Future Classic Women Awards – Christmas Special 2021

Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today is that same time of the year when we actually have our fantastic Christmas special episode with contributions from past winners, nominees, and upcoming guests of Future Classic Women Awards, 4th edition in lockdown. We're going to start with Aliki, the finalist of our Future Classic Women Awards second edition, with nothing else but the most beautiful white Christmas. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the woods I used to know, where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow. I'm dreaming of a Christmas streaming over white Christmas. With every Christmas card I write, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmas Massas be white. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. With every Christmas card I write, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmas wishes How beautiful! And today actually we had a little snow up here in Kent where I'm living right now, so fantastic. Now the next, um, song to bring us to the Christmas mood is the wonderful winner of the first edition of Future Classic Women Awards, the number one classical album-selling soprano Joanna Forest with O Holy Night. O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the holy sinner there abiding till he appeared and the soul felt his birth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. They Thunder breaks anew and glory's born. Fall on your knees. Oh, hear the angel voices. Anahardim. When Christ was born. On night divine. On night. On night divine. Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains he shall break. All the slave is a brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease. Passion shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy, grateful chorus raise we. Let all within us praise his holy name. Christ is the Lord. His name forever praise away. On earth, on earth, on earth, when Christ is born. On earth, heaven, Onight, divine. Fall on your knees. Oh, healing your voices. Onight, divine. A night when Christ was born. A night divine. A night, a night divine. So beautiful. This was Joanna Forrest with O Holy Night. Now we pass to the latest winner of the third edition of Future Classical Women Awards, the wonderful Welsh soprano Ellen Williams, and she's here with her version of I Wish You Christmas by Rutter. I wish you starlight, fields of snow, for winter's morning light and evening's glow. I wish you candles that shine from from every tree, so all the world can see the light that there could be. I wish you music, I wish you song, with voices echoing joyous and strong. I wish you church bells ringing true and clear, We wish you Christmas, a Merry Christmas, a Merry Christmas to remember all thy years. Oh, trust my love. Thinking of times gone by, young friends laughing. Christmas is here, spirits are bright, and hopes are high. I wish you loved ones Surround your fire. May Christmas bring you all your heart's desire. I wish your children to make the season new with dreams you help come true, just like it was for you. I wish you blessings. I wish you love. The sound of angel choirs from high above. I wish you laughter, happiness, and cheer. I wish you Christmas, a Merry Christmas, and may its joy and peace be with you through the year. I wish you music, I wish you song, I wish you harmony your whole life long, though the thought of memories might longer remain. We wish you Christmas, a Merry Christmas, and may God bless you till we all shall meet again. And this was the angelic voice of soprano Ellen Williams with I Wish You Christmas by Luther. What a fantastic song! Now we have a brilliant, amazing composer, experimental pianist, Beth Chen, with her own arrangement of Deck the Halls. Very beautiful again and original as usual. But Chen, fantastic composer, with her own version of Deck the Halls. Now back to Aliki from her fantastic Christmas album, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Make the Yule tide gay. From now on, our troubles will be Miles away. Here you are, as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us, —near to us once more. Through the years, we all will be together if the fates allow. Have a shining sleep on the highest— So hope yourself a merry little Christmas now. Merry Christmas, happy Christmas. and love, and the shining star above is yours. So hope yourself a Merry Little Christmas. No— How beautiful this was! Fantastic, Ali Kiwitt, have yourself a merry little Christmas. Now, to everyone who's listening this very special episode, do send us messages on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or of course to the Women's Radio Station to tell us which one is your favorite Christmas song, which one is your soundtrack for the holidays. And, you know, it's just a special time of the year where everyone is going back to their families. And, you know, we hope this Christmas we will be able to celebrate it all together. And so the next guest is the finalist of Future Classical Women Awards 3rd edition and the founder and director of the brilliant Classical Crossover magazine. Soprano Natasha Barbieri with One Little Boy featuring Joshua Cohen. One little boy is just a dot in all the human race. One little boy is is just a spot upon this planet's face. And when he is no longer there, a billion take the place of one little boy. But one little boy can sing a song and have a world of fun. One little boy can grow up strong and leap and jump and run. And you'd want to see him grow. If he could be your son, that one little boy. If he passes on, after he's gone, there's one less in the nation. Let him rest in peace, and he will decrease the surplus population. That's what you thought not long ago. That's what you thought, but now you know that one little boy who cannot walk is not a broken toy. One little boy can laugh and talk and fill a home with joy. And no one else could take the place of that one little boy. That one little boy. How lovely! This was One Little Boy, sung by Natasha Barbieri, featuring at the piano Joshua Goins, um, for our very special Christmas episode of Future Classic Women Awards. Next guest is again the brilliant pianist and composer Bel Cian with her own jingle bells. Wonderful. This was Jingle Bells, Bell Chan rework by pianist composer, um, Bell Chan. Now back to Aliki from her Christmas album with a very special track, Ave Maria. Ave Maria. Gracias, Padre. Dominus, Dominus tecum. Benedicat tu in mulieribus, et benedictus Amore! Ora pro nobis. Ora, ora pro nobis, peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis In or a mortis, no, in or a mortis mortis nostrae, in or a mortis Please, no, no, no. This was Aliki, Ave Maria. So beautiful, so peaceful, from her latest album on Christmas. And now the next song we're going to listen to on Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station is Ellen Williams, our Welsh soprano, uh, winner of the second edition of, um, Future Classic Men Awards, and she's gonna sing for us Christmas Words. O, star-lit heavens, candles gleaming inside, painted candy canes on the tree. Santa's on his way, he's filled his sleigh with things, things for you and me. For me. It's not time of year when the world falls in love. Every song you hear seems to say Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true. O, and this song of mine in three-quarter time wishes you, Leos, the same thing too. to say Merry Christmas. May your New Year dreams come true. And this song of mine in three-quarter time wishes you and yours the How beautiful. This was Ellen Williams with, um, Christmas words. Now, um, I'd like to tell all our wonderful listeners, um, to take the opportunity during the holidays as well to listen to this wonderful artist We have the podcast on the playlist of the Women's Radio Station, where you can listen to their winning episodes, where they were telling us, you know, about their wonderful change in their career as well by these opportunities of winning this radio competition, and as well their first interviews. And some of them have come back more than once. With new albums, and you can follow their careers, you know, evolving, um, and their fantastic success, um, on, on our radio programs, Future Classic Women Awards. Um, as well, we're very proud to announce that the women's radio station has won many awards this year, including the London Enterprise Awards for most dedicated well-being and mental health platform, and won the outstanding contribution to mental health as the APA Award 2020 and the Audio Production Awards in 2019, Best Radio Station for Diversity and Media Radio Awards, National Diversity Awards, and so many more. So do support the radio and all the other wonderful programs that you can hear every day, both live and in our podcast, for the Women's Radio Station and the counterpart that is the Men Radio Station about mental health and well-being. This is a community interest charitable company, nonprofit, and we welcome your support through sponsorship and advertising and donation. High sweetly singing on the plains; On the mountains it replys echoing their joyous strains: Gloria in excelsis Deo! Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing. Come adore unbindingly Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Fantastic! This was Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Angel We've Heard on High, by Aliki. And now we would like to go and listen to another one of the Christmas classics, Adeste Fidelis. Felicity adoremus Dominum! Felicité adoramem! Felicité adoremus felici— Adoremos... Felicite odoremus tuam! This was Adeste Fidelis, uh, sung by the wonderful voice of Aliki. And now we'd like to listen again to Natasha Barbieri, um, finalist of Future Classical Music Awards, the third edition. And founder again of the fantastic Classic Crossover Magazine. I recommend everyone to look for it. You can find a brilliant interview and podcast as well on YouTube, and I had the pleasure to be a guest of her program. So, um, search for Classic Crossover Magazine to hear many more wonderful crossover artists performing their crossover concert, Classical Crossover Magazine concert. So we're here now, Natasha Bravieri with her Christmas song, A Place Called Home. There's a place called home I can almost Home Sea, with a red front door and a roaring fire and a Christmas tree. It's a place called home, full of love and family. And I'm there at the door, watching you come home to me. Through the years, I'll recall this day in your memory. Rose when I finally found my way to a place called home and a life with you where the days are long and love is strong. And the dreams are true. Just a place called home. You and I will always see through the dark of the night. Let your heart come home to me. To the place in my heart where you're always home with me. Through the years, I recall this day. In your arms, when I finally found my way to a place called home. And a life with you, where the days are long and The love is strong and the dreams are true. Just a place called home that my heart will always see. In the dark of the night, Let your heart come home to me, to the place in my heart where you're always home with me. So beautiful. This was Natasha Barbieri, um, finalist of the third edition of Future Classic Women Awards with A Place Called Home. And now, um, the finalist of the very first edition of Future Classic Women Awards, Ida Girls, uh, with their single Believe. Children sleeping, snow is softly falling. Dreams are calling like bells in the distance. We walk towards us, not so long ago. But one by one, we all had to grow up. When it seems the magic slipped away, we find it all again on Christmas Day. Believe in what your heart is saying. Hear the melody. There's no time to waste, there's so much to celebrate. Believe in what you feel inside and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need if you just believe. Trainz moov quickly to the journey's end. Destination— I— where we begin. Ships go sailing far across the sea, singing trusty starlight to get when they need to be— When it seems that there's no way out! It seems that we have lost our way. We find ourselves again on Christmas Day. Believe in what your heart is saying. Hear the melody that's playing. There's no time to waste. There's so much to celebrate. Believe in what If you feel inside you, give your dreams a wings to fly. You have everything you need if you just believe. If you just believe. If you just believe. If you just believe, just believe, just believe. And so this was the wonderful Ida Girls London, stunning soprano, um, finalist of the very first edition of Future Classic Women Awards. We had Georgie Mottram coming often on the women's radio station. We're We're gonna have her again with their latest, um, singles, and that was Believe. And now Joanna Forrest with Christmas song that is Story. Winter chill, rejected in a stall, while shepherds come to call, our Savior's life begins. Then did we upon a cross endure— to redeem our human sins. That is his story, poverty to glory. So tell the song, the Christmas choir, Sings. Om Holy, Om Jesus was the child who became the King of Kings. A Christmas choir sings, "Hallelujah!" Jesus was a child who became the King of Kings. King, he came, the King of Kings. So beautiful. That is the story by UK number one classical album-selling soprano Joanna Forrest. And now back to Welsh soprano Ellen Williams with number one in the official iTunes classical charts with their single Dancing with the Angels. This evening, angels come to visit me, all the light and magic bringing underneath the Christmas tree. O tomorrow, Oh, joy unbounded, love and laughter overflowing, time forgiving and for sharing all around the Christmas tree. Leave your sorrow far behind you. This is the gift of Christmas Day. For our loved ones He departed, he remained not on this day. For the yuletide tells the story of a Savior born to thee. They are dancing with the angels all around the Christmas tree. Hear their voices for them In winter's twilight, warm your heart forever sing. They are dancing with the angels all around the Christmas tree. All together round the Christmas tree. And so this was Ellen Williams with Dancing with the Angels, the last track of our special episode for Future Classic Women Awards. Um, you can catch up on their intriguing interviews full of music, crazy stories, funny mishaps, and challenging experiences, um, every day at 10 AM and 10 PM on the multi-awards Women's Radio Station or on the classical— on the Future Classic Women Awards podcast of the Women's Radio Station website or SoundCloud channel. If you have any questions that you would like to ask to our guest or nomination for our future Kazakhman Awards, please email presenters@womensradiostation.com or tweet us @WomensRadioSDN. So a big thanks to all our guests for the beautiful, beautiful music played today, and our warmest wishes of a lovely Christmas holiday from all of us at the Women's Radio Station.