I am so honored to present this conversation with composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. about The Grey Land, his monoopera which explores universal themes of humanity and identity through the intractable triumvirate of race, class, and power in American society. Our conversation began with the origins of the piece and broadened into a discussion about the white centeredness of the classical music world, and what that has cost both artists and audiences. I’m so excited for you all to hear this! Joseph C. Phillips Jr. has received a Brooklyn Arts Council Arts Fund grant, NewMusic USA project grant, a American Composers Forum Jerome Foundation grant for New Music, a Meet the Composers Creative Connections grant, an American Music Center CAP grant, two Live Music for Dance commission grants, two Puffin Foundation grants, and was a finalist for both the Sundance Institute Film Composers Lab Fellowship and the Opera Company of Philadelphia Composer-in-Residence. Currently Phillips is working on various commissions and new projects including recording his mono-opera The Grey Land, a monoopera exploring universal themes of acceptance, ostracization, authenticity, and identity centered around intractable issues of race, class, and power in American society. The Grey Land was released on November 20, 2020 on New Amsterdam Records. He is also beginning work on 1619, an opera cycle inspired by the 2019 New York Times series The 1619 Project and the 2014 Ta-Nehisi Coates The Atlantic article “The Case for Reparations”.  Music:Ferguson (Summer 2014) – Joseph C. Phillips Jr.I Should Have Been A Motherfucking Black Mamba – Joseph C. Phillips Jr. Follow Joseph C. Phillips Jr. on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.Get yourself a copy of The Grey Land here on Bandcamp, or streaming anywhere you stream great music. This podcast is powered by my subscribers on Patreon who, in addition to the warm feeling they get from co-creating with me, get lots of sweet perks including bonus podcast episodes, free downloads, zines, and more! This week’s bonus podcast will be an extended conversation with Joe!  Learn more right here! If you’d like to check out my other work, order The Animal Book directly from me here and get a free download of the album!Here are some other places you can find the book.Find The Animal Album streaming and downloadable here.Here’s some more merch and music. Thinking of starting your own podcast? Do it! I’m a big fan of Blubrry for podcast distribution and you can get a month free by signing up for Blubrry Podcast Hosting here, or Blubrry Professional Statistics here. Use the code “mikeypod” with your order for your free month!