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New York’s classical music station WQXR has launched a new 16-part podcast that explores and uncovers marginalized voices within the Western classical music tradition, with a focus on Black representation in opera. “Every Voice” is hosted by writer, curator, pianist and WQXR weekday evening host Terrance McKnight.
McKnight examines Black characters in the works of Mozart and Verdi – who were writing these roles against the backdrop of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade – and puts them side by side with the works of contemporary Black composer Dr. Sharon Willis, who writes authentic operatic roles of Black historical figures.
“Every Voice” builds upon McKnight’s previous work including The Black Experience in the Concert Hall and his biographical audio documentaries of Black luminaries.