George Diwakar - Podcast Details

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The Bible Matters PodcastGeorge Diwakar - Acts 19, Biblical Apologetics, and the Unstoppable Advance of the KingdomIn the final episode of this series, we speak to George Diwakar about a sermon he preached on Acts 19. We talked to George about apologetics, and how the Bible acts an apologetic for itself, as well as more widely about the book of Acts, its structure and its purpose. We were also joined by William Taylor and Tim Sheppard who contributed to the same teaching series on the book of Acts. In this episode we feature a talk from George Diwakar, curate at St Helen’s Bishopsgate on Acts 19:21-41. The talk explores the shallow nature of opp...2024-04-0551 min

The Bible Matters PodcastActs 19:21-41 - George DiwakarIn this episode we feature a talk from George Diwakar, curate at St Helen's Bishopsgate, on Acts 19:21-41. We will talk further with George about this talk in the next episode. The Bible Matters Podcast is funded entirely by the generous donations of its listeners. If you would like to become a financial partner with us on this journey, you can give to the project here. The music for today’s episode was written and produced by Leo Elbourne and Josh Stidwill. Listen to more of Josh's work here. To contact us, email office@b...2024-04-0232 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightA Radio Special: Mozart’s "Abduction from the Seraglio"In the prime of his illustrious career, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ran in the realm of prominent, Black visionaries. But after composing “Zaide,” an unfinished opera depicting a slave revolt, Mozart was commissioned to create a work more palatable to the politics and pocketbooks of the late 18th century European upper class. First heard in Vienna in 1782, “ Abduction” catered to the harsh reality of the times. As is too often the case with operas written during this time, characters of African descent are reduced to racist stereotypes, thereby oiling the wheels of Europe’s economic engine — slavery. With this in...2023-08-1758 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightA Radio Special: Verdi’s "Aida”At the heart of “Aida” is an African love story: the Ethiopian princess Aida is torn between loyalty to her country and passion for her captor, the Egyptian general Radamès, who loves her in return. But when “Aida” premiered in Cairo in 1871, very few Africans went to see it, let alone could afford the price of a ticket. The original audience for “Aida,” in fact, was the European elite in Egypt, whose economic fortunes and imperial ambitions were inextricably linked to the American Civil War. Verdi’s “Aida” often portrays Egyptians as white and free and Ethiopians as Black...2023-08-1058 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightA Radio Special: Verdi's "Otello"“Otello” debuted in Milan in 1887, just two years after European nations gathered in Berlin to agree on a campaign to carve up and colonize the African continent for their own profit. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, based on the play Shakespeare wrote in the very early 1600s, centers on the Moor, Otello — an African who becomes a much celebrated Venetian general for leading a successful war against his fellow Africans.As a Black man in a position of power, Otello’s status inspires praise and worship by some and searing loathing from others. How do stereotypes of Black manhood, a...2023-08-0358 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightA Radio Special: Mozart’s "The Magic Flute"In this radio special of “Every Voice with Terrance McKnight,” enjoy this season’s journey into Mozart’s "The Magic Flute," its investigation into the overlooked character of Monostatos, and what his portrayal teaches us about ourselves. With a legacy spanning over two centuries, "The Magic Flute" remains a beloved classic, captivating audiences in sold-out venues worldwide. But along with the opera’s historic success, the character of Monostatos, a Moor and chief slave to the wizard Sarastro, stands out as one of the most famous and shameful stereotypes in opera — a genre with limited representation of characters of...2023-07-2746 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAbduction from the Seraglio: RevelationsWith such a dark past, what does the future look like for opera as an art form? From Verdi to Mozart, many of opera’s most celebrated works famously reduce people of African descent to racist caricatures and stereotypes with tragic fates. In the final episode of this season of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight: we go in search of opera’s future with composers, musicians, and thinkers of today, and turn our attention one more time to Mozart's “Abduction from the Seraglio” to learn from a long-voiceless character. Joined by Dr. Sharon Willis, opera and theater director...2023-06-0119 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAbduction from the Seraglio: A Blind EyeMozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” was first heard in Vienna in 1782, commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II to cater to the German-speaking audience of the capital city. Joseph II and Mozart had more in common than just their native tongue. Joseph II championed liberal ideas, equality, and religious freedom, while some experts interpret Mozart's operas as striving to be liberatory. But 1780s Europe was financially entwined with human trafficking, and the ideals of enlightenment and freedom didn’t apply to every human. In “Abduction,” those real-world restrictions — and the ramifications they have for Mozart’s characters — are on full display...2023-05-2519 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAbduction from the Seraglio: A Dream InterruptedIn the prime of his illustrious career, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ran in the realm of prominent, Black visionaries, composed the radical (unfinished) opera “Zaide” depicting a slave revolt, and even shared a home with famed Senegalese / French composer Joseph Boulogne, known as the Chevalier de Saint Georges. The Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, a supporter of Mozart, was also progressive for his time. During his reign, he was known for his religious tolerance, abolition of serfdom, and public friendship with Angelo Solimon, a man of African descent.But having Black friends doesn’t mean you’re willing to sacri...2023-05-1820 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAbduction from the Seraglio: Freedom and Justice for SomeAll 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.” This week on 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 six...2023-05-1120 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAida: America’s Confederates in EgyptWhen “Aida” premiered in Egypt in 1871, it delivered some not-so-subtle messaging in the dramatization of light-skinned Egyptians dominating dark-skinned Ethopians. Within two years, the man who commissioned “Aida,” Egypt’s Khedive Ishmael Pasha, lived out this fantasy of conquest, mobilizing the nation’s army with help from former American Confederate veterans.. In this episode of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, our final installment on Giuseppe Verdi's “Aida,” we’re joined by Limmie Pullman, Angela Brown, Raehann Bryce-Davis, and Sir Williard White to revel in the drama of this opera and consider to what extent life imitates art. This episode is...2023-05-0421 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAida: 100% Egyptian Cotton“Opera has always been not just adjacent to colonial conquest, but perhaps … quite a large part of it.” Pranathi Diwakar, Every Voice with Terrance McKnight researcher. When the US and British cotton industry was disrupted by the American Civil War in the 1860s, Egypt, led by Khedive Ismail Pasha, moved to capitalize on Britain's demand for the valuable raw material. Egypt’s new, booming industry led to a polarizing reality for the region, the use of enslaved East Africans as a labor force, and a new class of rich, European leviathans to entertain in Cairo. Thus, the birth of G...2023-04-2719 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAida: Off the ChainAt the heart of Verdi's opera “Aida” is an African love story, where an Egyptian general and an Ethiopian princess fall in love. It premiered in Cairo in 1871, but the truth is, very few Africans went to see it, let alone could afford the price of a ticket. This was a European conception of the East, for European audiences at a time when Egypt’s leadership was attempting to make Egypt ‘the Paris of the East.’ Verdi’s “Aida” often portrays Egyptians as white and free and Ethiopians and black and enslaved, reinforcing colonial stereotypes and colorism, still present in many...2023-04-2017 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightAida: Red Heart, White EyesIn Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida,” Princess Aida is torn between her homeland of Ethiopia (ruled by her father, King Amonasro) and her captor, the Egyptian leader Radamès who loves her and whom she loves in return. It’s a powerful love story, an African love story - so why are Egyptians portrayed as white and the Ethiopian as Black and enslaved? This week on Every Voice with Terrance McKnight: We’re joined by tenor Limmie Pulliam, the first Black man to take on the role of Radamès at the Metropolitan Opera, soprano and arts activist Maleasha Taylo...2023-04-1318 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightOtello: The North StarAs the one Black man in Shakespeare’s play and Verdi’s opera, Otello was not only tokenized, but villainized, criticized and minimized. With such an emphasis on Otello’s flaws, how is it that Desdemona fell in love? In her play “Desdemona,” Nobel laureate Toni Morrison and theater director Peter Sellers tell the story of the women of Otello. And in giving a long-awaited voice to Desdemona, uncover Otello’s connections to Blackness often overlooked or underplayed: a black handkerchief gifted down through generations, the roots of the “Willow” song, and a touching understanding of Desdemona as a child raised...2023-04-0620 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightOtello: Black Handkerchiefs MatterGiuseppe Verdi's Otello rose from enslavement to the ranks of army general and marries an aristocratic Venetian woman. It’s difficult to imagine the rich cultural heritage of Otello’s African past; that history is only hinted at. Through the whitewashing of his character, some may forget that Otello is of African descent. But for Iago, the identity of his enemy, Otello, was never far from mind. To him and Verdi’s high-society audience, that assimilation signaled all the dangers of the free Black man. This week in Every Voice with Terrance McKnight: how a handkerchief...2023-03-3016 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightOtello: HatersThis week on Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, we go deeper into Giuseppe Verdi's character of the “Moor of Venice." Otello is a celebrated general in the Venetian army, and as a Black man in a position of power, his status inspires praise and worship by some and searing loathing from others. Otello’s subordinate, Iago, thinks his boss woefully undeserving of his success and his white Venetian wife. Driven mad by entitlement, racism, and jealousy, he schemes to “right” this wrong by any means necessary. Joined by baritone Thomas Hampson, tenor Limmie Pulliam, and director Peter Sellars...2023-03-2316 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightOtello: UNMOORED“Otello” debuted in Milan in 1887, just two years after European nations gathered in Berlin to agree on a campaign to carve up and colonize the African continent for their own profit. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, based on the play Shakespeare wrote in the very early 1600s, centers on the Moor, Otello — an African who becomes a much-celebrated Venetian general for leading a successful war against his fellow Africans. Despite that, there’s no lasting comfort in store for Otello: the rage and jealousy of his lieutenant won’t stand for it. In this episode of Every Voice with Terrance...2023-03-1615 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightThe Magic Flute: RecyclingThe use of blackface is a dying trend, but it was fundamental to one of the most popular operas of all time, Mozart’s hit comedic opera, “The Magic Flute“. Over the last few decades a number of opera companies have been working to create alternate versions of this piece, all of them attempting to shape essential messages relevant to our society; we find out how. Amongst our guests in this fourth episode of Every Voice, is Professor Melvin Foster, a voice instructor at Morehouse College, Atlanta, who prepares young men for careers in music, including...2023-03-0918 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightThe Magic Flute: He Said, She SaidIn Mozart's "The Magic Flute," Monostatos is smitten by the white princess Pamina, whom he is supposed to be guarding under the orders of the high priest Sarastro. His desire to love and belong is the source of anguish, as he feels unworthy of Pamina due to his race and enslaved status. Rather than serve as a commentary on the harsh racial realities of 18th century society, Monostatos instead serves as the comic relief of the opera, embodying the loud, threatening, and childish caricature which became the template for American minstrelsy.This episode is hosted by Terrance...2023-03-0219 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightThe Magic Flute: Invisible ManAt over 200 years old, “The Magic Flute” remains a classic opera which continues to be taught, studied, and performed in sold-out venues around the world. But with more than two centuries of history since “The Magic Flute’s” conception, how do we best shed light on the stereotypes each staging continues to portray?In this episode of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, get to know the character of Monostatos, the enslaved overseer of Sarastro’s temple, whose longing for Pamina, a white woman, is meant to be a source of comedy. Despite the stereotypes that inform this character, h...2023-02-2320 min

Every Voice with Terrance McKnightThe Magic Flute: From Morehouse … to the opera house with MonostatosMonostatos the Moor in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” is one of the most famous representations of Blackness in opera - a genre with limited representation of characters of African descent. But many are interrogating the Black caricatures that European classical music long ago crafted and continue to cultivate to this day. In the debut episode of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, we meet Dr. Sharon Willis, Dr. Uzee Brown, and others who are lifting the mask behind opera’s representation of marginalized voices to create something more inclusive and more beautiful for all of us. This epi...2023-02-1619 min

South ConnectSouth Connect| Telangana Congress finds no representation in the revised CWCIn the South Connect segment, we bring you important news updates from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While BJP MPs have raked up the expensive Iphones and leather bag gift issue, Karnataka Minister D K Shivakumar has refuted that public exchequer has been affected. Kerala, on the other hand, witnessed another VIP arrogance case with MLA PC George breaking the barrier at Thrissur toll plaza. In Andhra Pradesh, TDP MP Diwakar Reddy has refused to participate in parliamentary proceedings despite party issuing a whip. Telangana Congress workers are irked as the state gets no representation in...2018-07-2307 min