Boston, Mass. - (Nov. 26, 2024) – GBH is celebrating the joy of the holiday season with the return of the GBH Music Holiday Spectacular, GBH’s annual holiday concert featuring some of the top musical acts in Massachusetts. GBH Music will also debut a new holiday stream, GBH Music’s Holiday Jazz starting on Friday, Nov. 29, offering jazz renditions of holiday classics on GBH.org and the GBH News app.

The GBH Music Holiday Spectacular, to be held on Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in GBH’s Calderwood Studio in Brighton, will feature a curated lineup of holiday music from the Renaissance and beyond, including festive Jazz favorites. Featured performers include a harp and violin duo from the Boston Pops; a mesmerizing blend of voice, baroque harp, and harpsichord, with soprano Amanda Forsythe and members of the Boston Early Music Festival Vocal and Chamber Ensembles; Fabiola Méndez, a captivating vocalist and Puerto Rican cuatro player; the Rich Greenblatt Group, a dynamic vibraphone jazz trio; Voices Boston, an inspirational children’s choir led by Dan Ryan; and the Boston University Trumpet Ensemble led by Terry Everson. CRB Classical 99.5 afternoon drive host Greg Ferrisi will host the concert. The GBH Music Holiday Spectacular is sponsored by M. Steinert & Sons.

Tickets to attend GBH Music Holiday Spectacular in person can be purchased online at classical.org/events. The concert will also be available as a free livestream on classicalwcrb.org and gbh.org/music with advance registration. It will later be broadcast on GBH 2 on Dec. 20 at 9 p.m., GBH 44 on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 24 at 12 p.m., and again on GBH 2 on Dec. 25 at 10 p.m.

For the first time, GBH will launch a holiday jazz stream, GBH Music’s Holiday Jazz, offering jazz renditions of holiday classics and seasonal favorites. Created by GBH Music’s Jazz on 89.7 host Al Davis, the stream will be available on GBH.org and the GBH News app. Additionally, GBH Jazz Nights at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square will celebrate the holidays with a free live performance by Fabiola Méndez on Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. Known for her blend of jazz and Latin rhythms, Mendez will perform a selection of seasonal music alongside original works from her newest album, “Flora Campesina.”

“GBH Music provides a magical soundtrack to your season,” said Sam Brewer, General Manager of GBH Music. “From CRB Classical 99.5’s mix which includes 500 years of holiday classics to our new Holiday Jazz stream, to the GBH Music Holiday Spectacular, and radio broadcasts culminating in a CRB In Concert with Holiday Pops, we’re bringing seasonal, family-friendly listening to all during this special time of year.”

CRB holiday programming begins Dec. 1 and comes to a crescendo with two full days of festive seasonal music on Dec. 24 and 25. Each Sunday evening in December, CRB listeners can enjoy holiday performances from across the region as part of CRB In Concert. Offerings will include a Boston Camerata performance of Gloria! An Italian Christmas on Dec. 1; Blue Heron’s Christmas in Medieval England on Dec. 8; Handel’s Messiah, with Boston Baroque on Dec. 15; and Holiday Pops 2024! on Dec. 22.

On GBH 89.7, Christmas Eve with Oedipus returns, taking listeners on a journey through some of the most spectacular holiday music you didn’t know you needed. Christmas Eve with Oedipus begins Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. and continues through midnight, ending with Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” Christmas Eve with Oedpius has aired on GBH 89.7 FM and streamed on wgbh.org every year since 2015.

Listeners at home can set the scene for holiday festivities with three streams available to choose from on classicalwcrb.org, the CRB app, and via smart speakers. The Perfect Holiday Party Soundtrack features beloved classics like “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The Ultimate Holiday Classical Mix includes classic carols and holiday music from across centuries and around the world. Heavenly Holiday Classics celebrates the season with music from the Baroque, Renaissance, and beyond, featuring works like Handel’s “Messiah,” Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” and Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols.”

For more information on GBH Music’s holiday programs, visit classicalwcrb.org and wgbh.org/music/jazz.

About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, ARTHUR and MOLLY OF DENALI and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.

Media Contact
Vitoria Poejo
GBH External Relations
917-597-3353
Vitoria_Poejo@wgbh.org