Every Voice with Terrance McKnight podcast

Every Voice with Terrance McKnight

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  WQXR  

“Every Voice with Terrance McKnight” is a show that spotlights the vibrant stories and perspectives that reflect the whole of the American musical experience. There are many different kinds of classical music, depending on where you are in the world. While this music typically preserves the traditions of a given society, classical music in America remains wedded to its Western European roots. On this show, we want to know why — and what America’s classical music really sounds like. Through interviews, historical investigation, and personal storytelling, Terrance McKnight unearths the hidden voices that have been shaping our musical traditions all along. Our debut season examines the representation of Blackness in opera. While character flaws are universal, stereotypes often fall along racial lines. We look at the loneliness, jealousy, self-loathing, and cultural appropriation associated with African characters in 18th and 19th century operas by Mozart and Verdi, and we introduce the African-American personalities found in the operas of Atlanta-based composer Dr. Sharon Willis.

“Every Voice with Terrance McKnight” is a show that spotlights the vibrant stories and perspectives that reflect the whole of the American musical experience. There are many different kinds of classical music, depending on where you are in the world. While this music typically preserves the traditions of a given society, classical music in America remains wedded to its Western European roots. On this show, we want to know why — and what America’s classical music really sounds like. Through interviews, historical investigation, and personal storytelling, Terrance McKnight unearths the hidden voices that have been shaping our musical traditions all along. Our debut season examines the representation of Blackness in opera. While character flaws are universal, stereotypes often fall along racial lines. We look at the loneliness, jealousy, self-loathing, and cultural appropriation associated with African characters in 18th and 19th century operas by Mozart and Verdi, and we introduce the African-American personalities found in the operas of Atlanta-based composer Dr. Sharon Willis.

 

#21

A Radio Special: Mozart’s "Abduction from the Seraglio"

In the prime of his illustrious career, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ran in the realm of promin... more

17 Aug 2023

58 MINS

58:47

17 Aug 2023


#20

A Radio Special: Verdi’s "Aida”

At the heart of “Aida” is an African love story: the Ethiopian princess Aida is torn betwe... more

10 Aug 2023

58 MINS

58:28

10 Aug 2023


#19

A Radio Special: Verdi's "Otello"

“Otello” debuted in Milan in 1887, just two years after European nations gathered in Berli... more

03 Aug 2023

58 MINS

58:35

03 Aug 2023


#18

A Radio Special: Mozart’s "The Magic Flute"

In this radio special of “Every Voice with Terrance McKnight,” enjoy this season’s journey... more

27 Jul 2023

46 MINS

46:52

27 Jul 2023


#17

Abduction from the Seraglio: Revelations

With such a dark past, what does the future look like for opera as an art form? From Verdi... more

01 Jun 2023

19 MINS

19:06

01 Jun 2023


#16

Abduction from the Seraglio: A Blind Eye

Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” was first heard in Vienna in 1782, commissioned... more

25 May 2023

19 MINS

19:27

25 May 2023


#15

Abduction from the Seraglio: A Dream Interrupted

In the prime of his illustrious career, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ran in the realm of promin... more

18 May 2023

20 MINS

20:12

18 May 2023


#14

Abduction from the Seraglio: Freedom and Justice for Some

All too often, characters of African descent in operas written during the 18th and 19th ce... more

11 May 2023

20 MINS

20:30

11 May 2023


#13

Aida: America’s Confederates in Egypt

When “Aida” premiered in Egypt in 1871, it delivered some not-so-subtle messaging in the d... more

04 May 2023

21 MINS

21:33

04 May 2023


#12

Aida: 100% Egyptian Cotton

“Opera has always been not just adjacent to colonial conquest, but perhaps … quite a large... more

27 Apr 2023

19 MINS

19:01

27 Apr 2023


#11

Aida: Off the Chain

At the heart of Verdi's opera “Aida” is an African love story, where an Egyptian general a... more

20 Apr 2023

17 MINS

17:54

20 Apr 2023


#10

Aida: Red Heart, White Eyes

In Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida,” Princess Aida is torn between her homeland of Ethiopia (ruled ... more

13 Apr 2023

18 MINS

18:45

13 Apr 2023


#9

Otello: The North Star

As the one Black man in Shakespeare’s play and Verdi’s opera, Otello was not only tokenize... more

06 Apr 2023

20 MINS

20:40

06 Apr 2023


#8

Otello: Black Handkerchiefs Matter

Giuseppe Verdi's Otello rose from enslavement to the ranks of army general and marries an ... more

30 Mar 2023

16 MINS

16:36

30 Mar 2023


#7

Otello: Haters

This week on Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, we go deeper into Giuseppe Verdi's charac... more

23 Mar 2023

16 MINS

16:12

23 Mar 2023


#6

Otello: UNMOORED

“Otello” debuted in Milan in 1887, just two years after European nations gathered in Berli... more

16 Mar 2023

15 MINS

15:41

16 Mar 2023


#5

The Magic Flute: Recycling

The use of blackface is a dying trend, but it was fundamental to one of the most popular o... more

09 Mar 2023

18 MINS

18:55

09 Mar 2023


#4

The Magic Flute: He Said, She Said

In Mozart's "The Magic Flute," Monostatos is smitten by the white princess Pamina, whom he... more

02 Mar 2023

19 MINS

19:08

02 Mar 2023


#3

The Magic Flute: Invisible Man

At over 200 years old, “The Magic Flute” remains a classic opera which continues to be tau... more

23 Feb 2023

20 MINS

20:59

23 Feb 2023


#2

The Magic Flute: From Morehouse … to the opera house with Monostatos

Monostatos the Moor in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” is one of the most famous representation... more

16 Feb 2023

19 MINS

19:55

16 Feb 2023


#1

Introducing “Every Voice with Terrance McKnight”

“Every Voice with Terrance McKnight” is a show that spotlights the vibrant stories and per... more

01 Feb 2023

02 MINS

02:18

01 Feb 2023