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Overtures and orchestral medleys from Broadway's best and beyond featuring purely instrumental tunes from the shows you love.

Joseph Bologne was the first notable classical composer of African descent. He led a diverse and fascinating life as not only a composer and virtuoso violinist, but also a soldier and champion fencer. His music has often been likened to Mozart. Listeners can decide for themselves!

Have a Proustian moment as we travel through a wintry landscape with music that makes you remember the first time you saw snow.

Mellow classical and classical adjacent cello music from Yo Yo Ma, Takenobu, David Darling, Ben Sollee, Dom La Nena and more.

Local rock musician Charlie Pastorfield joins Ken in the WTJU studios, where Ken will try to turn Charlie on to some of his favorite classical pieces. Will he succeed?

What inspired Antonin Dvorak to write his works?  Definitely the folk songs of his homeland and the countries he lived in,  but there were other motivations for Dvorak to compose his works.  Join Penelope and Thann as they lead you through the inspirations of Dvorak.

Violin and vielle player David McCormick will be joined by double bass player Sam Suggs for an eclectic set of medieval dances, 19th century fiddle tunes, Bach arrangements, and original compositions.

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Ferruccio Busoni, a pianist of unparalleled virtuosity in a time when piano playing was at its romantic peak. He was also a composer of strange otherworldly music, pioneering the use of synthetic scales, Neoclassicism and other styles and techniques. But he remained tied to the past; Mozart, Italian opera and in particular his "collaboration" with Johann Sebastian Bach, which in itself runs to ten volumes of music. Uncle Dave Lewis will unpeel the onion on this great, and somewhat underappreciated, composer.

Join Ralph Graves as he wiles away the late evening and early morning hours with glorious music. He'll be featuring recent recordings and even some music of the season!

How many depictions of the sun can Andrew find in the world of classical music? From gentle dawns and bright bursts of morning light to the dramatic rise of the sun over distant landscapes, tune in as we explore the music that brings the morning to life. Join us for a radiant journey through pieces inspired by sunrises, daybreaks, and early morning scenes—each one a perfect soundtrack to start your day with warmth and energy. Let’s see how many musical sunrises we can uncover!

A star-studded showcase of female vocalists who have played Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway (and now on film!) highlighting different parts of their careers. No actual songs from Wicked, only upon request alongside your generous pledge, of course!

This will showcase Haydn’s enormous catalog of works in all genres, baryton trios, piano trios, symphonies, string quartets and even works for mechanical clock!

Celebrate the time of year with Hanukkah, Sephardic, and Latino music.

Join Paula for music from Delibes, Adolphe Adam, Ravel, and Offenbach.

Children and adults alike love the story and music of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. Can you match each instrument with the character it personifies? Can you hear what the characters are doing in the music? We'll hear multiple narrators take turns regaling us of the exploits of Peter and his friends, including David Bowie and Leonard Bernstein. And we'll hear from children what they like best about this famous story and music.

A live performance from the Albemarle High School Choral Ensemble. The Choral program at Albemarle High School consists of 6 choirs, covering a wide range of choral levels and styles. Choirs perform three major concerts per year at the school, with additional performances throughout Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Our choirs consistently receive superior ratings at District Assessment and spring festivals. For years, they have been awarded Grand Champion status at festivals along the East Coast, and in Texas, California, Canada and the Bahamas. Students are consistently selected for District Chorus and the Virginia All-State Chorus. Their choirs have been under the direction of Jennifer Morris since 1992. Maddie Sheldon serves as accompanist.

Take a musical deep breath after final exams or as you prepare for the holiday bustle with a sound bath of classical music for relaxation, meditation, and contemplation. Research shows that sound baths can ease physical tension and anxiety and improve mood. Matt Fritts will offer an eclectic and soothing blend of solo, ensemble, and orchestral works to enhance your mental and emotional well-being.

Join Ralph Graves as he wiles away the late evening and early morning hours with glorious music. He'll be featuring recent recordings and even some music of the season!

The golden age of light classical music was the period immediately after World War II. We'll be featuring American masters, such as Leroy Anderson, as well as the best of British practitioners, such as Eric Coates, Albert Ketelby, and Trevor Duncan. I guarantee as you listen you'll say more than once, "So that's the name of that piece!"

Spinning tracks of the fab four and related classical selections that highlight the confluence of classical chamber and orchestral music and the production elements that EMI producer George Martin incorporated in the Beatle recording sessions.

In the late sixties and into the 70’s, there was a wave of Rock bands making albums with classical orchestras. Join Dusty as we hear bands such as The Moody Blues, The Beatles, Procol Harum and many more.

Art pop musician Kate Bush has woven classical elements into her albums since the late 1970s. These elements have included a full orchestra (or a string quartet), traditional Irish instruments, the classical use of voices through choral arrangements and Bulgarian chanting, Baroque/Renaissance interludes with harpsichord and organs, and even classical Spanish guitar.

Improvisation didn't start with jazz, and more classical musicians are reclaiming the practice, exploring the edges of composition and turning performance into a creative, collaborative moment. We'll survey the history of classical improvisation and see where it leads...

Although better known as a jazz artist, Keith Jarrett has also pursued classical music. We'll listen to his classical output from Bach and Handel to Barber and Harrison.

A live performance from the Albemarle High School String Ensemble

Icelandic “post-rock” band, Sigur Rós, is known for lush, ethereal, oft experimental compositions. Frontman, Jónsi, uses a bowed guitar and sings in Icelandic and non-linguistic vocalisations the band calls Vonlenska. Keyboardist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist,Kjartan Sveinsson, has contributed most of the orchestral and string arrangements for their later work. They have released several pieces with classical elements and/or minimalist aesthetic and have toured with classical ensembles. For their scheduled 2025 tour Sigur Rós will play in some of the world’s most iconic orchestral venues along with a 41 piece orchestra. Tune in for a moody winter wander through a stunning soundscape that will warm you to the blurred lines of genre.

Join Ralph Graves as he wiles away the late evening and early morning hours with glorious music. He'll be featuring recent recordings and even some music of the season!

It is possible to listen to a classical music program and never leave the friendly confines of Western Europe (hopefully not when listening to WTJU!). After all, the big names like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms were from the same geographic region. But the truth is that there has been great art music in the tradition of “classical music” written virtually everywhere humans have lived. This show will focus on the Americas – North, South, and Central America – with a variety of musical styles that will surprise, amaze, and delight!

A deep dive into classic Hollywood film scores composed by European emigres.

Join us as we celebrate the 150th birthdays of three groundbreaking composers who reshaped the landscape of 20th-century music: Arnold Schoenberg, Charles Ives, and Gustav Holst. In this program, we’ll explore some of their most compelling works, from Holst’s cosmic inspirations to Ives’ imaginative orchestral collages, alongside selections from Schoenberg’s explorations of color and texture. Discover how these composers’ radical ideas continue to resonate, offering listeners a journey through the early sounds of modernism, marked by innovation, experimentation, and bold artistic visions.

A celebration of composer Michael Oldfield, featuring his hit Tubular Bells paired with other of his songs toeing the line between classical and rock music.

From Beethoven to Bartok, Grieg, Grainger, and Copland (among  others), many wonderful classical pieces have been based on folk songs or folklore. Tune in and enjoy a diverse collection of folk-inspired classical music.

Most pianists, connoisseurs, and lovers of the piano agree that the Russian Pianist Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) was one of the greats of the 20th Century and a foremost exponent of the Russian School, emphasizing, emotion and sound-painting as opposed to mere mechanical perfection. He disdained recording and hated planning a tour schedule. He often played in small venues with little advance notice. Spontaneity figured large in his performances. At times he would return to the recital hall after the performance if he were dissatisfied with his playing and play through the entire program again in an empty hall. Central to his repertoire were the works of Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Prokofiev, and Debussy, in addition to the Russian concerto literature. He remains a figure of legendary stature to Russian pianists. We’ll hear a small sampling of his recorded legacy, and you can judge for yourselves why he is considered a legend to many who love the piano.

Join us for the first half of a festive journey through beloved renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. From iconic performances to unexpected interpretations, we’ll revel in the music and magic that make this holiday classic timeless.

An eclectic mix of classical, minimalist, ambient and cross-genre soundscapes inspired by night, celestial bodies, sleep and dreams. Music by Sufjan Stevens, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, George Crumb, Meredith Monk, Harold Budd, and many others for your late-night listening pleasure.

Join Ralph Graves as he wiles away the late evening and early morning hours with glorious music. He'll be featuring recent recordings and even some music of the season!

Building on the classical guitar programs on Classical Sunrise Fridays, this show hosted by Don Melcher and Michael Pillow will explore the relationship between the two instruments and some of the notable composers and musicians associated with the lute and classical guitar.

A Little Something For Everyone Else -- Each Friday morning at 9 am Shari Barbour entertains Charlottesville Classical listeners with "A Little Something for Everyone." It's a lively hour of light classics and other music blended with a healthy dose of fun. This show brings the magic of "A Little Something" to our WTJU audience. Shari will present a special two-hour edition of her program, showing you what enjoy every Friday on CharlottesvilleClassical.org.

Within the past century that our American jazz artform has existed there have been countless modern interpretations of European classical music compositions. Established artists including Regina Carter, Duke Ellington, The Modern Jazz Quartet, James Booker, Hazel Scott, and Jacques Loussier have naturally adapted the works of J.S. Bach, Paganini and Chopin to express their deep creativity and add a new facet to some of the world's most beloved classical masterworks.

Join Brian Keena, host of The Jazz Messenger program, on a two hour odyssey as we take a sublime dive into music deeply rooted in Western culture and history. It's all part of the 2024 WTJU Classical Music Marathon, a community resource for all of us.

Featuring historic recordings of Henryk Szeryng, Yehudi Menuhin, Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Nathan Milstein, and Fritz Kreisler, along with their collaborations.

From moments of exquisite beauty to chaotic descents into madness, Baroque opera gives voice to the most extreme of human emotions and continues to push the limits of virtuosity. We'll hear the era's great arias and some hidden pearls.

While he is best known for his collaborations with William S. Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan wrote more than operettas. On a special classical marathon edition of On With the Show, we’ll listen to the overtures from Gilbert and Sullivan shows, plus music that Sullivan wrote for ballets, orchestral works, and incidental music for Shakespeare plays.

Live performance from Western Albemarle High School chamber ensembles.

Though the seeds of minimalist music were planted in the early 20th century by composers like Erik Satie and John Cage, it wasn't until the early 1960's, and specifically, the 1964 premiere of Terry Riley's In C, that minimalism announced itself as a potent and popular musical movement. We'll celebrate 60 years of the vibrant and varied music that followed, with classics by Riley, Reich, Glass and Adams, but we'll spend most of our time exploring lesser-known minimalist gems.

We'll continue our celebration of 60 years of minimalism by airing two seminal works started in 1964: Terry Riley's groundbreaking "In C," and La Monte Young's epic and dreamy "The Well-Tuned Piano," the end point of 20 years of deep exploration of alternative tunings and the resonant potential of the piano.

What happens when instruments not typically associated with classical music are not only played but given the solos and made first chair? Accordion, bagpipe, banjo and more...

Modern holiday musical traditions really formed in the Victorian age. We'll be serving up a selection of sacred and secular music of the season from Arthur Sullivan, Pietor Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Howard Blake, and many more!

Each week, "Heifetz On Air" presents captivating performances by Heifetz International Music Institute students, alums, and faculty -- recorded on stage in Staunton and in WTJU's Charlottesville studios. This Sunday Heifetz President and CEO Ben Roe looks back at some of this year's highlights.

The works of the 2nd Viennese school (Schoenburg, Berg, and Webern) will alternate back to back with the works of the 1st (Beethoven Haydn and Mozart).

This title highlights two iconic works by Mussorgsky and Stravinsky, while also referencing their transformative impact on classical music.

Rivers can be calm or raging, tranquil or fierce.  But they are all inspiring to composers, with their captive moods and sound.  Join Penelope and Thann as they explore these compositions created by composers such as Modest Mussorgsky, William Bolcom, and Percy Grainger.

Join us for the second half of a festive journey through beloved renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. From iconic performances to unexpected interpretations, we’ll revel in the music and magic that make this holiday classic timeless.

Greg Brown dives into the exhilarating crossover between classical and metal music, where headbangers meet harpsichords! Experience metal icons blazing through Bach and Beethoven, and classical virtuosos reimagining metal masterpieces with symphonic intensity. It’s a thrilling fusion of technique, power, and passion that breaks down musical boundaries!

Join Ralph Graves as he wiles away the late evening and early morning hours with glorious music. He'll be featuring recent recordings and even some music of the season!

The Early Music Christmas show returns this year bringing you Christmas music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods of Classical music. While many of the chants and dances we have from the Middle Ages are attributed to that ubiquitous early music composer, “Anonymous”, we have a few Medieval hymns and chants attributed to a composer (Hildegarde von Bingen), or abbey (“Nuns of Chester”). The Renaissance period, by contrast, brings us many favorite Christmas melodies, hymns, anthems, motets, and masses. Featured composers will include Josquin (Ave Maria), Palestrina, Michael Praetorius (Es ist ein Ros’), Walter (Joseph, lieber), Mouton (nasciens mater), and many more.

Join Matt Fritts for a countdown of the top ten piano pieces that make amateur pianists (like your host) run and hide!  From Liszt to Ravel to lesser-known composers, we'll explore the most nefarious corners of the piano repertoire. And we'll celebrate the incredible pianists who answer the call of duty to perform them.

Journey with Ken to the heyday of the early Classical period and enjoy a selection of enticingly short and tuneful symphonies and other works.

Since 1980, Mertens has composed pieces in different formats, from short, accessible songs or Lieder to magnanimous and complex three- and four-part cycles, and for different settings: from solo piano to chamber music ensembles and symphony orchestra. He often writes for unusual instrumentations: twelve piccolos, ten bass trombones, thirteen clarinets. Since his recording debut in 1980, titled For Amusement Only, an electronic composition for pinball machines, Wim Mertens has released more than 65 albums.

Adriana Lecouvreur is an example of a style loosely referred to as verismo or “realism.”  It began as an Italian literary movement initiated by a number of Sicilian writers, most notably Giovanni Verga, that spawned several popular operas, including our Adriana Lecouvreur. These works are set in a working class milieu, feature some low-life characters, and present extreme stylistic contrasts–from passionate tension to sentimental languor, delicacy to violence. We’ll conclude our afternoon of powerhouse Italian singing with selections by one of the 20th Century’s greatest singers, Jessye Norman, who heralds the curtain rising on our Sunday Opera Matinee.

The yearly tradition returns! Join members of WTJU's Classical Department for the penultimate program of the marathon: a broadcast of the complete Messiah.

Enjoy some tea with Owsley buttons as WTJU's resident Psych Doctors -- Sister Pirate Jenny, the Zostress and Wowsville Don -- conclude the Classical Marathon with a kaleidoscopic mind bouquet of beautiful "pop-sike" wonder. Thrill gently to the strains and strings of the Left Banke, Dave Berry, the Troggs, the Poppy Family, the early Bee Gees, and other deliciously twee practitioners of altered mellow mood swings. Warning: You may hear rainbows.