WHRO Classical host Diane Jones had a number of lives before she became a composer.
She was a veterinary tech, worked in insurance and worked as an office assistant. In her 30s, she went back to school for a master’s degree in music and found a job at the Syracuse, N.Y., public media station. She spent 17 years there overseeing music programming.
One of her projects in Syracuse was “Feminine Fusion,” a radio program focused on highlighting female musicians.
“I wanted to do something on top of my live midday shift. I wanted to do something a little extra,” she said.
“Feminine Fusion” is now an award-winning, nationally syndicated public media program that’s making its debut on WHRO FM on Sunday, Sept. 6.
WHRO News spoke with Jones about the show and what she’s learned making it.
This interview was edited for time and clarity.
Mechelle Hankerson: Thanks for chatting today, Diane, and welcome to Hampton Roads, by the way.
Diane Jones: Thank you. This has been great so far. We are so happy to be here.
M.H: One of the things that you brought with you was a show that you developed, “Feminine Fusion.” It's nationally syndicated; it was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts. Tell us what that show is about and how you came up with it.
D.J: We are officially in the 11th season. I wanted to do something on top of my live midday shift. I wanted to do something a little extra, so I thought long and hard about what was in my wheelhouse, what would be worthwhile.
Thinking about women in music, they're horribly underserved. Not as badly as they were a decade ago when I started, but still terribly, terribly underserved. Let me go for conductors, composers, performers, arts organizers, as well as keeping it focused enough that it was understandable what it is; it's definable.
I said, "Can we see if we can syndicate this? At one point, I was heard at 25 stations across the country, including Alaska and Puerto Rico.
M.H: Did you have an experience studying music, being into classical music, where it really became clear to you, “Man, people are ignoring the women here.”
D.J: It's interesting because I've developed more of that knowledge and understanding the longer I'm hosting the show. When I went into it, I thought, you know, that's not been my experience, but the more I research and the more I see and hear about other women's experiences, I start checking things off and go, "Oh my goodness, that happened to me! Oh my goodness, that did happen to me!”
Part of the conservatory training for female musicians is how to walk like a man. They do blind auditions now, and orchestras are now about 50-50 male and female. However, think about two people walking down a hall, one in flat floor-shine shoes and one in high heels. You know which is the woman. You know which is the man. So they teach them, “Don't wear your high heels,” and even how to physically move so it kind of disguises your female gait, and they have to do that.
M.H: Still.
D.J: Still. And I was reading that, and I went, “Oh my goodness, you're kidding me,” and then the more I think about it, the more I go, “Yeah, yeah.”
Because the bias is a bias we're raised with from a very young age. We are making really good progress, but even in the early 2000s, there were conductors saying women can't conduct anything hard. They can conduct nice, light things like (Claude) Debussy, but don't ask them to do (Igor) Stravinsky because that's too hard. That's too masculine a piece of music for a woman to conduct.
It's like, really, dude? Hold my beer and watch this.
M.H: For someone tuning into “Feminine Fusion,” do you go into some of these political conversations? Do you give people an overview of what these female musicians were going through?
D.J: In some instances, yes, I do. Some of the shows focus on the music itself.
I've got a show coming up to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The focus on that is going to be the story behind the pieces, not necessarily the story behind the women.
Sometimes it's very focused on the music and the inspiration for the music, or the situation that the person was in.
M.H: Is there any particular female musician that is close to your heart, whether because you love their music, or you love their story?
D.J: It's funny. I have my answer for “Who's your favorite composer?” It's me. If I don't like what I'm writing, why am I doing it?
But outside of that, there are a lot of women I admire. There are a lot of women I admire for a lot of different reasons. Jeri Johnson is a marvelous woman of color working out of Philadelphia and has done tremendous things to promote music in underserved areas. So has Alondra de la Parra (and) Chi-chi Nwanoku. I don't have a favorite because, just like in day-to-day life, there are people you're drawn to at different times for different reasons.
“Feminine Fusion” with Diane Jones will debut on WHRO 90.3 FM on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 at 2 p.m. You can stream the program live or find it anywhere you listen to your favorite WHRO FM programs.
