Every Voice with Terrance McKnight
“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.
Our Editor's Take
Every Voice with Terrance McKnight is a podcast that explores what classical music means in America. The debut season focuses on opera. When the average white person pictures an opera singer, they might not picture a Black person. Stereotypes and cultural appropriation exist in what many people consider classical opera. Characters in Verdi's and Mozart's operas display these harmful attributes.
Host Terrance McKnight introduces himself over soothing clarinet music in the first episode. The podcast host tells a story about how he helped his dad pick up litter. McKnight's father did this of his own volition to beautify the neighborhood. Mcknight says that classical music is his artistic neighborhood.
Every Voice with Terrance McKnight includes interviews, personal storytelling, and incredible singing. These elements bring awareness of Blackness in opera to those who never thought to seek it out. Many of the performers and writers she interviews talk about being the only Black person in the room.
Dr. Sharon Willis is a composer who lives in Atlanta, where most of her operas run. Her work often receives enthusiastic reviews. They don't produce her work in major opera houses. Willis talks about how her operas tell relevant stories about culture people can be proud of. She tells a story about falling asleep while watching a program about the Titanic. Unsure if she dreamed it, Willis researched and learned about Joseph Laroche. He was the only Black man on the Titanic. She wrote a three-act opera about him.
Limmie Pulliam is a tenor who played the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's Otello. He talks about how some white people he interacts with assume he's a maintenance worker. This injustice feels like how Europeans viewed the Moors. Otello was a Moor. Despite their many cultural and scientific contributions, white Europeans considered them lesser. Some people are shaping opera in America and receiving little recognition. When Pulliam sings, no one could contest the recognition his talent deserves. The podcast brings overdue praise and acknowledgement to such Black talent. New episodes of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight drop each week.
Episodes
