TRILLOQUY – Details, episodes & analysis

Loki Karuna chats with Charlton Lee of the Del Sol Quartet about the flexibility of smaller ensembles to shift the status quo, his new podcast, "Sounds Current", and more! Loki also highlights and reflects on his recent trip to a Buddhist conference in Florida.

• Charlton Lee
• "Sounds Current"
• "Rough Math" by Mason Bates
• "Scrapyard Exotica" by Mason Bates

★ Support this podcast ★

Loki chats with literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller about activism in prose, the legacy of James Baldwin (and other notable activists in literature), and how music intersects this tradition. Loki also shares his thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.

**This opus is made possible, in part, by Bucklesweet.

• E. Ethelbert Miller
• Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
• Upcoming Lecture on James Baldwin by E. Ethelbert Miller
• "Sonny's Blues" by Milt Jackson
• "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" perf. James Baldwin

★ Support this podcast ★

Johnathan Gibbs returns to TRILLOQUY to offer updates as the newest member of the New York-based Dessoff Choirs. Loki and Johnathan return to the discussion of Handel and Negro Spirituals in honor of Black History Month, highlight the intersectional culture of Asian- and Afro-Americans, and address the challenge of burnout while working to shift classical music's status quo. 

**Hear Loki and Johnathan's continued dialogue in episode 2 of "The Boys Are Black In Town" (available 2/23/2024)

• Sanctuary Road: No. 6, Run I (Live - Oratorio Society of New York Chorus and Orchestra)
• The Dessoff Choirs
• The Boys Are Black In Town, ep. 1

★ Support this podcast ★

Last week, Jayme Alilaw joined Garrett to outline her journey to, away from, and back to opera. She returns this week to offer a break down of activism in opera spaces, advice on traversing tokenization, and a call to action for people not yet engaged by "classical" institutions. Garrett and Scott conclude Women's History Month with music performed by Leontyne Price and Nathalie Joachim, and the guys offer their opinions to the recent Oscar scandal. Playlist: Nina Simone - "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" Beyonce - "Be Alive" The Temptations - "My Girl" Antonín Dvořák - "Song to the Moon" (perf. Leontyne Price: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibuMjbmNB0c) Nathalie Joachim & Spektral Quartet - "Papa Loko" Black Opera Alliance Gala Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edkCLsu79JI Black Opera Alliance Gala Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIx64SF3mqY Maria Isa- "Lowrider Mamis" More: Respectability Politics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respectability_politics Downbeat (Ted Cruz Questions Ketanji Brown Jackson): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9lxFfOgFtM Older, Gifted and Black: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/24/older-gifted-and-black-the-british-musicians-getting-better-with-age 2022 Oscar Winners: https://ew.com/awards/oscars/2022-oscars-winners-list/ Aesthetic Violence and Misogynoir Against Jada Pinkett Smith: https://htnewz.com/aesthetic-violence-and-misogynoir-against-jada-pinkett-smith/ Questlove Wins for "Summer of Soul": https://www.inquirer.com/news/ahmir-questlove-thompson-wins-best-documentary-feature-oscar-awards-2022-20220327.html

Founded in 2020, the Black Opera Alliance has continued to stake its claim on arts activism, with the organization both speaking up for Black professionals in opera and speaking against institutions in opera that maintain the status quo. Among BOA's Leadership Council members is soprano Jayme Alilaw, who joins Garrett to talk about art, activism, and accountability. Scott honors Annie Lennox in the second movement, and offers his thoughts on dealing with hecklers in arts spaces. Both Scott and Garrett revisit the conversation surrounding the controversial Emmett Till opera, and spend the weekly TRILLOQUY responding to a UCLA job posting that offered zero pay. Playlist: Bob Dylan - "The Death of Emmett Till" Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble - "Sunrise" Edgard Varese - "Ionisation" Chen Gang and He Zhanhao - "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto" (perf. Hsinchu City Youth Chinese Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5XohUR3Pg&t=335s) Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams" Annie Lennox - "Little Bird" Gladys Knight & The Pips - "Midnight Train to Georgia" Florence Price - "Night" (perf. Jayme Alilaw and B.E. Boykin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Rh9G8V9CQ) Sergei Prokofiev - "Romeo and Juliet" (perf. USC Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8pyvaVkKT8) More: Jayme Alilaw, soprano: https://www.jayme-alilaw.com The Black Opera Alliance: https://www.blackoperaalliance.org US House Passes CROWN Act: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/18/1087661765/house-votes-crown-act-discrimination-hair-style Downbeat (Whoopi Goldberg on natural hair): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJq93OIIDAI&t=404s Composer Mary D. Watkins & Librettist Clare Coss Respond to Criticism of ‘Emmett Till’: https://operawire.com/composer-mary-d-watkins-librettist-clare-coss-respond-to-criticism-of-emmett-till/ WDAV-FM Makes History: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article259426884.html?fbclid=IwAR2KP-_v892bJt4kK8Y2zG3WU_IRM9flceVi0HSFoqbzQ4W8ThhDBhVSe9Q Metropolitan Opera to Ban Heckler from Future Performances: https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-to-ban-heckler-from-future-performances/?fbclid=IwAR2NTVgqLR6eLpSwgHdhLOQojaPhe87dM_C2I5gz12wbeRS0AIibxoR5zY0 UCLA Pummeled Over Adjunct Job Without Pay: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/21/ucla-criticized-advertising-adjunct-job-without-pay

Challenging colonial definitions of "classical music" requires a multi-cultural approach, and Maryam Yusefzadeh is doing it in her own way. She joins Garrett to talk about her approach to broader aesthetics tied to the word "classical", engaging the spiritual connection she has with performing, and the album, "Migration", which features some of her music. Scott reprises the music of Dobrinka Tabakova and celebrates the newly created Nina Simone Piano Competition. Garrett challenges the idea of "pop" music and spends the weekly TRILLOQUY offering his take on developing drama in the opera world. Playlist: Nina Simone - "Love Me or Leave Me" (from the Ed Sullivan Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cnZjClf6zM) Silk Road Ensemble - "Arabian Waltz" Mazz Swift - "Poem for a Song That’s Yet to Come" (at Mostly Mozart Across the Boroughs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekhZiBXm0o0) Walter Murphy - "A Fifth of Beethoven" Lady Gaga - "Dope" (Chatty Man 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTZuTBCGiJM) Lady Gaga - "Yoü and I" (acoustic cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrwvignOPmk) Dobrinka Tabakova - "Longing" Maryam Yusefzadeh/Thomas Nordlund - "Janeh Maryam" Maryam Yusefzadeh/Thomas Nordlund - "Goleh Sangam" Nicki Minaj - "Moment 4 Life" More: "MIGRATION"/Maryam Yusefzadeh: https://www.maryamymusic.com Downbeat (Joe Budden Interviews Nicki Minaj): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLzYLnJnoEA&t=69s Free Brittney Griner: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/brittney-griner-russia/ Escaping Escapism: https://www.representclassical.com/news-1/escaping-escapism-the-arts-ukraine-war Awadagin Pratt Launches Nina Simone Piano Competition: https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2022/03/02/celebrated-local-pianist-launches-new-competition-to-give-young-black-performers-chance-to-shine Silk Road Announces Residency At Spelman College: https://www.thestrad.com/news/silkroad-announces-residency-at-spelman-college/14619.article Long Beach Opera cancels ‘Stimmung': https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-03-14/long-beach-opera-cancels-stimmung-director-resigns Black Opera Alliance Response to Long Beach Opera: https://www.facebook.com/116164110144951/posts/487374483023910/?sfnsn=mo Petition to Cancel Emmett Till Opera: https://www.change.org/p/cancel-a-new-american-opera-emmett-till-at-john-jay-college?recruiter=14110632&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=16117570-ba7e-11ea-a396-0f3efbad4052&share_bandit_exp=initial-32688396-en-US&utm_content=fht-32688396-en-us%3A1

What stories do our monuments tell? What legacies do they embody? What memories do they cement? These questions will be explored at Washington DC's Kennedy Center this month through a collection of new operas, including one called "Rise", with music by Kamala Sankaram. Kamala joins Garrett to talk about her introduction to opera, what "Rise" is meant to relay to audiences, and how this work continues the push for more new music in traditional "classical" spaces. Scott highlights the educational advocacy of violinist Ezinma, Garrett unpacks a musical about a machine that turns Black people white, and the guys continue their celebration of Women's History Month with music by Julia Wolfe, Martha Wash, and more. Playlist: Mykhailo Verbytsky - "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" (Ukrainian National Anthem) Ezinma - "Ode To Hustle" Black Thought - "Thought Vs Everybody" Julia Wolfe - "Reeling" SNAP! - "The Power" Black Box - "Everybody Everybody" C+C Music Factory - "Everybody Dance Now" Martha Wash - "I'm Not Coming Down" Bombay Rickey - "Megalodon" Bombay Rickey - "Taki Rari" Francisco Mignone - Concertino for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra More: Kamala Sankaram: https://www.kamalasankaram.com The Kennedy Center Presents "Written in Stone": https://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/home/2021-2022/written-in-stone/ Downbeat (Kira Rudik Honors International Women's Day): https://twitter.com/kiraincongress/status/1500962456763514883?s=20&t=SP3akLIePrwyJdZhTGH_bQ Valery Gergiev, a Putin Ally, Fired as Chief Conductor in Munich: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/arts/music/valery-gergiev-fired-munich-ukraine.html Ezinma Brings Music To Underserved Youth: https://www.thestrad.com/news/beyonces-violinist-launches-foundation-to-bring-classical-music-to-underserved-children/14537.article A machine turns Black people white in the musical 'Black No More': https://www.npr.org/2022/02/14/1080160459/black-no-more-machine-musical-tariq-trotter EU Official Calls Refugee Discrimination "Fake News": https://twitter.com/TNTVIRALUS/status/1499336460671107077?s=20&t=0mROEqSx7G6BntC0IrqVYA

Brittany J. Green is a North Carolina-based composer, creative, and educator whose works engage everything from Black feminist theory to the rupture of systems. She joins Garrett in this week's third movement to talk about her music, her studies of Julius Eastman, and how differing queer perspectives played a role in 20th century instrumental music. Scott returns to this year's "classical" Grammy conversation, highlights the music of Odetta, and offers his thoughts concerning the conflict in Ukraine. Garrett offers words from Mamie Till, celebrates the "Afro-harping" of Brandee Younger, and digs into the nuances of racism as seen in recent news media. Playlist: Bohdana Frolyak - Clarinet Concerto Miles Davis - "So What" Odetta - "Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed On Freedom)" Odetta - "Water Boy" Dorothy Ashby - "Games" (perf. Brandee Younger Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9ghgmH_r0&t=1119s) Julius Eastman - "Stay On It" (perf. San Francisco Conservatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61pfXwQ1OgI&t=86s) Brittany J. Green - "bluedream" Brittany J. Green - "Portraits for Piano" More: Brittany J. Green: http://www.brittanyjgreen.com Downbeat (30th Anniversary of Emmett Till's Death NBC 1985): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l4droR9W8E Metropolitan Opera says it will sever ties with Putin-allied artists: https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2022/02/27/1083387627/metropolitan-opera-sever-ties-putin-ukraine-gergiev-netrebko Women Composers from Ukraine: https://ukrainianinstitutenyc.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/women-composers-from-ukraine/ How Being Inclusive Can Be Insulting: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/opinion/black-classical-music.html How Odetta Revolutionized Folk Music: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-odetta-revolutionized-folk-music Transphobia in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/28/texas-transgender-child-abuse/ Reporters Show Racism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLYYm7GSA-I Florida Don't Say Gay Bill: https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/596178-florida-dont-say-gay-bill-passes-final-senate-committee Anti-Black Sentiments in Ukraine: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/02/a-cop-in-ukraine-said-he-was-detaining-me-because-i-was-black-i-appreciated-it/

Garrett leads Marble City Opera in the world premiere of "I Can't Breathe" by Leslie Burrs and Brandon Gibson this week, so he and Scott meet virtually to discuss composer complaints about this year's Classical Grammy nominations, the newly-explored political opinions of William Grant Still, and lots more. Garrett features his recent conversation with Damian Norfleet, who will present a musical work on the issues of mass incarceration and solitary confinement in conjunction with Ensemble Pi on March 2nd. In this week's TRILLOQUY movement the guys cover musically-charged racism on a college campus, one orchestra's decision to shift concert attire, and the Kim Potter verdict. Playlist: Ludovic Lamothe - "Album Leaf No. 1" Curtis J Stewart - Improvisation on Paganini Caprice, No. 11: Presto William Grant Still - "The Quiet One" Thee Phantom and the Illharmonic Orchestra feat. Tundé - "Diabolique" (Remix) Carlton Williams - "Prison Song" Ensemble Pi feat. Damian Norfleet - "Requiem..." (https://www.damiannorfleet.com/media) perf. Paul Robeson - "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bezsMVU7c) More: Damian Norfleet/Ensemble Pi Present "Isolated Triptych": https://www.ensemble-pi.org Marble City Opera Presents "I Can't Breathe": https://www.marblecityopera.com/icantbreathe Downbeat (Testimony of Paul Robeson before the House Committee on Un-American Activities): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhnCrHZkgNk William Grant Still's "Troubled History": https://portlandyouthphil.org/blog/blog/william-grant-still-troubled-history/457/ Composers' Fury at Grammys Shortlist: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/feb/20/how-is-this-classical-music-composers-fury-at-grammys-shortlist?fbclid=IwAR17_wR_r-bqrPw7b_cRHEZBovIEGEcR3u-RRA--3WWMqF_WH-gU6IAVEE8 Black and white at Stanford: https://www.nationalaffairs.com/public_interest/detail/black-and-white-at-stanford TikTok Supports Tameka Drummer: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2021/08/18/tiktok-video-supports-woman-serving-life-after-being-caught-with-marijuana/8176830002/

Beethoven's "Fidelio" famously includes a chorus of prisoners, and in a new production by Heartbeat Opera the roles will be played by actual incarcerated individuals. The company's Ethan Heard and Kelly Griffin join Garrett to talk about the process of engaging these individuals, the relationship that's being built between opera and the prison system, and Heartbeat Opera's larger goal of engaging new audiences. Garrett and Scott draw proximity between sports and "classical" music as a means of practicing cultural competency, offer music that turns pain into beauty, and spend the weekly TRILLOQUY addressing the confederate flag, fighting gentrification, and the notion of being "silenced". Playlist: Scott Schreer - Super Bowl Theme Mickey Guyton - "Black Like Me" Judas Priest - "Breaking The Law" Eminem - Lose Yourself Kendrick Lamar - "LOVE" (perf. Jade Novah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su7wNSqNZB4) Harry T. Burleigh - "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?" Howlin' Wolf - "Smokestack Lightnin'" William Grant Still - "Bayou Home" Ludwig van Beethoven - "Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?" Ludwig van Beethoven - "Prisoners' Chorus" Future - "Mask Off" More: Heartbeat Opera: https://www.heartbeatopera.org Erin Jackson Becomes First Black Woman To Win Olympic Speedskating Gold: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/erin-jackson-winter-olympics-speed-skating-gold-united-states-black-woman/ Sha’Carri Richardson Asks Why a Russian Skater Can Compete After Failing Doping Test: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/sports/olympics/shacarri-richardson-kamila-valieva-doping.html Downbeat (Fox News Reacts to Kendrick Lamar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vdS3cKxJvA The Ads That Scored a Touchdown: https://nypost.com/2022/02/14/the-best-super-bowl-2022-commercials-top-ads-from-the-game/ What Custom Had Strictly Divided: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/what-custom-had-strictly-divided-on-kira-thurmans-singing-like-germans-black-musicians-in-the-land-of-bach-beethoven-and-brahms/