
The Sounds of Kwanzaa with Garrett McQueen (now known as Loki Karuna)
