Euroradio Christmas Music Day

Every year, the Euroradio Christmas Music Day is eagerly awaited by listeners throughout Europe and beyond. On the Sunday before Christmas, EBU radio organizations contribute live or deferred concerts of music focused on the theme of Christmas. It has been one of the EBU’s most popular offerings ever since it first aired in 1995.

One of the keys to the Day’s appeal resides in its closeness, not only to radio listeners but also to the live audiences at the concert venues, who may enjoy traditional ceremonies or even be asked to sing along with the performers. The potential repertory is vast, ranging from traditional carols to Baroque sacred music and contemporary a cappella works.

2024 Edition

Our most eagerly anticipated shared broadcast event, the Euroradio Christmas Music Day, will take place this year on 15 December 2024. Once again, the day joins listeners together from all over Europe and beyond just before Christmas, to share in a marathon of concert broadcasts from country to country, every hour, on the hour. This year’s edition will feature 15 concerts from 11 countries, kicking off at 8:00 UTC with glorious French Noëls from Montreal, and landing in London with cellist Abel Selaocoe and the BBC Singers at 22:00 UTC. Other highlights include a stretch of live broadcasts from trio sonatas and Czech carols in Prague, a Christmas jazz spectacular from the WDR Big Band from Cologne, and a twist on Finnish carols with singer Emma Salokoski from Helsinki. Of course, no Christmas Music Day can be complete without Bach, so we’ll hear his cantatas from the incredible acoustics of Hallgrím's Church in Reykjavík, and before that, we’ll travel to medieval Riga to hear the old musical practices and instruments with Schola Cantorum Riga.

This edition has been curated by Ivana Neimarević, Head of Music, Radio Belgrade 3.

The offer is available in MUS under the reference EURO/2024-2025/N/001-015.

The Euroradio Christmas Music Day would not be possible without the longstanding technical support of BBC Radio 3.

List of concerts

French Noëls, from Montreal
Marianne Lambert, soprano
Valérie Milot, harp
Stéphane Tétreault, cello
Frédéric Demers, trumpet
Recorded on 8 December 2024
Radio Canada

Cererols Choir, from Barcelona
Marc Díaz, organ and conductor
Recorded on 9 December 2024
Catalunya Música (Spain)

German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, from Saarbrücken
Axel Kober, conductor
Recorded on 29 November 2024
SR (Germany)

Dresden Chamber Chorus, from Dresden
Hans-Christoph Rademann, conductor
Recorded on 1 December 2024
Deutschlandfunk Kultur

The Baltic Way String Quartet, from Vilnius
Live on 15 December 2024
LRT (Lithuania)

Emma Salokoski, singer, from Helsinki
Ilmiliekki Quartet
Live on 15 December 2024
Yle (Finland)

Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, from Prague
Live on 15 December 2024
Czech Radio

Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble, from Copenhagen
Martina Batič, conductor
Live on 15 December 2024
Danish Radio

Petri Sångare, from Malmö
Duo West/Rydvall, flute and nyckelharpa
Live on 15 December 2024
Swedish Radio

Bavarian Radio Chorus, from Munich
Howard Arman, conductor
Live on 15 December 2024
BR (Germany)

Lynne Fiddmont, singer, from Cologne
WDR Big Band
Bob Mintzer, conductor
Live on 15 December 2024
WDR (Germany)

Madrid Community Chorus, from Madrid
Ana González, conductor
Recorded on 2 December 2024
RTVE (Spain)

Schola Cantorum Riga, from Riga
Guntars Prānis, director and hurdy-gurdy
Live on 15 December 2024
Latvian Radio

Hallgrím's Church Choir, from Reykjavík
Brák Baroque Ensemble
Recorded on 1 December 2024
RÚV (Iceland)

BBC Singers, from London
Abel Selaocoe, director, vocals and cello
Recorded on 5 December 2024
BBC (United Kingdom)

Christmas Favourites from Around the World

EBU Music has gathered a playlist of most-loved winter pieces from around Europe, for broadcast in the weeks leading up to/during Euroradio Christmas Music Day: a unique collection of beloved seasonal music selected by 27 EBU radio organizations. See in MUS Part I and Part II.