Waltraud Graulich – Co-Founder of Carus-Verlag
After a long illness, Waltraud Graulich, Co-Founder of Carus-Verlag, passed away on July 16, 2026. She shaped our company for decades. An obituary.
The oldest of four daughters, Waltraud Graulich (née Rümmelin) was born in 1937 in the town of Calw in Germany’s Black Forest. Through her father, a teacher and organist, she was introduced to music at an early age. Although she studied education in order to become a teacher, she enjoyed singing and playing the piano throughout her life.
She met choral director Günter Graulich through her activities as a singer and rehearsal pianist for the Junger Chor Leonberg (later the Motettenchor Stuttgart). They got married in 1960. In 1972, as a 35-year-old mother of four, Waltraud, together with her husband Günter, took the brave step of founding Carus-Verlag. From day one, Waltraud was in charge of business operations, successfully guiding the company for over four decades as its managing director.
Initially, resources were limited. The couple borrowed money from friends for their first publication: a new critical edition of Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” Everything they earned was reinvested. For the first eleven years, Waltraud and Günter Graulich worked alone from the offices they had set up in the family home. Waltraud did all this while raising their four children, serving not only as a loving mother but also as managing director as well as a rehearsal pianist and administrator for the Motettenchor. Late into the night, the couple would play through new pieces four-handed at the piano to test them for their catalog, or stay up proofreading.
Waltraud and Günter Graulich
Wedding 1960
Waltraud and Günter Graulich
There was a clear division in their roles: Günter was responsible for curating the catalog, while Waltraud handled bookkeeping, shipping, rights, and licensing. In addition, she edited texts to accompany the scores in German, English, and French with great care and a sensitivity for language. Together, the two made the Carus name well-known both in Germany and elsewhere at international choral events such as Europa Cantat, IFCM, and the ACDA.
Under her leadership, Carus grew from a two-person operation at the kitchen table to an internationally renowned publisher of choral music. After the first employee was hired in 1983, the number of staff grew to twenty by the year 2000. The acquisition of the sheet music catalog of Hänssler Verlag was followed by the construction of Carus-Verlag’s modern premises, featuring a dedicated concert and exhibition hall, near Stuttgart airport.
In 2001, their son, Dr. Johannes Graulich, joined the company. For over ten years, mother, father, and son managed the publishing house together before the generational transition was successfully completed in 2013. Today, the couple’s four children, Martina Graulich, Ute Kelemen, Johannes Graulich, and Markus Graulich, are the sole shareholders of the family business.
While Günter Graulich was the visionary driving force, the financial and business management of Carus lay in the capable hands of Waltraud Graulich. She was intelligent, patient, and diplomatic – and a real trailblazer of her era as a female executive. Her talents, her perseverance, and her conciliatory nature shaped our company for decades.
After a long illness, Waltraud Graulich passed away on July 16, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Carus honors the memory of its co-founder with heartfelt gratitude.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!