For centuries, composers, artists and poets have been inspired by rivers; rivers of ever-shifting flow and form. The changing tones, percussion, legato of cobble bed movement as river stage declines. The cacophony and staccato of turbulence and standing waves during a flood. The surging swell of shedding vortices-flow separation. All rhythms and melodies that lull us to sleep and inspire conductors to bring symphony orchestras to crescendo. The figurative music of rivers is understood by those who know them, the literal music of rivers can only be expressed second hand. What if the flow regime of rivers were the pen-to-paper on a musical score. Sonification of data is an age-old endeavor. Direct translation of measured river discharge into musical notes, harmonies, and articulations holds expression unique to each. The gap between wavelet analysis, the Fast Fourier transformation, the position in multidimensional ordination space and resonance with the public on the beauty, importance, evolutionary role, and imminence of conservation action for river protection lies in translation. In this work, the rivers play the band and their expressions allow us to aesthetically distinguish between natural flow regimes and how their expressed music varies by region and is altered in response to climate change and flow alteration. This talk attempts to bridge science with art to compel us to maintain, enhance and restore natural flow regimes in rivers.