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In the vast landscape of classical music, we often find ourselves drawn to the familiar names of renowned composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. While these masters have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the world of music, there is an entire treasure trove of lesser-known composers, as well as lesser-known works by well-known composers, awaiting our exploration.

Sonic “pictures” in orchestral and choral works can be unforgettable descriptions of landscapes, and starscapes. Somehow music can often express the ineffable qualities of grandeur we see and feel for the landscapes we behold. This show will be a brief showcase of some of these works, performed by the world’s great orchestras and choruses as well as individual instrumentalists.

Classical composers often used their own or other composers’ themes, tunes, or jingles to create fabulous or not so fabulous “new” compositions. Let’s take a deeper look into some of these.

Andrew Baker recently released a series of classical music albums that are piano concertos of famous bands from the 80s and 90s: The Smiths Piano Concerto, The Oasis Piano Concerto, and more.

Music once banned, censored, or frowned upon and suppressed by regimes (Galilei’s experiments, Rameau’s “scandalous” harmonies, Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ullmann, Weill).

The neo-romantic tradition in classic Hollywood film scores

The Charlottesville High School Choir under the direction of Will Cooke will kick off our first night of live performances.

Celebrate the 160th birthday (this very day!) of Finland’s greatest composer with a journey through the sweeping landscapes and icy grandeur of Jean Sibelius’s music. From the heroism of Finlandia to the mystery of The Swan of Tuonela, we’ll hear why his sound defined a nation. Alongside Sibelius’s masterpieces, we’ll explore works by his contemporaries who shared his era’s passion for nature, myth, and national identity.

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

Music by composers banned or restricted by totalitarian regimes, especially the USSR and Nazi Germany: Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Hindemith, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn, Kurt Weill, Schoenberg, Sibelius, etc...

Shakespeare has long inspired artists of many stripes, and over 425+ years, classical music has embraced his poetry and drama. Composers, right up to this day, continue to write music to his words, and operas around his plays. Listen in as Paula plays pieces by Verdi, Prokofiev, Matthew Locke, Korngold, Purcell, Sibelius, Schubert and many others.

While Johannes Brahms is probably best known for his orchestral and chamber music, his music for the keyboard is equally fine. He was an excellent pianist himself, although he gave up performing for composing. We’ll hear some of the great pianists who were attracted to the works of Brahms, including Earl Wild, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Myra Hess, among others, in classic recordings. Join us as we explore the works of this great romantic classicist.

We’ll spend two hours listening to classical arrangements of modern pop and rock songs - how well do you know your hits?

Women composers! Spotlighting cross-era and global talents. Includes FB Price, F. Mendelssohn, L. Boulanger, C. Schumann, Tailleferre, Amy Beach, and more.

What is it about astronomy that attracts composers?  Is it the mysteries of the unknown?  Is it the fascination with mythology that is relevant to space?  Join Penelope and Thann as they investigate which composers fall into this category.

UVA student chamber quartet 1 HZ Sharp (Phoebe Hall, violin; Amina Sibay, violin; Luke Benfer, viola; Jacob Daniels, cello) will perform from Dvorak's American quartet followed by individual works.

2025 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose career began in the heady days of the post-revolutionary Futurist movement but mainly played out under the thumb of a repressive regime. Possessed of a distinctive musical voice and masterful skills in scoring and orchestration, Shostakovich's life work is illuminating, engaging and demonstrates the will of an indomitable creative spirit.

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

I, Carl, will play music by composers named Carl: C.P.E Bach, Carl Weber, Carl Orff, Carl Neilson, Carl Czerny, Carlo Gesualdo, etc…

Opera lovers eagerly await hearing the stars sing spectacular arias. The Queen of the Night’s aria from The Magic Flute is sure to produce cheers from the audience. The tenor’s multiple high “C”s when he sings “Ah, mes amis” are sure to generate cries of “bis, bis” from the upper deck of the house. Our own opera stars, Ann Shaffer and Tim Snider, will present Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, and many others singing in the stratosphere and with more notes to the bar than you can count. Join them for this feast for all lovers of great singing while you pledge your support to WTJU.

We’ll feature the bold heroism of the trombone in orchestral and concerto settings, explore its lyrical and expressive side through solo and chamber works, and showcase its versatility in modern, jazz-influenced, and global classical works.

This program will provide a retrospective of the theremin from its classical roots to its contemporary resurgence in experimental compositions and rock music. A result of Soviet government-sponsored research into proximity sensors, the theremin was invented by the Russian physicist Leon Theremin (Lev Sergeyevich Termen), who patented his invention in the U.S. in 1928. Produced by RCA, it lacked commercial success but was used predominantly in classical performances until it fell into disuse as new electronic instruments were invented. Robert Moog began building and selling theremin kits in the 1950s, crediting the experience as foundational in the development of the Moog Synthesizer. Tune in for ethereal and otherworldly theremin sounds across genres.

This show will feature soothing classical guitar music as it has evolved over time. We will hear music ranging from early composers such as Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani to more modern composers such as Andres Segovia and Andrew York.

This show will feature two hours of performances by musicians from all around Virginia. Explore the music of local artists you love and learn about new ones along the way!

Albemarle High School String Ensemble under the direction of Carrie Finnegan returns to again perform as part of this year's Classical Marathon.

A selection of music written for the grandest occasions — coronations, weddings, graduations, and more. 

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

Five centuries after his birth, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s serene polyphony still defines the sound of the Renaissance. This program features some of his most radiant sacred works, from luminous motets to the timeless Missa Papae Marcelli. We’ll also trace how his influence echoed through later generations - from Baroque masters to modern composers who found new inspiration in his pure, balanced counterpoint.

Part one of this 2 part series will feature Christmas music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods of Classical music. The show will include new recordings as well as older favorites. 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 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.

Very familiar music that comes from larger works

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of German born, British trained composer Max Richter’s seminal Work “Sleep,” an 8 1⁄2 hour piece that is one of the most ambitious and important works this century. We’ll celebrate this milestone by looking back at the career of the minimalist pianist and composer who has worked in many settings.

Listeners will be treated to symphonic music by American composers of the 20th and 21st century that captures the spirit and culture of our country.

From Beethoven to Walter Ross (founder of UVA Symphony Orchestra) and Chick Corea, Richard Stolzman's clarinet playing is second to none.

Albemarle High School Choral Ensemble under the direction of Jennifer Morris returns for this year's Classical Marathon.

Terry Riley has had an outsized impact on both classical and popular music in the 20th century. His seminal 1964 piece "In C" more or less launched musical minimalism, announcing a new kind of music built of interlocking repetitive patterns deployed over large spans of time. Since then, his sonic explorations have been singular—from just intonation to tape loops, Indian classical music to all-night improvisation. We'll listen to "In C" and other influential works, plus explore his collaborations with the Kronos Quartet and musicians like John Cale, and his son, guitarist Gyan Riley.

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

Everyone recognizes famous names such as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Many talented composers have flown under the radar. Others were popular during a period, then languished. We will explore some wonderful classical music “discovered” for Friday Classical Sunrise shows over the past five years.

A special 2-hour edition of the popular, lighthearted program heard on Charlottesville Classical.org

This program features music composed and performed by disabled musicians, spanning a wide range of time periods, genres, and styles—from Beethoven to contemporary artists such as Gaelynn Lea.

In memory of Ralph Graves and his love of baroque elements in rock, we’ll dive into the harpsichord (an instrument that looks like a piano but the strings are actually plucked by a quill) and how its distinctive bright and metallic sound has been woven into recognizable rock classics, new wave gems and deep(er) cuts from recent artists.

By the 1960s, many rock groups began incorporating classical influences in their music. In fact, as early as 1958, Buddy Holly called in an orchestra to simulate raindrops for “Raining in my Heart”. The Beatles regularly bumped into members of the London Philharmonic in the EMI studios on Abbey Road. This show explores the classical crossover that has occurred in rock music almost from the beginning.

Alex North composed a film score for Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” It was only at the film’s premiere that he discovered that Kubrick had chosen not to use the score North had written, but instead the classical music Kubrick had used as temporary tracks while editing the film. For the rest of his career, Kubrick regularly used classical music in his films. We’ll listen to selections by Strauss, Beethoven, Handel, and others used in “2001”, “A Clockwork Orange”, “Barry Lyndon”, and more.

The Charlottesville High School Orchestra under the direction of Emily Waters closes out this year's live performances.

The perpetual strangeness of Icelandic classical music

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

We’ll create a full arc through a musical day—told entirely through the piano—with music reflecting morning light for awakening, midday energy and activity, evening calm, and the mystery of the night.

Jessye Norman's 80th birthday celebration, featuring her greatest performances and some of her favorite voices.

A look ahead at the December 20 Heifetz Holiday Homecoming with Heifezt President & CEO Benjamin K. Roe

Remembering the artists opera has lost in 2025

How composers borrowed from folk traditions (Bartók, Kodály, Vaughan Williams, Dvořák).

Join John and Jessica for an elevated night out at the concert hall with two hours of civilized, classical renditions of the vast body of work of the Grateful Dead.

As a New England transcendentalist, Charles Ives tried to investigate otherworldly musical textures in addition to pursuing his more lively, classic Americana vein that is the more celebrated part of his starry repertoire. This program will climb into lves' spaceship and explore his outer regions, including the expansive galaxy that is his "Universe Symphony."

The “New York Hypnotic School” was an informal movement of visual artists and music composers in New York during the 1960s and 1970s who created trance-inducing works that served as the forebears of what we call “Minimalism” today. Composers such as La Monte Young, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley drew on the tonal aesthetics of western serial composition and eastern ragas, as well as the works of composers like John Cage and Morton Feldman, to compose a challenging new form of music filled with repetitive patterns, coiled clusters of colors and notes, and glacial compositional movements.

Poppynogood will take listeners on a deep dive into the music of the Hypnotic School, focusing on the canonical composers of the movement, as well as some of the unsung artists who contributed to this music both in New York and in other cities and ports--such as Julius Eastmann, Moondog, Pauline Oliveros, and the San Francisco Tape Center.

Offstage, On-Air is a weekly show highlighting central Virginia's vibrant classical music community. We will air some of our favorite episodes from the last three years.

Part Two of these Early Music Christmas programs will feature Christmas music from the Baroque period of Classical music. Characterized by its bright, ornamented style, this period has produced some of the most familiar and beloved music for the Christmas season. You can expect to hear favorite excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, along with familiar carols and hymns from Bach, Praetorius, Charpentier, Gabrieli, and more.

Dedicated to the memory of Ralph Graves “Radio Star,” who never knowingly played a work more than once in his tenure at WTJU – a plethora of music you’ve probably never heard before! Ralph was always one to pull the musical rabbit out of his hat, dusting off works that just surprised and delighted the listener.

Ladino Latino music was created by the inquisition. Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish , is a Romance language that developed among Sephardic Jews in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). It emerged as a distinct language after the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal in 1492, when they carried their language, a form of medieval Spanish, with them to new communities. Over time, Ladino incorporated elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, and languages spoken in the regions where Sephardic Jews settled, such as Turkish, Greek, and Arabic.

Each year, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is either the #1 or #2 most-performed living composer in the world (trading off with John Williams). But he remains elusive to many. Pärt's music is often still and seemingly timeless; radically simplified and radiating an intense spirituality. Michael Stipe famously described it as both “a house on fire and an infinite calm.” We'll survey 6 decades of Pärt's music, from his most famous pieces to lesser-known but no less deeply affecting works.

Baroque opera takes center stage with Leonardo Vinci’s florid setting of Artaserse, libretto by the 18th Century’s most prolific librettist, Pietro Metastasio. It is Vinci’s last and finest opera. You are sure to enjoy all the vocal fireworks when you join our own opera stars for this special Marathon edition of the Sunday Opera Matinee. Support WTJU and opera in our community with a generous pledge of financial support.

Focus on not only composers but also great performers (multi-instrument) from the past couple centuries.

"Furniture Music" is a style of composition and performance developed by Erik Satie in 1917. By incorporating repetitive motifs and sustained notation, Furniture Music was intended to be a subtle, almost subliminal type of music that could mix with the ambient sounds of the listener's everyday environment--serving as functional background music rather than a fulcrum for thoughts and emotions.

Poppynogood will explore the genre as well as some of the works it inspired. We will begin with selections from Erik Satie and his contemporaries, and then explore the sonic evidence of its influences in the works of post-war avant garde composers like John Cage, to present day ambient composers such as Brian Eno and in contemporary electronic music (including Muzak).

wo hours of the best of the Brothers Gibb, backed with gorgeous string arrangements by Bill Sheppard, and concentrating on the Bee Gees' often ignored but awesome "middle" period (1970-1974) before they hit it big with disco. Expect ear-melting harmonies, epic symphonic accompaniment, grandiose ballads, and a fair amount of little-heard and unreleased treasure that is rare, precious and beautiful. Hosted by Don H. and the Radio Wowsville gang.