Have you ever started something, set it aside, and come back to it years later? That's what happened with Ethel Smyth's String Quartet in E minor. She began it in 1902, then set it aside for a decade.In those ten years, Smyth became a leading voice in the women's suffrage movement and experienced profound personal loss. When she finally returned to the music, she brought those experiences with her.Hear Ethel Smyth's String Quartet in E minor tonight on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.

Do you have a scenic photo on your phone lock screen to remember a special place you’ve visited? Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky brought back a melody he wrote in Italy which he features in his sextet, Souvenir de Florence.

At the turn of the 20th century, American composers often looked to Europe for inspiration. George Chadwick did too, but he also helped shape a distinctly American musical voice.Hear his Suite Symphonique tonight on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.

I wonder if Gustav Holst knew the expression, “Bloom where you’re planted.” He wrote some of his most beloved music for students at the school where he taught. Make the most of your day listening to Holst’s St Paul’s Suite.

Maurice Ravel had a question. What if a piece of music kept repeating the same melody, over and over, while the orchestra slowly grew around it? The result was Boléro, a musical experiment that eventually found its way from concert halls to Olympic ice rinks, movie screens, and pop culture around the world.Hear it tonight on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.

Everything’s up to date in orchestras in America’s Heartland. From Kansas City to Nashville, Milwaukee to Dallas, hear how orchestras in these middle-American cities are making their mark on the thriving orchestral scene in our country in America 250: The American Experience.

When a close friend died unexpectedly, Modest Mussorgsky found a way to remember him.He visited an exhibition of artist Viktor Hartmann's work and turned the experience into music. Many of the pictures that inspired Pictures at an Exhibition have disappeared over time, but Mussorgsky's musical tribute continues to keep his friend's memory alive.Hear it tonight on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.

When Germaine Tailleferre was a young composer, a harp professor at the Paris Conservatory introduced her to the instrument. Returning to the harp decades later, Tailleferre transformed her early knowledge into a work full of expression, elegance, and maturity. Hear Germaine Tailleferre’s Harp Sonata this morning.

What if your ordinary life suddenly turned into an adventure?This week,Reel Music escapes the everyday with themes fromThe Last Starfighter,The Time Machine,Everest, and more…music for journeys far beyond the usual routine.That’sReel Music-film scores and the stories behind them. Saturday night at 9 and Sunday night at 6 on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.

When people think of great American orchestras, they often think of the coasts.Some of the most important chapters in America’s musical story were written in the heartland. This week on America 250: The American Experience, we explore the orchestras that helped define the cultural life of cities like Detroit, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.Join us for America 250: The American Experience, tonight at 8 on WSHU, 91.1, 107.5, and our music stream.