February 11, 2026: Feeling the love

Valentine’s Day is this Saturday so today we’re talking about love. What is it? We’ll hear the answer to that question, at least in a lexicographical fashion, when Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster in Springfield defines love for us, and some of the disappointment the public has had with their etymology.Loves comes to town when the Springfield Symphony Orchestra hosts a pair of US debuts. Planet Earth: A Symphonic Journey is a pairing of film and symphony that builds both on Gustav Holst's Planets series and an abundance of budding love. We'll chat with conductor and composer Johan de Meij, filmmaker Dyan Machan, and SSO president Heather Caisse-Roberts about the many firsts this program entails.  And if you love live music, The Iron Horse in Northampton is looking for your love. They are unveiling an ambitious new effort and we’ll talk with executive director Chris Freeman about their Playing it Forward Campaign, as well as the importance of that venue and beyond as community connective tissue, and how you can be a part of its future.