Tarik 'Konshens The MC' Davis is a hip-hop artist, songwriter, educator and youth advocate from Washington D.C who, in search of hip-hop driven chamber music, created the "Classically Dope" ensemble. He and Classically Dope's horn player, Derek Maseloff, join Garrett to talk about the development of this ensemble, the public response the ensemble has gained and the ways in which "classical" training can be improved through this type of fusion. Scott and Garrett honor the late Biz Markie, highlight two performances of music by Sergei Prokofiev and offer a "vague-booked" TRILLOQUY directed at content professionals who view podcasts as a secondary form of media. 

TRILLOQUY is made possible, in part, by the Shuttleworth Foundation

Years ago, a recording of the United States Marine Band inspired a boy from East Tennessee. Today, Dr. Brandon Houghtalen teaches the next generation of band directors while challenging the traditional notions and narratives that place concert band and wind ensemble music in the back seat to orchestral music. He chats with Garrett about this, a few of concert band's women/BOPIC composers and an initiative known as the "On the List Project". Garrett and Scott honor the band tradition with works by Joel Puckett, Tolga Zafer Özdemir and others alongside the week in "accidentals" and a tenure-themed TRILLOQUY. Also this week, Garrett learns the word, "sloughing". 

TRILLOQUY is made possible, in part, by a generous grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation.

(Recorded 7/3/21) The age-old stories of Native communities continue to have an important place in contemporary culture, including in contemporary Western classical music! Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate joins Garrett to talk about how he's done that with his new composition, "Lowak Shoppala'". Garrett and Scott acknowledge the 4th of July with a look back at under-told American history and discuss Grammophone's annual orchestra awards. The guys advocate for an Olympian who uses cannabis in the weekly TRILLOQUY and contextualize some of her unearthed, problematic tweets. 

On July 9th the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival will present the world premiere of "Twin Stars: Diamond Variations for Dae’Anna", written in honor of the girlfriend and stepdaughter of the late Philando Castile by Daniel Bernard Roumain. He joins Garrett, alongside pianist Melvin Chen, to talk about the upcoming premiere and continued activism in concert hall spaces. Scott honors the voice of singer Jimmy Scott, and the guys celebrate Queen Latifah, Randall Goosby and several other Black artists. Garrett speaks to avoiding the trivialization of Indigenous land acknowledgments in the final movement.

It's not easy to "go viral" in today's social media ecosystem, but operatic baritone Babatunde Akinboboye managed to do it by fusing Kendrick Lamar and Rossini! He talks with Garrett about this, life between Nigeria and the US, his aspirations for the opera industry, and the people who are standing in the way of progress for Black operatic professionals. Scott highlights a violin concerto by Wynton Marsalis, and helps Garrett unpack news from the Baltimore Symphony, the Juneteenth weekend, and shifting the rules surrounding philanthropic giving. 

As Juneteenth becomes a more wide-spread celebration, musicians and content creators of all types are jumping in to honor the holiday. Garrett goes into why he chose not to offer anything this year in an emotional final movement. Scott shines a light on the continued struggle for equity across the pond, and helps unpack a think piece written to demean the work of composer Daniel Bernard Roumain. Violinist Rachel Barton Pine talks about her decades-long work supporting and promoting Black composers, and asks Garrett a few questions, herself. 

As arts institutions continue to celebrate the life and work of Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, opera scholar Angel Refusé is pushing individuals to understand how the so-called "Black Mozart" actually inspired not only 18th-century European culture, but world culture! He explores this idea with Garrett while highlighting how spirituality and contemporary culture play a role in the Chevalier's legacy. Garrett and Scott discuss a new arts experience as spearheaded by Boston Lyric Opera, and the guys invite Johnathan Gibbs into the weekly TRILLOQUY to discuss his recent scuffle with the New York City Gay Mens' Chorus. 

Dr. Durell Cooper describes himself as a Disruptor of Systems, Breaker of Chains, Builder of Tables, Interrogator of Phenomena and Radical Black Joy Practitioner. He joins Garrett to dive into ideas of liberation, defining Black music, and highlighting Hip Hop as an American "classical" tradition. Garrett and Scott kick off Season 3 with a new musical theme and a more laid-back, "live to tape" feel while offering lots of great music, a conversation on managing a friendship and business simultaneously, and the usual "trills". 

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For week 2 of TRILLOQUY's two-week break, Garrett reprises his and Scott's conversation with Kalena Bovell, Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and one of the nation's few Black woman conductors. This conversation from February 2020 highlights Kalena's unique role as a Black conductor in one of the nation's predominately Black cities, her love of Metal, and more! Garrett and Scott return next week with an all-new opus and the start of season 3! 

One of the highest-rated opuses of TRILLOQUY from season 1 featured the music and musings of South Indian artists Nirmala Rajasekar and Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi. As the team prepares for season 3, Garrett gives an intro to this replay and offers and few shout-outs to some fellow decolonizes. 

Garrett and Scott celebrate the 100th opus of TRILLOQUY with podcast-themed conversations, including a look at co-host relationships as related to recent news with the Joe Budden Podcast and a conversation with Melissa Smey and Golda Arthur of "Mission: Commission". The guys honor P.M. Dawn, shoutout an up and coming teenaged composer, and offer a "resistance" inspired final movement. 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE 100 OPUSES POSSIBLE! 

Is America a racist country? Is "classical" music a racist industry? Garrett and Scott keep it "trill" and address both of these questions, in light of recent statements by Senator Tim Scott and Vice President Kamala Harris. The guys also honor music from Mexico, highlight the intersection of Asian culture and American Music Education, and shout-out an artist who isn't afraid to center his heritage through performance. Quinton Morris chats with Garrett about life in Seattle and his new show, "Unmute the Voices", on KING-FM. 

Support comes from Ryan Romine, Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Associate Professor of Bassoon at Shenandoah University

​When the Nashville Symphony Orchestra canceled its 2020-2021 season, its principal oboist, Titus Underwood, made "something out of nothing". He joins Garrett to talk about his Emmy win, a few Black composers he's been celebrating, and the importance of self care in activism. Scott honors the legacy of Ma Rainey, the guys respond to their New York Times feature, and the subject of Black trauma fuels the weekly TRILLOQUY. 

WATCH "Night Trip", an opera with music by Carlos Simon and libretto by Sandra Seaton

​Just a few hours before the historic conviction of Derek Chauvin, Garrett and Scott offered continued thoughts on policing and the road toward true justice. The guys also honor the 4/20 holiday with music by Adrian Dunn, Bob Marley, and a conversation about weed culture's relationship with music, and explore the idea of musical colonies in America. Garrett chats with L.A. Khalil who is a Los Angeles-based model, artist, and Gen Z entrepreneur with insights to offer concerning the survival of classical music and engaging his generation. 

Which do you think will come first: concert hall equity or police reform? In the midst of the historic trial of Derek Chauvin, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was killed by another Twin Cities-area police officer, sparking yet another season of protests, unrest, and anger. Garrett and Scott offer reactions while under curfew, and revisit the question of "good" policing. Garrett celebrates the legacy of Florence Price with violinist Er-Gene Kahng, noted for creating the premiere recording of Price's Violin Concerti. And the guys draw connections between DEI initiatives and a supposed ally from the world of science fiction. 

Will Liverman's "Dreams of a New Day" has changed the way many people think about the spiritual, and his contemporary approach to opera promises to engage the next generation in a completely new way. He joins Garrett to talk about his new album, his new opera, and some of the Black History that's inspired both. Scott and Garrett find a through line between Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, George Bridgetower, The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind, & Fire, and wrap things up with a conversation about what it would look like to call it quits. 

Thank you to KING FM for supporting TRILLOQUY. 

Should all-white choirs sing Negro Spirituals? What does the contemporary discourse of race look like to arts leaders from decades past? Is Hip Hop part of the classical tradition? Dr. Louise Toppin joins Garrett to unpack these topics while showcasing her lifelong dedication to the music born from Afro-American culture. Garrett and Scott wrap up their celebration of Women's History Month by honoring the music of Julia Kent, Zoë Keating, Beyoncé, and others. For the weekly TRILLOQUY, the guys speak to the current legislated violence against women and trans people, and honor some of the women who have stood up against voter suppression and sexual assault. ​

People don't typically think of the "classical" American tradition of country music as being rooted in Blackness - Rissi Palmer is working to change that by spreading the truth of country music's Black origins through her show, "Color Me Country". She joins Scott and Garrett to explore the intersection of race, gender, "classical" and country while highlighting some of the Black women whose names often go unheard in the genre. Scott honors the story of Vivian Strong while helping Garrett unpack Tulsa Opera's latest scandal, and the guys say good riddance to a sexual predator. 

After studying the feminist anthology, "This Bridge Called My Back", flutist Lorin Green found a new calling: producing an anthology of Black classical music experiences. She joins Garrett to talk about the anthology, WOC-feminism, and current events "through the eyes of 'classical' music professionals". Garrett and Scott cover the Grammys, its broad unappeal, and the Women's History therein, and return to the conversation of content creation and ownership as it applies to the future of broadcast networks and independent producers. 

***Coined by the queer Black feminist Moya Bailey in 2010, the term misogynoir is a blending of concepts that combines “misogyny” and the French word for black, “noir.”  According to Ms. Bailey, misogynoir is the anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience.

After spending years away from her native Louisiana, composer Courtney Bryan returned to New Orleans to work as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's first-ever Creative Partner - a post that includes engaging community outreach initiatives, writing music, and being a part of the change that many orchestras desperately need. She talks with Garrett about her planned approach to this new position, the music she's bringing with her, and the home-grown experiences that fuel her perspective. Scott and Garrett continue their celebration of Women's History Month with music by Psalm One, Alice Coltrane, Rebecca Sugar, and others while responding to this week's Royal bombshell. 

This opus is made possible, in part, by unClassified.

The Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet is on a journey to create more recordings of music by women and composers of color, with the project, "Uncovered" being the latest installment. Abi Fayette joins Garrett to talk about the unique role that summer music festivals played in her development, her life as the newest member of the Catalyst Quartet, and how "Uncovered" has played a pivotal role in her own understanding of the importance of showcasing music by marginalized composers. Garrett and Scott continue their year-round celebration of women in music with performances by Monica Ellis, the Women's Philharmonic, Nina Simone, and others, and the guys address the recent misstep from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. 

This opus of TRILLOQUY is made possible, in part, by unClassified. 

Racial equity in "classical" music culture extends far beyond the world of performance! James Bennett II does his part as a staff writer at New York City's WQXR-FM, and joins the guys to talk about his job, the power of the pen, and how he reacts to today's social ecosystem as a content creator. Scott reacts to Regina King's "One Night in Miami" and celebrates composer Stevie Wonder, while Garrett engages the "trill" nature of the Black content of decades past. Support for TRILLOQUY comes from unClassified. 

The celebration of Black History wouldn't be possible without the tireless work of Black historians, and in the field of "classical" music Mr. Bill Doggett is leading the way. Bill joins Garrett to take a look back at the Watts uprisings, his work with composer Adolphus Hailstork, and more. Scott honors the lives of Mary Wilson and Chick Corea, and the guys address the latest viral misstep in Music Education. 

***Barnor Hesse defines a "race traitor" as someone who actively refuses complicity with the intention of subverting whiteness and telling the truth at whatever cost. The National Museum of African American History and Culture defines whiteness as the way that white people, their customs, culture, and beliefs operate as the standard by which all other groups are compared. 

This opus of TRILLOQUY is made possible, in part, by unClassified and Opera Philadelphia. 

As names like Florence Price and William Grant Still become more familiar to the masses, it's important to also celebrate Black musicians who embrace "classical" music's contemporary aesthetics. Composer Clifton Joey Guidry III joins Garrett to talk about mental health as a young creator, their experiences as a Black, trans bassoonist in contemporary music spaces, and the situation that inspired their composition, "Shut the Fuck Up and Listen". Scott honors John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and connects it to modern equity initiatives, and Garrett addresses his frustrations with the instrumental choreography performed at Super Bowl LV. 

Public Media continues to be one of the principle vehicles for "classical" music, and the coalition, Public Media For All, is here to push its institutions toward radical and equitable change. Ernesto Aguilar and Consuela "Sway" Steward join Garrett to talk about the coalition, holding institutions accountable, and the mutual benefit of DEI. Scott inspires a "trill" explanation of equality vs. equity, and the guys connect contemporary greats with Black History Month. 

Huge shout out and THANK YOU to James Bennett II for being an important source of information and inspiration. 
Thank you to The Family Crest for their support - check out their Tiny Desk concert!