KPR offers special programming for holidays

LAWRENCE – KPR in December is full of gifts for listeners: special programs that celebrate the festive holiday season:

Monday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m., 'Advent Voices'

Advent is a time of quiet contemplation and waiting. It's waiting for darkness to become light and for hopes to be realized. Throughout the centuries, Advent has been observed musically in sacred and secular ways. Join Lynne Warfel for an hour of the vocal music inspired by and written for Advent.

Monday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m., 'Welcome, Christmas!'

Long a favorite from their appearances on "A Prairie Home Companion," VocalEssence rings in the season with an all-new "Welcome Christmas!" It's an hour of joyful holiday music featuring the Minneapolis-based chorus. This year's program puts the focus on old French carols, alongside two world premieres in the annual VocalEssence/American Composers Forum Christmas carol contest. The new carols call for the intriguing combination of men's chorus with English horn.

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., 'Echoes of Christmas'

Moving selections of choral classics celebrating Christmas. The Dale Warland Singers performed to listeners across the country for more than 30 years and were acclaimed as America's premiere choir. Drawing upon the archive of their live performances, Dale Warland and host Brian Newhouse create a Christmas musical treat.

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m., 'A Chanticleer Christmas'

"A Chanticleer Christmas" is a celebration of the season as told through Chanticleer, the 12-voice San Francisco-based men's choir. The program spans the globe and the centuries - from England in the 1300s to new arrangements of classic and contemporary carols.

Thursday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m., Holiday Vespers

The annual Yuletide concert by the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra and Choirs, recorded at the Lied Center in Lawrence. ities, sciences, social sciences, international and interdisciplinary studies.