The 2020 killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and so many other Black citizens, led many in America to reckon anew with race… including classical music institutions and their patrons. Radio and podcast host Garrett McQueen opens an historical and contemporary conversation of race with classical music and the 13th amendment as the guide in a new series that will be heard on KPAC 88.3 FM, called “The Sound of 13.” The program will air Sundays at noon, beginning February 7, and will continue through May 2.
Garrett McQueen is a professional bassoonist who has performed with symphonies and in venues across the country. He is also an accomplished instructor and has performed in multiple Broadway Musicals and television series. Garrett is a strong advocate for the diversification of classical music and the advancement of Black musicians in the field. He is the creator of and co-host of "Trilloquy," a weekly podcast and arts initiative that affirms the "classic" aspects of compositions from all cultures in an effort to DECOLONIZE so-called "classical music."
Episode Listing:
- Feb. 7: An Englishman's connection to American slavery
- Feb. 14: Antonin Dvorak falls in love with "Negro melodies" on his trip to America
- Feb. 21: Music in The Black Church
- Feb. 28: A tone poem of William Grant Still
- Mar. 7: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
- Mar. 14: Black Codes
- Mar. 21: Henry Thacker Burleigh in America's Reconstruction Era
- Mar. 28: Ballet music of William Grant Still
- Apr. 4: Seven Last Words of the Unarmed
- Apr. 11: Paul Freeman the musician, conductor, and recording artist
- Apr. 18: Feelin' Good
- Apr. 25: Selma and the 15th Amendment
- May 2: "Blind Tom" Wiggins
