TRILLOQUY

"The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed" put composer Joel Thompson on the map, and his recent collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera showcased his ability to write a much more joyous piece of music. He joins Garrett to talk about his opera, "The Snowy Day", life in the shadow of his more famous work, and walking in the footsteps of those who came before him. Scott explores jazz's influence overs...

Andrea Davis Pinkney is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work recently earned her an invitation to create the libretto for an opera adaptation of "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats. She joins Garrett to talk about her life as an author, her experience writing for an opera, and the importance of Black joy in art. Scott offers the story of a church that's paying reparations to local Black i...

María Isa Pérez-Hedges is a musical artist and lifelong Minnesotan whose activism has inspired her to make the big decision of running for Minnesota State Senate! She joins Garrett in-studio to talk about her journey, her music, and her goals as a potential representative for countless Minnesota-based artists and citizens. Scott shines a light on an all-Black, Nashville based wind symphony, Garret...

Context can be an important aspect of experiencing music, but The Honorable Elizabeth A. Baker believes in offering audiences an opportunity to experience sound free from external description. She joins Garrett to talk about her unique approach to artistry, her recent collaboration with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians/American Composers Forum, and more. Scott questions ne...

Hip-hop can be transformed with a heightened awareness of "classical" music, but the converse may be even more true! Garrett is joined by the hosts of the Speaker Geekers podcast to unpack the art of marketing orchestral music to Black audiences, hip-hop culture's larger role in society, and the notion of Christmas rap. Scott shares a relatively unknown fact and piece of music by Florence Price, a...

Composer Renee Baker believes that "classical" training doesn't have to be a barrier to other genres and styles - she sees it as a bridge! She returns to TRILLOQUY's third movement to talk about her entry into the world of "creative music", her recent collaboration with the American Composers Forum and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and the way capitalism helps maintain...

The generations of work that have gone into creating racial equity in "classical" music can't be overstated, and Chicago-based composer Renée Baker joins Garrett to offer her story and why the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) remains a vital part of the movement. The guys offer their Christmas music picks for the season, and unpack the notion of inappropriate musical ch...

Julia Adolphe is a composer who, in addition to writing music, speaks to and advocates for the conversation of mental health among musicians. She joins Garrett and Scott this week to talk about her podcast, her creative process, and the upcoming premiere of her latest work, "Woven Loom, Silver Spindle". Garrett dedicates a piece of music to his 2-year-old niece who lost her battle with cancer last...

As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the nation there's a question that's being pushed more and more to the front: Are white people a help or a distraction in these spaces? Garrett and Scott dive into this conversation as it relates to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict and urge listeners to see the reverberations of racial injustice in the court system within all institutions - even the arts!...

Orchestras come in all shapes, sizes, and sounds, and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic is moving forward in its goal to offer a uniquely American aesthetic to as many listeners as it can. Garrett chats with the ensemble's Executive Director, Rhapsody Snyder and Artistic Director, Orbert Davis about the CJP's origins, the necessity of offering FREE concerts, and the concept of "Third Stream". Dalanie...

The album, "White Power Outage Vol. 1" is a culmination of poetic and musical sounds and perspectives from across the globe that has been challenging institutions and individuals across political spectrums to rethink the road toward a harmonious, anti-racist human society. Two of the album's collaborators, Deniz dee!colonize Lopez and Genesis Blu join Garrett to talk about this project and its imp...

What would be your response to seeing a woman walked on a leash? Garrett and Scott explore this question in the weekly TRILLOQUY as it applies to the backlash surrounding a popular reggaetón artist and a real-life trip to a hardware store! Garrett chats with composer Ozie Cargile about the importance of self-confidence, "The Creation of the Universe", and life in Los Angeles. Scott honors the musi...

The discussion of Beethoven's alleged Blackness has taken yet another turn, with one artist calling for his body to be exhumed so that a DNA test can be administered. Garrett and Scott break this down, and bring a few other ghoulish themes to this year's Halloween edition of TRILLOQUY. Bill Doggett returns as special guest to highlight what he sees as one of the biggest missteps in orchestral DEI...

The ensemble, TONALITY, is best known for creating choral concerts that focus on issues rarely presented in choral music, including gun violence, homelessness, refugees, climate change, mental health, women’s rights, and exercising democratic rights. Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake joins Garrett to talk about founding TONALITY, queerness in Black spaces, and becoming an artist activist. Scott shines a l...

Daniel Kumapayi doesn't just want to create pathways toward his own artistic success - he's founded an organization called Àkójọpọ̀, which was built to support musicians in Nigeria who, despite lacking essential resources, are still committed to their own artistic successes. He chats with Garrett about the challenges of international arts philanthropy, the ways that people can support Àkójọpọ̀, an...

Nu Deco Ensemble’s mission is to create compelling and transformative genre-bending musical experiences that inspire, enrich and connect new and diverse audiences and artists. Garrett chats with the group's Artistic Director and CEO, Sam Hyken about his journey as a musician, the work of Nu Deco and his perspective on the future of orchestral performance. Scott highlights Bach with a Latin twist,...

The Chicago Philharmonic has instituted changes in both administration and programming, with supporters and audiences alike cheering them on. The organization appointed its new Executive Director, Terell Johnson earlier this year and has recently featured the violin concerto, "Glory" by Marcus Norris. They both join Garrett to talk about their collaboration, their respective approaches to orchestr...

Twin Cities-based artist Pavielle French first joined Garrett and Scott in season one as her career was beginning to bloom. She returns to TRILLOQUY this week to talk about her new album, SOVEREIGN, which explores Black rejection of white supremacy, a renewed view of "classic" music and a message: "You cannot give me my rights". She also speaks with Garrett about her collaborations with local orch...

When Katy Henriksen was featured on Op. 9 of TRILLOQUY back in 2019, she was a local radio host working to take western classical music out of the "old, white guy realm". Today, Katy is an entrepreneur who works as a promoter, journalist, writer and podcaster creating content that challenges the status quo. She returns to TRILLOQUY to chat with Garrett about the self-employed life, the challenges...

As more musicians navigate an increasingly unstable arts ecosystem, working in both the performance and administrative spheres has become more popular. Garrett chats with Jaime Sharp, a mezzo-soprano whose artistry, administration, and activism is rooted in accessibility and change. The guys explore DEI in "period instrument" spaces, challenge the notion of #BlackExcellence, and offer words for th...

W.E.B. Du Bois has inspired countless Black thinkers, but he also left behind an appreciation for western classical music. Joe LaRocca and Dominque Hoskin of the Du Bois Orchestra chat with Garrett about making change in concert halls through more "traditional" musical aesthetics. Scott honors the classical music of England's Black composers with a shout out to Kalena Bovell, and Garrett makes a c...

Maestro Michael Morgan believed that the purpose of a performing arts institution is to make its entire community better. As the world mourns the recent loss of this pivotal figure in American music, Garrett and Scott honor him with anecdotes, stories and recordings from his vastly trailblazing career. Garrett chats with Dr. Antonio Cuyler about the importance of access in DEI spaces, his entrance...

In celebration of the 48th birthday of hip hop, Garrett and Scott honor a few of the artists and sounds that have helped the genre maintain its status as America's most popular classic style of music. The guys also discuss the recent tragedy in Haiti, political challenges in Afghanistan and introduce anti-capitalist thought to TRILLOQUY. Brittani McNeill returns to talk more about her journey to a...

Brittani McNeill is a singer and journalist whose views on liberation and equity are focused on her mantra - she's rooting for everybody Black who's rooting for EVERYBODY Black. Garrett shares part 1 of their most recent conversation, where they explore the ideas complete systems change, what it means to let harmful rhetoric go unchecked and the ways in which complicity stunts the growth of meanin...

Richard Wagner's anti-semitism has been at the center of the conversation of classical "cancellation" for a generation, but writer, filmmaker, and violinist Paul Festa is challenging the tradition of Wagner-adjacent cancel culture with a new essay: "Cancellation of the Gods". He talks with Garrett about his journey with Wagner's music, the conversations that brought him to his continued appreciati...