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Check out our new podcast, Trilloquy! Hosts Garrett McQueen and Scott Blankenship bring you true and real stories from the fringes of classical music every week. Coming soon.

Welcome to Trilloquy, true and real stories from the fringes of classical music. In the Overture, hosts Garrett McQueen and Scott Blankenship introduce themselves by recalling the journeys that brought them together. The two also lay out the path toward the podcast, its purpose and where they plan to take it. The world of classical music is much like the rest of the world!

Why is representation in classical music important? What does it feel like for black millennials in the concert hall? How is the music experience unique at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)? Garrett and Scott explore those topics, and more, before hearing from Marion Dooley, who reached out to Garrett after seeing him perform with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Marion shares his perspectives, and offers insight into a world he thinks more people should know about.

Katie Brown and Dalanie Harris became friends while attending the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. The experiences they share as black women in classical music led them to creating their own podcast, Classically Black. In this episode, Garrett and Scott talk about some of the challenges they've experienced in conversations surrounding race, followed by an interview that Garrett conducted with Katie and Dalanie in February at the Sphinx Conference in Detroit.

Mental health is a topic everyone is paying more attention to these days. In Opus 3 of Trilloquy, Garrett and Scott talk about their relationships with mental health awareness and how working in radio can have a huge impact on it. Garrett also shares the second interview he captured at the 2019 Sphinx Conference, featuring collaborative pianist Brandon Coffer. Don't call him an accompanist!

This episode of Trilloquy features the final interview Garrett conducted at the 2019 Sphinx Conference. He speaks with Performance Today producer Kathleen Bradbury about what it means to be an ally to people of color in classical music as a white woman. Garrett and Scott set the stage for this conversation by sharing their thoughts on what it means to be an ally, as well as exploring the idea of intersectionality.

This episode of Trilloquy features an in-depth conversation between Garrett and Scott about Juneteenth. After a refresher on what Juneteenth is, the two explore their connections with American slavery, its reverberating effects on U.S. culture, and the importance of black awareness in and outside of classical music.

In this edition of Trilloquy, Garrett and Scott talk about what Pride Month means to them. Garrett also chats with Johnathan Gibbs, who is a member of the New York City Gay Mens’ Chorus. The two discuss Johnathan’s move to New York, and how a chorus for gay men, exclusively, lacks inclusion and representation.

Are you a sellout for choosing money over a career in the arts? In this episode, Garrett has this conversation with Peter Colin, a New York City-based trombonist and music teacher turned lawyer. As an introduction, Garrett and Scott explore their respective relationships with the topic of money vs. music.

When a young Jeffrey McNeill discovered that the Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere” fit perfectly with the opening movement of Beethoven’s 5th, he discovered what would eventually become his life’s passion. Now fully grown, Jeffrey, aka Thee Phantom, and his wife, Andrea, aka The Phoenix, lead Illharmonic, an ensemble that fuses classical music with classic hip-hop. Garrett explores why this concept is important to them, and how it informs music lovers on both the hip-hop and classical music sides of the aisle. Garrett and Scott touch on their relationships with social media in the prelude, and the opus concludes with an Illharmonic performance.

Although many people understand that classical music comes from more places than western Europe, the stigma still exists, and it must be challenged. In this opus, Garrett chats with Katy Henriksen, who does her part in fighting that stigma as a classical radio host at KUAF-FM in Arkansas. She offers a peek into her programming techniques, and also offers a look into the culture of the northwest part of her state. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott rehash their recent vacations, and discuss a poignant article that calls for the death of classical music.

Alex Rosales Garcia lived as an undocumented immigrant in California until 2005. Today, he’s a full-fledged U.S. citizen. In addition to performing as a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, he teaches the next generation of Mexican-American musicians in Southern California. In this opus, Garrett chats with Alex about his illegal border crossing and how his Mexican heritage serves as an advantage in his career as a teacher and performer. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott talk about some of their cross-country moves and the importance of friendship along the way.

Classical music is filled with diversity initiatives, but the Gateways Music Festival is not one of them. Every other year, musicians of African descent convene in Rochester, N.Y., to serve a love of classical music where it meets a love for blackness within the art form. The festival is run by Chicago-born pianist, educator and advocate Lee Koonce, who strongly believes that “black people have been involved in classical music since there’s been something called classical music.” Garrett chats with him about the festival, including some of the history of the relationship between race and classical music. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott touch on the topic of “cancel culture” and shout out a few black musicians of centuries passed.

Composer deVon Russell Gray (dVRG) doesn't believe in classifying music by genre, and his catalog proves it. In this rondo-styled episode, Scott talks with Gray about his appointment as composer-in-residence with Minnesota's Schubert Club, how his music addresses racial tensions in his native St. Paul and how he plans to combat what he describes as "outdated programming." Garrett and Scott also unpack some of Gray’s non-musical responses, including the relationship between black communities and law enforcement, and the differences between equality and equity.

As oboist David Norville enters his final year as a student at the New England Conservatory, there’s one thing he knows for sure – he doesn’t want to become a professional oboist. In this opus, he speaks to Garrett about why he wants to occupy a different sort of stage and the systemic issues that led him to this discovery. The two also chat about a few of their musical and nonmusical heroes, including a mentor they have in common. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott apply the remake of Disney’s “The Lion King” to their personal lives and how some of those stories apply to their family and social relationships.

The physical and cultural colonization of the land now called America has only continued since the first Europeans arrived, and Quanice Floyd has dedicated her career to quelling it. The music-teacher-turned-arts-administrator explores this topic with Garrett, drawing connections between the destruction of indigenous communities to the violent gentrification plaguing communities of color today. She also talks about integrating musical styles like ‘Go-Go’ into her classroom, and how it got her into hot water. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott recount their relationships with indigenous education, and Garrett addresses his latest social media drama.

Performing alongside Beyonce is just one of the many accolades Jessica McJunkins is proud of. The full-time freelancer/contractor has collaborated with many stars in the pop music industry. She speaks with Garrett about the challenges of traversing this corner of the violin world. Jessica compares the all-black Gateways Music Festival to Beyonce’s all-black Coachella performance, and she explains why “Queen Bey” serves the next generation of classical musicians by putting string players on the main stage. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott talk about Jay-Z’s deal with the NFL, and they respond to a listener who questions Scott’s involvement with Trilloquy.

The American Composers Forum was founded in 1973, with the goal of making composers, and the music they create, a vibrant and integral part of human culture. These days, the ACF is working to broaden the way it defines “composer.” In this opus, Garrett and Scott talk with Vanessa Rose, the ACF’s president and CEO, about how the organization can play a role in the larger conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion. The three also tackle the subject of gender vs. racial equity, and preview an upcoming forum hosted by the ACF on the topic of diversity among composers and writers of creative music. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott talk about their visit to the Minnesota State Fair, and Scott reveals why he envies aspects of black history and culture.

In February, 19-year-old Cameren Williams pitched her book, Kinderlute, to a team of investors at the Sphinx Conference. She didn't win the top prize, but she did catch Garrett's attention, who hosted the event. In this opus, Garrett talks to Cameren about her book, the process of preparing for a pitch presentation, and life at the Juilliard School of Music. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott chat about their standouts in Bob Watt's book, Black Horn, and Garrett talks about his time at his first Tyler, the Creator, concert. More: Classical Kids Storytime - Kinderlute

Being a member of the all-black Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is an incredible experience for musicians who never play with people who look like them, but the fusion of classical music and the black experience is all Jennifer Arnold knew growing up. In this opus, Garrett chats with Jen about her classically black upbringing, and her recent decision to leave the Oregon Symphony for an arts administration position in Virginia. In the prelude, Garrett and Scott recount their recent visit to a Bavarian-style beer hall, and Scott previews the next episode of his show, Hop Notes.