Unequal Temperament

By: Timothy Long
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Unequal Temperament creates a space highlighting artists with unique perspectives; exploring sensitive topics respectfully with a healthy dose of joy and humor.
    Copyright 2023 Unequal Temperament
    Show more Show less
Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Music Social Sciences
Show more Show less
Episodes
  • Unequal Temperament Episode 8: Tim Welcomes Russell Thomas

    Unequal Temperament Episode 8: Tim Welcomes Russell Thomas
    Jun 17 2021
    Episode 8: Tim Welcomes internationally acclaimed tenor, Russell Thomas.   Tim drinks a Chimay and Russell a fancy lemonade. Tim and Russell reminisce about their first meeting at The Aspen Music Festival, and how that summer was pivotal for Russell on his artistic path. Russell tells how he fell in love with Opera by flipping through radio stations. They discuss Russell’s approach to technique, the importance of being able to ask questions during the learning process, and just how far he’s willing to go to work with the right teacher. They chat about what Russell thinks about while singing an aria and his complex internal balancing act. Russell also shares about his ‘big break’ and the long process of putting himself out there. Russell speaks about his time at the Metropolitan Opera and the disparity in how he was treated there. He speaks to the impact that James Levine, John Fisher, and Ken Noda had on his artistic development. Russell talks about growing up in a primarily Cuban neighborhood in Miami, coming to understand his racial identity until he entered the classical music community and moved away/lived on his own, and repeatedly being pulled over by the police for driving in his own neighborhood. Russell shares a response to an early audition, and how this comment fueled Russell’s drive to succeed. They discuss whether things are changing for BIPOC people and the general futility of hosting panels as a supposed action, the importance of white people joining the conversation about race today, and how white outrage is not enough. Russell talks about his new position at Los Angeles Opera as Artist in Residence. He reveals how he got the job and his vision for his work there. They talk about Russell’s hopes for someday running an opera company, how racial disparity in the operatic world affects the makeup of general directors at companies across the country, and how this appointment at impacts his trajectory. More information on the program Russell is developing as part his tenure there, the HBCU Opera Career Comprehensive, can be found on the Los Angeles Opera Website here: https://www.laopera.org/about-us/hbcu-opera-career-comprehensive/ Tim shares more about the history and etymology of the Mvskoke and Seminole peoples in this episode during the land acknowledgement at the opening of the show. At the beginning of every episode, Tim and Russell perform a land acknowledgement, and Russell comments on how his ancestors were not brought to this land willingly as part of his acknowledgement. If you want to know more about land acknowledgments, and the original tenants and cultures of your current location, Tim suggests using the Native Land App https://apps.apple.com/us/app/native-land/id1194356597 or at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.nativeland.NativeLand&hl=en&gl=US We heard a clip of Russell singing Roberto Devereux with San Francisco Opera info on that production can be found here: https://sfopera.com/devereux Russell talked about Vanished, a project with Ryan McKinney and Dallas Opera. Here is the info on that: Vanished – The Dallas Opera (NOW) Ryan McKinney has taken the last year to transform himself into a fully-fledged filmmaker and his latest work, “Vanished” might be his most impressive yet. The work, starring Russell Thomas and John Holiday, explores music by Gluck, Monteverdi, and Janáček assembled into a new narrative. https://www.thedallasopera.tv/products/vanished The story Tim mentioned for CBS Sunday morning is a story on interracial marriage for the anniversary of the Supreme Court Case Loving vs. Virginia, which did away with racial barriers in marriage. The link to that story is here: https://www.cbsnews.com/sunday-morning/ You can find Tim’s Website here: timothylongmusic.com Special Thanks to Martha Redbone for her permission to use her song “Medicine Man” for the opening credits. More of her work can be found here and you can subscribe to her Youtube channel here. More information on Foundry Arts, the producer of Unequal Temperament, is available at www.thefoundryarts.com Foundry Arts is a lab for opera using collaboration and partnership to invest in artist development, dialogue, and expression, to sustain a rich, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable cultural landscape.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Unequal Temperament Episode 7: Tim Welcomes Steven Newcomb

    Unequal Temperament Episode 7: Tim Welcomes Steven Newcomb
    May 14 2021
    Episode 7: Tim welcomes scholar and author Steven Newcomb for a topical discussion on Steven’s work investigating the Doctrine of Discovery. Together, they dig into the doctrine’s colossal impact on history, including its emergence from the “Right of Discovery” and the Papal Bulls of 1493 and its traumatic and destructive effect on First Nation culture. They delve into the doctrine’s imprint on the American legal system, including references in an Supreme Court opinion by Ruth Badger-Ginsburg, as well as its extensive influence on American Politics, including recent comments by former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. Steven explains the progression of the papal bulls, outlining the language of domination which is explicitly used in each of them, stripping away the concept of ‘discovery’ to reveal a clear intent of domination. To this day this is still the basis of federal Indian law. The clip from the documentary Steven co-produced, The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code, directed by Sheldon Wolfchild can be found here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominationcode Steven talks about the process going forward, the problems inherent to moving ahead when millions of people share an erroneous construct regarding the foundations of current law and practice. He invites us to continue this work by simply talking about the doctrine of discovery and its impact with each other, giving some hints for fostering deep friendly conversation, sharing more about his own ‘intellectual running partners’. Steven reminds us that every part of our culture, language, and modern world have been impacted by this Doctrine of Domination. He invites us to watch his movie and even to host viewing parties. Here are some tools to help with creating those conversations: The Indigenous Law Institute, founded by Steven with Birgil Kills Straight can be found here: http://ili.nativeweb.org/ Steven’s other site, which shows his work on the Doctrine of Discovery and the books he has published, is here: https://originalfreenations.com/ Steven’s published article from 1993 in the NYU Review of Law and Social Change: “The Evidence of Christian Nationalism in Federal Indian Law: The Doctrine of Discovery, Johnson v McIntosh, and Plenary Power” can be found here: https://socialchangenyu.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Steven-Newcomb_RLSC_20.2.pdf Tim’s basic overview of the Doctrine of Discovery from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_doctrine Stephen mentions this article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/27/only-racist-ignorance-lets-rick-santorum-think-america-was-birthed-from-nothing And again his documentary: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominationcode You can find Tim’s Website here: timothylongmusic.com Special Thanks to Martha Redbone for her permission to use her song “Medicine Man” for the opening credits. More of her work can be found here and you can subscribe to her Youtube channel here. More information on Foundry Arts, the producer of Unequal Temperament, is available at www.thefoundryarts.com Foundry Arts is a lab for opera using collaboration and partnership to invest in artist development, dialogue, and expression, to sustain a rich, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable cultural landscape. @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Arial; mso-ansi-language:EN;}a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Arial",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-ansi-language:EN;}.MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Unequal Temperament Episode 6: Tim Welcomes Kelly Kuo

    Unequal Temperament Episode 6: Tim Welcomes Kelly Kuo
    Apr 18 2021

     

    Episode 6 Tim Welcomes Conductor Kelly Kuo

    While sharing a beer (Chimay for Tim, Yuengling- not Yingling!-for Kelly), the two conductors discuss how music is medicine. They talk about the production of Carmen Kelly is conducting which is placed in Haiti with Haitian Creole dialogue and Haitian instruments arranged into the score.

    They talk about Kelly’s upbringing as a child of Hakka immigrants from China, his trilinguality speaking Hakka with his family as a child, learning English in daycare, and finally learning Mandarin in college.

     

    They dig into the further impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act and beyond. Kelly speaks more about his family’s experience as Taiwanese emigrants studying in the US. He shares about growing up in rural Oregon in a primarily white community and the inherent pressure therein. Kelly also shares his personal experience of racism in his neighborhood, including the impact of burying such painful moments as a means of allowing himself to move forward. They unpack their feelings since the Atlanta attacks. Kelly shares his experience over the last month as the husband of a massage therapist who is also Vietnamese American. The importance of representing one’s people as people of color, especially in the wake of the Atlanta shootings.

    Kelly gives advice to humans looking to show solidarity and support for AAPI peoples in these tender times: Educate yourselves! He invites you to challenge yourself to take five minutes next time you eat a delicious meal to read about the history of that culture’s people in the United States.

    Kelly has a lot going on- you can check it all out here:

    For more information on the Orlando Opera’s Production of Bizet’s Carmen, Link to livestream: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?id=36&name=E349459

    More information and trailer for Charlie Parker’s Yardbird which Kelly conducted at Seattle Opera youtu.be/KYMrBTUR51o

    Oregon Mozart Players on “She Says” a program of music composed by women, available online until May 10th www.oregonmozartplayers.org/she-says

    Kelly also talks about his work shining a spotlight on historical BIPOC composers and librettists with American Lyric Theater in “From Erased to Self-Empowered, Celebrating BIPOC Composers and Librettists” www.altnyc.org/events/from-erased-to-self-empowered

     

    Kelly Kuo's website can be found here: https://www.kellykuo.com/

     

    You can find Tim’s Website here: timothylongmusic.com

     

    Special Thanks to Martha Redbone for her permission to use her song “Medicine Man” for the opening credits.

     

    More of her work can be found here and you can subscribe to her Youtube channel here.

     

    More information on Foundry Arts, the producer of Unequal Temperament, is available at www.thefoundryarts.com

     

    Foundry Arts is a lab for opera using collaboration and partnership to invest in artist development, dialogue, and expression, to sustain a rich, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable cultural landscape.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro768_stickypopup

What listeners say about Unequal Temperament

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available