The Abduction From the Seraglio: Chapter 1 | Every Voice w/ Terrance McKnight | Full Podcast Episode

Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, a podcast series spotlighting marginalized voices, histories and perspectives in the Western classical music traditions.

All too often, characters of African descent in operas written during the 18th and 19th centuries are defined as the institution of slavery and the idea of inferiority. But today’s composers, like Dr. Sharon Willis, aim to write about Black life in order to uplift the community where she lives and works. She says she has “no use” for the depiction of Black people as “buffoons or vixens or mammies.” 

In this episode of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight we return to Dr. Willis’s music and hear about a 19th century African American family that inspired one of her 16 operas. And by contrast, we’ll discuss Mozart’s opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio," in which he explores the theme of slavery and freedom, however freedom is a birthright for some, not for all.  

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Hosted by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight, the debut season of Every Voice explores Black representation in opera through interviews with performers and educators, historical documents, archival performance recordings, and McKnight’s signature style of personal storytelling, honed through his work as a classical music performer, teacher, presenter, producer and host.

This episode is written, hosted and produced by Terrance McKnight. The Executive Producer is Tony Phillips. The Executive Producer for WQXR Podcasts is Elizabeth Nonemaker. Our research team includes Ariel Elizabeth Davis, Pranathi Diwakar, Ian George and Jasmine Ogiste. Sound design and engineering by Alan Goffinski. Original music composed by Jeromy Thomas and Ashley Jackson. Special thanks to Dr. Sharon Willis for her original compositions and the Livermore Valley Opera for the use of their performance of “The Abduction from the Seraglio.”

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

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