CLASSICAL MUSIC has been misappropriated as a musical genre and a culture rooted in the aesthetics of Western Europe.
TRILLOQUY is the weekly podcast built to DECOLONIZE the traditional definitions and conversations surrounding CLASSICAL MUSIC.
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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.
Opus 240 - "Baptized in Blackness" (feat. E. Ethelbert Miller)
Season 5
Monday, August 26, 2024 • Duration 01:10:48
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.
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)
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
Opus 143 - Butterflies and Little Birds
Season 3
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 • Duration 02:02:44
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
Opus 142 - Take Two (and free Brittney Griner)
Season 3
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 • Duration 02:03:03
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
Opus 141 - Written in Stone
Season 3
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 • Duration 01:54:45
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
Opus 140 - "So White, So What?"
Season 3
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 • Duration 02:08:17
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/
Opus 139 - Joe Hill
Season 3
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 • Duration 02:05:47
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/
Opus 138 - "Breaking the Law"
Season 3
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 • Duration 01:59:12
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/
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