TRILLOQUY

Loki chats with Grammy-nominated flutist, vocalist, and composer, Nathalie Joachim about Afromodernism, building community as an artist, and more. Loki responds to imagery that suggests that it's time for Black women to watch it all burn.

• NOLA Chamber Fest
• Lyrica Baroque
• Nathalie Joachim
• Nathalie Joachim - Kouti yo (Live from Juilliard)
• Aware by Nathalie Joachim; Rachel Mellis, flute
• "I Can't Stop Thinking" by Loki
• Conga Drum Accompaniment

Loki chats with Jennifer Koh about the notion of "risk" in western classical spaces, the importance of commissioning new work, and her upcoming collaboration with the Kennedy Center. Loki reads from the autobiography of Huey P. Newton and responds to the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

• Jennifer Koh
• ARCO Collaborative 
• Fortas Chamber Music Concerts
• Echorus by Philip Glass (perf. Jennifer Koh and Jaime Laredo)
• Her Latitude by Wang Lu (perf. Jennifer Koh and Wang Lu)
• Huey P. Newton reflects on the Black Panther Party

Loki chats with composer George Lewis about the "Composing While Black" anthology, his approach to furthering the tradition of "great Black music", and his upcoming collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, ICE, and others. Loki also responds to the Afromodernism concert he recently attended, presented by the New York Philharmonic.

Support for this opus of TRILLOQUY comes from the New York Philharmonic. 

• ICE/"Composing While Black"
• Association for the Advancement of Creative Music
• "Weathering" by George Lewis (perf. American Composers Orchestra)
• "Arcades" by George Lewis (perf. Black Box Ensemble)
• Afromodernism, presented by the New York Philharmonic 

Loki reunited with one of his high school classmates to talk about their upcoming 20 year reunion, memories from band (and Music Theory class), and how decolonizing classical music can benefit students beyond those who are interested in music as a career. Loki also shares The Parable of the Mustard Seed in response to recent challenge and tragedy. 

• Craigmont High School
• "Memphis Blues", perf. W.C. Handy
• "Paper, Scissors, Rock", perf. Craigmont High School Band
• Anirban Roy performs "mere awaj hi mere pachan"

Loki Karuna chats with Grammy-nominated clarinetist, Seunghee Lee (aka Sunny Kang) about the path toward a Grammy, her life as a golfer, and her new album, "Intermezzo". Loki offers condolences to the family of Marcellus "Khalifah" Williams and offers his thoughts on the death penalty. 

• Seunghee Lee
• "Intermezzo" Album
• "Executive", by Michele Magnani 
• "Intermezzo", by Michele Magnani
• Missouri Executes A Man For The 1998 Killing Of A Woman Despite Her Family’s Calls To Spare His Life

Loki Karuna chats with Charlton Lee of the Del Sol Quartet about the flexibility of smaller ensembles to shift the status quo, his new podcast, "Sounds Current", and more! Loki also highlights and reflects on his recent trip to a Buddhist conference in Florida.

• Charlton Lee
• "Sounds Current"
• "Rough Math" by Mason Bates
• "Scrapyard Exotica" by Mason Bates

Loki chats with literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller about activism in prose, the legacy of James Baldwin (and other notable activists in literature), and how music intersects this tradition. Loki also shares his thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.

**This opus is made possible, in part, by Bucklesweet.

• E. Ethelbert Miller
• Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
• Upcoming Lecture on James Baldwin by E. Ethelbert Miller
• "Sonny's Blues" by Milt Jackson
• "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" perf. James Baldwin

Loki Karuna chats with Shane Evans about working as a classical recording artist as an "outsider", defining American music, and the release of his latest album, "Ballades". Loki offers thoughts in response to ideas on class structure and solidarity as presented in "The New Human Rights Movement", by Peter Joseph. 

• Black August
• Shane Evans
• "Ballades" by Shane Evans
• "The New Human Rights Movement" by Peter Joseph

Loki Karuna chats with Lorin Green about her continued journey toward equity and liberation in classical music, her newly published anthology of Black experiences within the field, and how arts administration has impacted her view on the role of musicians. Loki also offers perspectives relating to the murder of Sonya Massey and political fundraising. 

• Arts Engines
• Lorin Green/"From Our Eyes and Ears"
• Relative Pitch Podcast
• "Danza de la Mariposa" by Valerie Coleman (perf. Lorin Green)
• "Prelude for Unaccompanied Flute" by Ulysses Kay (perf. Lorin Green)
• Body camera video focused national attention on an Illinois deputy’s fatal shooting of Sonya Massey

Loki Karuna chats with Marcus Norris about developing a composition career for Black audiences, his recent projects for both film and the stage, and the path that led him toward a collaboration with Beyoncé! Loki also offers responses and reactions to the latest in national politics. 

• Marcus Norris
• "I Tries So Hard For You" by Marcus Norris
• "I Don't Want Your Love" by Marcus Norris
• Should Biden Drop Out? Polls Say Yes!