The TRILLOQUY Team
A proud native of Memphis, TN, Garrett McQueen has performed as a bassoonist in venues across the country, including Los Angeles' Disney Hall, Detroit's Max M. Fischer Music Center, and New York's Carnegie Hall. As well as performing as a member of the South Arkansas Symphony, Jackson Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Memphis Repertory Orchestra, the Eroica Ensemble, and most recently, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, he has worked with groups including the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Southeast Symphony, the Artosphere and Gateways Festival Orchestras, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As a media personality, Garrett is dedicated to the diversification of classical music and the advancement of Black musicians in the field. He's made presentations on diversity panels hosted by the Gateways Music Festival, the Sphinx Organization and the Kennedy Center's Shift Festival, and continues in this work both in and outside of the concert hall. Much of his work has been published by organizations with parallel agendas, including his series on "The Relationship Between Race and Classical Music" by Arts in a Changing America. In an article produced by Current, McQueen was hailed as "a Black talent in public media that you may not know, but should". Garrett holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon from the University of Memphis, where he studied with Lecolion Washington, and a Master of Music in Bassoon from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Judith Farmer. |
Scott Blankenship grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, in a pretty benign and stereotypical midwest middle-class existence. As a senior in high school, Scott discovered theater and entered the University of Nebraska at Omaha as a theater (he spells that 'er') major. UNO was a commuter campus at that point, and in order to fulfill an internship credit Scott got an internship at KVNO. Since the station was on campus, he didn't have to give up his parking spot, and consequently fell in love with public radio. Over the course of almost 15 years, Scott held many different managerial and on-air roles.
In 1993, Scott and three close friends decided to form their own theater group to showcase local playwrights and actors, and The Shelterbelt was born. For over 20 years, The Shelterbelt presented dozens of original offerings from what was once a humble sandwich shop called Killgore's. While living the Bohemian artist lifestyle of a public radio host and actor, Scott began writing short scenes and one-act plays for the 'belt. Some of the pieces produced include He Who Laughs Last, Hypnotized, and the full-length Friends Like These. Friends Like These was nominated for a TAG award for Best Original Script in 2006. For Scott, TRILLOQUY is the culmination of decades spent honing skills in broadcasting and the arts; writing, editing, storytelling, and all the production elements that you hear every week but happen behind the scenes. When Scott isn't working on TRILLOQUY (or hosting live radio), you can find him playing guitar, making a batch of beer, or hanging out with his buddy, Radar. |
