Good morning!
This weekend, I was on a video call with my family, who asked, "What time does the sun set today?"
"Probably 4:30," I said, and then checked my weather app, only to discover that the sun would actually set at 4:12pm. This is the part of winter I like the least — each day a little darker than the one that came before. It's no wonder, then, that so many of our winter holidays are celebrations of light. It's even less of a wonder that those celebrations, lit by flickering candles or brightly-colored bulbs, are also times of gathering and community, and most importantly for this newsletter, of song.
So many of my glowing holiday memories center around music: caroling parties, with friends and family crowded around a piano; outings to the Holiday Pops, or to A Christmas Celtic Sojourn; evenings curled up at home with a good book and a mug of something warm, a Nat King Cole CD playing in the other room. In these dark and cold midwinter days, music keeps us warm — or, at risk of sounding corny as all get-out, at least it warms our hearts.
With that in mind, it's high time to turn on some holiday tunes! You can find all of our holiday music programming here, including our three 24/7 holiday music streams: Heavenly Holiday Classics, Perfect Holiday Party Soundtrack, and Ultimate Holiday Classical Mix. A neat trick: you can play the holiday streams on your smart speaker, too! Here's how.
What else is happening at CRB? Read on!
EVENTS
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
-
Celebrate the joy, connection, and unforgettable moments Keith has brought to the Boston Pops and our community since 1995, with special guests including Ben Folds, Lynn Ahrens, Bernadette Peters, Time for Three, and others.
WCRB IN CONCERT
-
On WCRB In Concert with Rockport Music, the "Terras" share stories of love and passion through lush chamber music by Strauss, Webern, Mendelssohn, and Zemlinsky.
THE BACH HOUR
-
On The Bach Hour, Ton Koopman leads Amsterdam Baroque in a work that broke new ground for the composer, expressing a path from “anxious conscience” to an embrace of self-assurance. -
In a performance at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, Iranian-born pianist Ramin Bahrami is the soloist in Bach's emotionally probing D minor concerto.
BLOG
-
Ever wonder about countertenors? CRB’s lead music programmer Will Peacock, himself a countertenor, addresses some burning questions about the enigmatic voice type, and explores the complex history surrounding gender and voice. -
How to plan your first trip to the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in the Berkshires, according to WCRB's Operations Manager, Phil Jones. -
Just like summer roller coasters, we've got music to take you from your feel-good morning groove to wild abandon, and everything in between.
ONE LAST THING
The Note is always free, but this week, it's even freer — we're sharing it online so you can share it with your friends! If you've read this far, first of all, thank you; second of all, share this link on social media so your friends know they can subscribe here.
Have a great week! I'll talk to you soon.
Kendall Todd