“Feminine Fusion” is a weekly radio program that highlights the influence of women in classical music. These are the women throughout history and into the present day who create, perform, and inspire. Composer/announcer Diane Jones of WCNY-FM in Syracuse, NY is your host, and every week showcases some of these remarkable women.
Women are the central, unifying focus of this series. It is important to note, however, that their influence is broad-ranging, crossing the boundaries of culture, race, and gender. Who can know what might have happened to the likes of Aaron Copland, Donald Byrd, or Quincy Jones had they not studied with Nadia Boulanger?
“Had you asked me 10 years ago if I would have introduced a program focused on women in music, I would have said ‘no.’ Growing up in a houseful of brothers, I was always treated as their equal,” says Jones. “But there is still gender bias in the music world. I am anxious for the time when we no longer separate composers from women composers, or conductors from women conductors.”
Some of the individuals highlighted in this program entered the world of the arts knowing they faced opposition, and gathered their strength to face it head on. Others simply took to their chosen path, often unaware of the impact their actions would have. In every case, however, they have touched hearts and souls with their art.
Diane Jones
Diane Jones is the host of Feminine Fusion, aired every week on WCNY-FM. An active composer, she has received commissions from nationally and internationally-recognized musicians and ensembles, as well as completing 5 residencies in Syracuse area schools, introducing young musicians to composition. Diane performs regularly with Samba Laranja and the Central New York Flute Choir, and her music has been featured on two SAMMY-award winning CDs. Follow Diane on Bluesky (@composerjones.bsky.social) and Facebook (here) for more about her programming and her music.
| Air Date | Program Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| May 24 - 30 | Looking West, Part 5 | Let's hear some of the innovative works by women being created and performed in the west, the seat of classical music |
| May 31 - June 6 | Looking Home, Part 5 | We complete our trip around the world as we return home to hear works performed and composed by women in the US |
| June 7 - 13 | At the Keyboard, Part 5 | More performances from women playing piano and organ |
| June 14 - 20 | Plucked, Part 6 | Music for plucked instruments - harp, guitar, and more. |
| June 21 - 27 | Summer Shimmers | We welcome Summer with music composed and performed by women honoring the season |
| June 28 - July 4 | Patchwork Quilt, Part XLVII | No special theme, just great music composed and performed by women. |
| July 5 - 11 | Honoring America | Let's take a listen to works by women across the US honoring their homeland |
| July 12 - 18 | Fiery Red | The summer heat is on, so what better time to hear works and performance steeped in heat and fire |
| July 19 - 25 | Oceans of Sound | Music of the sea - sometimes peaceful, sometimes stormy |
| July 26 - Aug 1 | Rooted in Earth | Performances and compositions grounded in the earth - strong and comforting |
| Aug 2 - 8 | Carried on the Wind | Woodwinds and music of the wind fill the air |
| Aug 9 - 15 | In the Spotlight, Part 2 | Women touring the world as soloists |
| Aug 16 - 22 | Portrait: Caroline Shaw | She's won a Pulitzer Prize and four Grammy awards. This hour is filled with music by the outstanding composer, Caroline Shaw. |
| Aug 23 - 29 | Patchwork Quilt, Part XLVIII | No special theme, just great music composed and performed by women. |
| Aug 30 - Sept 5 | Season 9 Wrap-Up | A look back at what we've heard in throughout Season 9 of Feminine Fusion! |
January 3, 2026
“When I say ‘happy new year,’ I’m really wishing you more happy days, than sad days, more joy than misery, more laughter than tears… and the wisdom to accept, that they all belong.” – Donna Ashworth As we jump into 2026, it’s a great opportunity to recognize some of the women who have a lot to contribute in the coming months and years. “New Year, New Start” Caroline Shaw: Optics, Light and Shadow Attacca Quartet; Sō Percussion; Roomful of Teeth “Leonardo da Vinci (original score)” Nonesuch 7559789841 Susie Ibarra: Drum Sketches (excerpts) Susie Ibarra, percussion “Drum Sketches” Innova 677 Jessie Montgomery: Coincident Dances Chicago Sinfonietta; Mei-Ann Chen, conductor “Project W” Cedille 90000 185 Olivia Belli: Limina Luminis Anna Lapwood, organ “Firedove” Sony Classical Clarice Assad: Book of Spells Merian Ensemble “Book of Spells” Navona 6644 Diane Jones: Earth Rise Trio Casals “Moto Celeleste” Navona 6266 Run time: 58:30 […] Read More
December 27, 2025
“The organ is the grandest, the most daring, the most magnificent of all instruments invented by human genius.” – Honore de Balzac The pipe organ is a marvelous instrument. More accurately, pipe organs are marvelous instruments. Because each one is unique. Each is custom built to fit the space in which it resides. Today we have wonderful works and performances by women for the organ. “Too Many Keyboards, Part 3” Libby Larsen: Tambourines Ji-yoen Choi, organ “Laureate Series – Organ” Naxos 555367 Florence Price: An Elf on a Moonbeam Anna Lapwood, organ “Luna” Sony Classical Hans Zimmer: Stay (from the “Interstellar” soundtrack) Anna Lapwood, organ “Luna” Sony Classical Ruth Watson Henderson: Suite for Piano and Organ (excerpts) Duo Majoye Marnie Giesbrecht, organ Joachim Segger, piano “Canadian Suite Celebrations” Centredisc Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz: Triptychon Gail Archer, organ “Cantius” Swan Studios Rachel Laurin: Symphony No. 1 (excerpts) Rachel Mahon, organ “Canadian Organ […] Read More
December 20, 2025
“I do know there’s no need to apologize for my own gladness, today, midwinter, that has no apparent cause in the daylight cast from the sun.” – “Midwinter” by Nadia Colburn It’s something different for the winter solstice – a pairing of words and music, all by women. Enjoy these works and poems. (complete list of poems at the end of this post.) “Words and Music for the Winter Solstice” Sylvia Woods: Winter Bells Sylvia Woods, harp “3 Harps for Christmas” Tonmeister 1226 Rebecca Dale: Winter Voces8 “Winter” Decca 4830968 Judith Bingham: The Darkness is No Darkness Voces8 “Winter” Decca 4830968 I’Lana Sandra Cotton: Music for Midwinter Max Lifchitz, piano “American Women Composers: North/South 1043 Barbara Benary: Sun on Snow Downtown Ensemble “Sun on Snow” New World Records 80646 Anna Snow, arranger: Lully, Lulla (Coventry Carol) juice “Snow Queens” […] Read More
December 13, 2025
“It must be a sign of talent that I do not give up, though I can get nobody to take an interest in my efforts.” – Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Most folks know about Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn. But who were their contemporaries? This week, we hear works from some of the other women of the Romantic era. “A Little Romance, Part 2” Maria Szymanowska: Nocturne in B-flat Major Margot Dilmaghani, piano “Gardens of the Heart” Celebration Recordings Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska: The Maiden’s Prayer I Salonisti “The Last Dance: Music for a Vanishing Era” Deutsche Harmonia 77377 Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska: The Prayer Granted Robert Silverman, piano “The Parlour Grand, Vol. 2” Marquis Classics 201 Hedwige Chrétien: Scene Rustique Leslie Odom, oboe; Soomee Yoon, piano “Scene Rustique” Ravello Records 7935 Mathilde von Kralik: Sonata in D minor Donne e Doni “Donne e Doni, Volume 2” Musicraft Elfride Andrée: Quintet in E minor Midsummer’s […] Read More
December 6, 2025
“When the ondes Martenot floats over the orchestra, it’s like an angel speaking.” – Augustin Viard Today we’ll hear some unusual instruments, and find out more about the women who play them. From the 18th century to the 21st, it’s something different. “Something Different” Johann Schulz: Largo for Glass Harmonica Ingeborg Emge, glass harp “Harpe de Verre / Glasharfe / Glass Harp” Gallo 940 Nikita Koshkin: Orfeo Mari Mäntylä, decadorde “Orfeo Amoroso” Alba Records 406 Ann Cleare: anfa Claire Chase, contrabass flute “Density 32036: Part VIII” New Focus Recordings 352 Howard Shore: Excerpts from the Soundtrack for “Ed Wood” Lydia Kavina, theremin Le Balcon; Mike Schäperclaus, conductor “Anthology: The Paris Concerts” Dutsche Grammophon 200799137 Marcel Landowski: Concerto for ondes Martenot, Percussion and Orchestra, Mvt. 1 Jeanne Loriod, ondes Martenot Philharmonie de Lorraine; Jacques Houtmann, conductor “Concertos Pour Flute, ondes Martenot, Piano Improvisations, Pour Trombone” Koch Schwan 311175 58:29 […] Read More
November 29, 2025
“Music is the shorthand of emotion.” – Leo Tolstoy Let’s put together another Patchwork Quilt episode! “Patchwork Quilt, Part XLX” Iris Elezi: Improvisation on Albanian Folk Songs Iris Elezi, piano “A Scarlet String of Fire” Ieosous Records 99878 Hilda Jerea: Roumanian Dances (on folk motives collected by Bartók) Kobayashi/Gray Duo “Listen! Hear Her Voice” Albany 1999 Shuying Li: Out Came the Sun Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Gil Rose, conductor “The Last Hive Mind” BMOP 1106 Ketty Nez: through the light Gabriela Diaz & Lilit Hartunian, violin Samuel Kelder, viola; David Russell, cello “through the light” Albany 1991 Traditional Breton: Marv Pontkalleg Rita Costanzi, harp “Song of the Stars” Navona 6749 58:29 Feminine Fusion highlights the roles of women in classical music. Host Diane Jones brings you stories and music of the women who create, perform, and inspire. Produced in the studios at WCNY-FM. Read More
November 22, 2025
“Percussion is physical, as most instruments are. The body must function well in order to play the instruments well.” – Evelyn Glennie There are certain characteristics that identify an instrument as a piano – a keyboard, pedals, etc. Or a flute. But what is “percussion?” This episode shares works and performances from women specializing on the marimba. “It’s a Percussion Thing” J.S. Bach: Prelude & Fugue No. 1 from “The Well Tempered Clavier, Book I” Beverley Johnston, marimba “Marimbach” CBC 1033 John Thrower: Aurora borealis Katarzyna Myćka, marimba Franz Bach, Thomas Keltch, Michael Schuller – percussion “Marimba Dance” Audite 97462 Marta Ptaszynska: Graffito Sun-Min Shim, marimba “Graffito” Animato 6110 Toru Takemitsu: Raintree Daniella Ganeva, marimba “50 Minimalist Classics” Signum Tim Brady: Circling Marie-Josée Simard, marimba Lise Daoust, flute “Laube Enchantée” Atma Classique 22115 Run time: 58:30 Feminine Fusion highlights the roles of women in classical music. Host […] Read More
November 15, 2025
“Even though I am the only live performer in each piece, it never feels like a solo. I actually feel that I am in a way performing with the composer.'” – Yvonne Lam, violin Over the centuries, the acceptance and propriety of women playing stringed instruments has varied widely. In Victorian England, women who insisted on playing cello did so sitting side-saddle, so as not to place the instrument between their legs. We’ve come a long way since then. On this episode, performances from some of today’s best string players. “It’s a String Thing” Leonard Bernstein: Make Our Garden Grow, from “Candide” Ofra Harnoy, cello Mike Herriott, trumpet H&H Studio Orchestra “Portrait” H&H Records Zoltan Kodaly: Adagio Nobuko Imai, viola Roland Pöntenen, piano “Viola Bouquet” Philips 446103 Irene Britton Smith: Sonata for Violin and Piano Dawn Wohn, violin Emely Phelps, piano “Unbounded: Music by American Women” Delos 3599 Henry Purcell: Fantazias (selected) […] Read More
November 1, 2025
“Don’t worry too much about what other people think. Have fun. Listen to music a lot, and music that you love, and have fun – it’s really about that.” – Lucienne Renaudin Vary Despite an ever-present gender bias, these women are making waves in the world of brass. “It’s a Brass Thing” Melissa D’Albora: Remembrance Kateřina Javůrková, French horn “Brass Tacks 3” Navona 6714 Reena Esmail: Khirkiyaan: Three Transformations for Brass Quintet Seraph Brass “Showcase” Tower Grove Records Sara Jacovino: Garden Story Calliope Brass “Second Nature” Navona 6672 Victoria Bond: The Voices of Air JoDee Davis, trombont Dan Velicer, piano “The Voices of Air” Albany 1842 Antonion Rosetti: Horn Concerto in E Major Sarah Willis, French Horn Chamber Orchestra of Mannheim; Johannes Moesus, conductor “Rosetti – Horn Concertos” CPO 7772882 Astor Piazzolla: Maria de Buenos Aires Lucienne Renaudin Vary, trumpet Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra; Sascha Goetzel, conductor “Piazzolla Stories” Warner […] Read More
October 25, 2025
“Son of the mountain am I Far from home and making my song But my heart is in the mountain With the heather and small birds” – John Ceiriog Hughes, Nant y Mynydd This week, music inspired by birds and beasts, real and imagined. “Birds and Beasts” Ursula Mamlok: The Birds Dream Holger Groschopp, piano “Ursula Mamlok, Volume 5” Bridge 9457 Cynthia Miller: Bird Quartet Amernet String Quartet “Alabama String Quartets” MSR Classics 1685 Hilary Tann: With the Heather and Small Birds Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Kirk Trevor, conductor “Here, The Cliffs: Orchestral Music of Hilary Tann” North South 1056 Jennifer Higdon: An Exaltation of Larks Lark Quartet “An Exaltation of Larks” Bridge 9379 Du Yun: When a Tiger Meets a Rosa Rugosa Hilary Hahn, violin; Cory Smythe, piano “In 27 Pieces” Deutsche Gramophon 19103 Annie Gosfield: The Blue Horse Walks on the Horizon Jasper String Quartet “Unbound” Sono Luminus 92212 […] Read More
