Great Sacred Music

Over 4 hours of inspiring music.

Our weekly schedule of Great Sacred Music draws from the traditions of many faiths.

Sing for Joy

SUNDAYS AT 7:30 a.m. EASTERN

Produced by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., Sing for Joy is a 30-minute program of great choral music and thoughtful commentary.

The musical performances eloquently “do the talking,” while the Rev. Alexandra M. Jacob, your host, concisely illuminates the meaning.

Great Sacred Music

SUNDAYS, 8:00 a.m. TO NOON EASTERN

We get your Sunday morning off to a gentle start. During Hour 1, you’ll hear a variety of shorter choral and organ works, from the Renaissance through the 20th century.

Then, a Bach cantata airs at approximately 9:00 a.m. Eastern. A major choral work follows. A regular feature of the program is a commentary offered by a distinguished church musician or member of the clergy.

During hours 3 and 4, we feature major choral works such as oratorios, masses and requiems.  Your host is James Steelmon.

Fall 2026

This fall brings monumental works from Berlioz, Rutter, Janáček, Dvořák, Biber, Hildegard von Bingen, and more, paired each week with a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach.

September

• September 6
  Berlioz: Te Deum
  Bach: Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78
• September 13
  Tavener: Lament for Jerusalem
  Bach: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 99
• September 20
  Rutter: Mass of the Children
  Bach: Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
• September 27
  Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
  Bach: Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148

October

• October 4
  Dvořák: Te Deum
  Bach: Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn, BWV 96
• October 11
  Biber: Missa Salisburgensis
  Bach: Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5
• October 18
  Gretchaninov: All-Night Vigil
  Bach: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180
• October 25
  Mozart: Mass in C, K. 66, “Domenicus”
  Bach: Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38

November

• November 1
  Handel: Dettingen Te Deum
  Bach: Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV 115
• November 8
  Hildegard von Bingen: Hymns and Sequences
  Bach: Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139
• November 15
  Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir
  Bach: Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig, BWV 26
• November 22
  Gounod: St. Cecilia Mass
  Bach: Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!, BWV 70
• November 29
  Mendelssohn: Magnificat
  Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61

Great Sacred Music is made possible by our listeners. To support the program, contact Mary Moonen at BusinessSupport@TheClassicalStation.org or call 919-556-5178.

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Great Sacred Music is made possible by our listeners and the following people and organizations:

• All Saints Anglican Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
• The Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• First Presbyterian Church, Durham, North Carolina
• The Kirk of Kildare, Cary, North Carolina
• University Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Dr. & Mrs. Harold Chapman, Macon, Georgia
• David Crabtree, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Ms. Ethel Girvin, Timberlake, North Carolina
• Dr. Alfred Goshaw, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Dr. Jerry Grise, Cary, North Carolina
• Mrs. Carole Keeler, Raleigh, North Carolina
• The Rev. David Livingstone James, Cary, North Carolina
• James H. Lazenby, Fearrington Village, North Carolina
• William Marley, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Thomas Nutt-Powell, Boston, Massachusetts
• Blaine Hall Paxton, Fearrington Village, North Carolina
• William Raper of Trinity Concepts, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Carter Reed, Montgomery, Alabama
• Claude and Sarah Snow, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

If you or your organization would like to be a patron of Great Sacred Music, please e-mail Mary Moonen!