Hear "The Sound of 13: Celebrating Black Achievement in Music" every Monday at 5 p.m. on Classical IPR.
Host Garrett McQueen opens an historical and contemporary conversation of race with classical music and the 13th amendment as the guide.
"The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others have forced people from just about all walks of life to take another look at not only themselves, but the contemporary conversation of race. In this show I engage the contemporary and historical conversation of race with the 13th Amendment and classical music as the guide."Garrett McQueen, host of "The Sound of 13"
See the entire broadcast schedule below.
Episode 1: “The Florida Suite” (Sept. 5)
Frederick Delius may be a composer whose name you know. Or maybe he’s a composer whose name you don’t know. Either way, what you should know is that this Englishman’s music has a connection to American slavery. Garrett McQueen highlights this connection and more in The Sound of 13.
Episode 2: “Negro Melodies” (Sept. 12)
When Antonin Dvorak came to America from Bohemia he fell in love with what he called Negro melodies. Those melodies would play a key role in the composition of some of his most famous music! Garrett McQueen invites you to join him for a closer look at this and other pieces of music inspired by those Negro melodies in this episode.
Episode 3: “The Black Church” (Sept. 19)
If there’s any American institution that’s been a catalyst of freedom for Black people, it’s the Black church. It’s not only home to fiery sermons and thought-provoking ideas of Black freedom, but also Black music! Atlanta-based composer Carlos Simon had this in mind when he wrote “Amen,” which will be featured alongside lots more on this episode.
Episode 4: “Africa” (Sept. 26)
Afro-American composer William Grant Still not only inspired Black audiences with his symphonies, but also with a number of tone poems, including one inspired by the Motherland. Garrett McQueen will explore this composition, alongside a work written and performed from Africa!
Episode 5: The Diaspora” (Oct. 3)
When the 13th Amendment was ratified the work for true freedom for Afro-Americans was only just beginning. As far as a Black man from England was concerned, composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor, it was work that he felt that he had to be engaged in as well. Music by this Afro-Englishman and more on this episode.
Episode 6: “Black Codes” (Oct. 10)
Do you know what Black Codes were? They were special laws held over the heads of post-Civil War Black Americans in response to their so-called freedom: laws that were particularly harsh in the states of Mississippi and South Carolina. Garrett McQueen invites you to learn a little more about Black Codes with a side of music inspired by Mississippi and South Carolina.
Episode 7: “Father of the Spiritual” (Oct. 17)
Black people born during America’s Reconstruction Era faced more challenges than people today could ever imagine. Those challenges still weren’t enough to hold back Henry Thacker Burleigh. Garrett McQueen shares music by this American hero and others.
Episode 8: “Sahdji” (Oct. 24)
You may be familiar with the Afro-American inspired symphonies of William Grant Still, but did you know that he also wrote ballet music? Garrett McQueen will introduce (or re-introduce) you to a woman and a ballet named Sahdji.
Episode 9: “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” (Oct. 31)
Their names were Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Kenneth Chamberlain, Amadou Diallo and John Crawford: seven victims of police brutality and seven men who have been immortalized in a piece of music by Joel Thompson. Join Garrett McQueen for an emotional performance of “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed”, and more.
Episode 10: “Contemporary Black Performers” (Nov. 7)
The manifestations of the 13th amendment have impacted countless Black musicians, including the life and work of the late maestro Paul Freeman. Join Garrett McQueen to learn a little more about Maestro Freeman and a few other contemporary Black musicians who have pushed for change.
Episode 11: “Feelin’ Good” (Nov. 14)
If there were ever a Black woman to leave audiences in awe, it’s Nina Simone. She also left audiences “feelin’ good”. Garrett McQueen celebrates Ms. Simone and other musical freedom fighters in this episode.
Episode 12: “The Sounds of 14 and 15” (Nov. 21)
The 15th amendment to the United States Constitution promised everyone’s right to vote, but 100 years after its ratification Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was still helping Black communities fight for that right. Garrett McQueen will speak to the march on Selma and share a little music from the movie, Selma..
Episode 13: “Blind Tom” (Nov. 28)
“Blind Tom” Wiggins was born autistic and blind on a Southern plantation back in the mid-19 century, but he still managed to become one of the country’s busiest pianists! Garrett McQueen shares a “Blind Tom” composition, the second symphony of William Grant Still, and more.
About the host
Garrett McQueen is a bassoonist who has performed with orchestras across the country, including the Knoxville Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Today, Garrett works as a producer of digital and broadcast media, with content featured on the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and local public radio stations across the country. In 2017, Current named McQueen a Black talent in public media “that you may not know, but should,” and in 2021 the New York Times noted his weekly podcast, TRILLOQUY, as "a standout" that's "required listening for industry leaders and listeners alike.” In addition to working as the Executive Producer and co-host of the TRILLOQUY podcast, Garrett works as an equity consultant, guest speaker, curator and presenter at the intersection of race and "classical" music. He serves on the board of the American Composers Forum as the Equity Committee Chair, and is on the leadership teams of the Black Opera Alliance, the Gateways Music Festival, and the International Society for Black Musicians.
