Volume 54, Issue 4 | Holiday 2025

Giving Tuesday:

Give a Gift of Support to WYSU

You are invited to WYSU Holiday Party and Gary Sexton's Retirement Celebration text above champagne glass, music notes, and microphone images

Gary Sexton's Reitrement Celebration and WYSU Holiday Open House

The staff of WYSU would like to thank you for your generous support this year by inviting you to our Holiday Open House on Thursday, December 11, from 4:00-6:00 pm at our studios. We are located on the second floor of Melnick Hall at 655 Wick Avenue across from the Arms Family Museum. Free parking is available in lot M21 next to Melnick Hall.

Please join us for an evening of conversation, treats, holiday cheer, and celebrate station director Gary Sexton's retirement after 35 years! No reservation is required — just show up and have a good time We hope to see you there!

Give a Gift of Support to

WYSU this Giving Tuesday

As we near the end of the year, we want to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported WYSU through our Fall Pledge Drive, Together for the Long Run.

Your generosity has made this one of our most successful drives yet, and although our annual Give to WYSU Month in October has wrapped up, the pledge drive officially continues through December 31st. If you haven’t had a chance to contribute or if you’d like to make an additional year-end gift, there’s still time to help us finish strong.

Today is Giving Tuesday—a global day of generosity, where people all over the world give back to organizations that matter to them. Giving Tuesday demonstrates the possibilities of creating a collective impact. At WYSU, no gift is too small—together, your contributions keep our station alive. A gift to WYSU today makes an immediate impact, helping us continue to provide the in-depth news, ,usic, and conversation you rely on throughout the year.

As the holiday season approaches, please consider WYSU in your year-end giving plans. Your support, whether a one-time donation, a sustaining membership, or a gift in honor of someone special, helps us keep the pace and keep public radio alive. When our community comes together, no gift is too small.

Give to WYSU

Holiday Programming on WYSU

Please join us for some special holiday programming commencing on Tuesday, December 16. A full schedule is below:

Tuesday, December 16
11:00am-1:00pm, Classical Music with Jenny Tullis
Music for the holiday season including: Bach’s Magnificat in D

Wednesday, December 17
9:00am-11:00am, Classical Music with Gary Sexton
Music for the holiday season including: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Act I
11:00am-1:00pm, Classical Music with Jenny Tullis
Music for the holiday season including: Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols

Thursday, December 18
9:00am-11:00am, Classical Music with Gary Sexton
Music for the holiday season including: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Act II
11:00am-1:00pm, Classical Music with Jenny Tullis
Music for the holiday season including: Vivaldi’s Magnificat RV 611

Friday, December 19
9:00am-11:00am, Classical Music with Gary Sexton
Music for the holiday season including: Berlioz: The Childhood of Christ: Part 1: Herod's Dream
11:00am-1:00pm, Classical Music with Jenny Tullis
Music for the holiday season including: Reed’s Russian Christmas Music
7:00pm-11:00pm, The Jazz Sofa with Rick Popovich
An evening of holiday jazz favorites

Saturday, December 20
7:00pm-10:00pm, The Jazz Sofa with Rick Popovich
An evening of holiday jazz favorites
10:00pm-11:00pm, Jazz Essentials with Dave Gloss
A program of holiday jazz classics

Sunday, December 21
7:00pm-11:00pm, Sunday Baroque
An evening of holiday music from the Baroque era presented by Suzanne Bonna

Monday, December 22
11:00am-1:00pm, Classical Music with Jenny Tullis
Music for the holiday season including: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Part 1
7:00pm-9:00pm, Performance Today
Live performances of holiday music from around the country

Tuesday, December 23
9:00am-11:00am, Classical Music with Gary Sexton
Music for the holiday season including: Handel: Messiah, Part 1 and Hallelujah Chorus
7:00pm-9:00pm, Performance Today
Live performances of holiday music from around the country

Wednesday, December 24
9:00 am – 10:00 am, Christmas with Madrigalia
Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia and Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff present a concert of traditional carols, anthems and new arrangements to celebrate the winter solstice, Chanukah and Christmas around the world.
10:00 am – Noon, 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.
Noon – 1:00 pm, All Is Bright
All Is Bright, with host Lynne Warfel, offers an hour of gorgeous, contemplative choral music that tells the traditional Christmas story.
1:00 pm- 2:00 pm, Carols at Home with the Imani Winds
Carols as Home features a modern take on classic Christmas carols, hosted by Imani Winds founding oboist, Toyin Spellman-Diaz.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Classical 24
Music for the holiday season from Classical 24
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Performance Today
Live performances of holiday music from around the country

Thursday, December 25
9:00 am – 10:00 am, Welcome Christmas
The perennial Christmas favorite from VocalEssence, one of the world’s premiere choral groups featuring an hour of traditional carols and new discoveries
10:00 am – 11:00 am, Chanticleer Christmas
Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer is known as the “orchestra of voices” for its unparalleled range and abilities. This holiday season, the group brings its brand-new Christmas program includes original arrangements of well-known tunes drawn from Classical, Jazz, and Popular traditions.
11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Pittsburgh Symphony Radio: Messiah
Music Director Manfred Honeck leads the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and soloists in Handel’s Messiah.
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Your Classical Christmas Favorites
An hour holiday special highlighting the top carols based on listener votes hosted by Tom Crann and Valerie Kahler
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Performance Today
Live performances of holiday music from around the country

NPR's Books We Love

Books We Love, National Public Radio’s interactive reading guide, returns this holiday season for its fourteenth year with 300+ books published in 2025. You can mix and match “tags,” including “Book Club Ideas,” “Eye-Opening Reads,” and “Kids’ Books” to browse titles hand-picked by NPR staff and trusted critics. This year’s edition also includes hundreds of links to book coverage from NPR member stations. CLICK HERE to see this year’s selections—happy reading!

Happy Holidays from The Staff at WYSU!

Thank you for listening and for your generous support throughout another year. We really appreciate it, and we look forward to being your radio station of choice in 2026. We hope to see you at our Holiday Open House!

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