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Thomas Wilkins & Music for the Holidays

November 23, 2026, 10:00 pm

Thomas Wilkins

Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins conducts a program for the holidays including Ellington’s Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Daydreams”, plus Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances.

Playlist

Carlos Simon: Four Black American Dances

Duke Ellington: The Nutcracker Suite

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, “Winter Daydreams”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: “Waltz of the Flowers” (from The Nutcracker)

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Meet the Host

Brian Lauritzen is the producer and host of Classical KUSC’s nationwide concert broadcasts of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as KUSC’s weekly arts magazine Arts Alive and the choral music program Soul Music. Additionally, Brian writes and produces features for KUSC’s more than 50 concert broadcasts each year including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Piano Spheres. His work as part of these series has been broadcast internationally by NPR, American Public Media, and the WFMT Radio Network.

During his tenure at Classical KUSC, Brian has interviewed dozens of top classical musicians and artists. Among them, Gustavo Dudamel, Itzhak Perlman, Dawn Upshaw, Valery Gergiev, Placido Domingo, John Adams, and many others. Brian is also the host of several critically acclaimed podcasts: Behind the Curtain at LA Opera and the LA Chamber Orchestra podcasts. He got his start in classical radio at WSMC in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he served as Head Announcer and Music Director.

When he’s not in the studio, you can often find Brian careening down snowy slopes (on skis–never a snowboard); chasing an errant serve (his own) outside a tennis court; or swinging his sand wedge wildly from the fairway bunker. He’s also a passionate lifelong Minnesota Twins fan and quickly learned to love the Dodgers as his National League team.

Evening Music

Evening Music

Thomas Wilkins & Music for the Holidays

Playlist