Ralph Graves, longtime WTJU classical host, passes away

We celebrate the remarkable life of Ralph Graves, longtime WTJU classical announcer, who passed away on Thursday August 7, 2025 following a courageous journey with cancer-related illnesses.

Ralph joined WTJU as a volunteer classical host in July 1991. For 34 years, he never repeated a work (knowingly), an astonishing feat that reflected Ralph's creativity and incredible depth and breadth of musical knowledge. He was funny and approachable and wanted to make classical music accessible for all sorts of people. He wrote about WTJU being a "community of the air" when we marked his 1,500th program a couple years ago. And he wrote a bit about his programming philosophy in 2013 when we celebrated his 1,000th program.

In fact, Ralph wrote a lot. At WTJU's website, Ralph created 1,974 posts, including new album reviews, his Classics A Day series, and a weekly podcast called "Composer Cameo," which he considered a cornerstone of his legacy. Ralph mirrored these posts here at CharlottesvilleClassical.org, where he was the driving force and program director. He also curated and recorded hundreds of hours of radio programs that currently run as "Classical Prelude" on WTJU 91.1 FM and "Classics with Ralph" on Charlottesville Classical.

It has been an honor and pleasure to work with Ralph at WTJU, and he felt similarly. Shortly before his passing, he wrote: 

It has been an absolute privilege and a highlight of my life to help people explore the vibrant depths and breadth of classical music. My goal was to demonstrate how accessible classical music is by playing underrepresented artists and composers, extensive catalogs of well-known composers, and emerging classical works. Not only has this introduced WTJU listeners to wonderful music, but it has also allowed me to do something I love best: discovering exciting classical music. I am forever grateful.

A service celebrating Ralph’s life will be held at Orange Presbyterian Church in Orange, VA on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. followed by a reception with food, music, and trains.

In lieu of flowers, Ralph asked for donations to be made to the Orange Presbyterian Church’s Organ Fund or WTJU’s Classical Department. (Donate here.)

Ralph was a tremendous man and a great host. We will miss him dearly. His full obituary is available online.