In this special post-election episode, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on America’s deepening divisions, marked by unprecedented events and President-elect Donald Trump’s “us versus them” rhetoric. Kay explores what Trump’s victory means for unity and how Us & Them’s mission of fostering empathy might evolve in this new era.
In the aftermath of Election Day 2024, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on the increasingly divided American landscape and how the tone of political campaigns has changed since 2016.
In this special episode, he recounts the heightened polarization marked by unprecedented events like two assassination attempts and a last-minute nominee switch. Kay considers the “us versus them” rhetoric that defined Donald Trump’s campaign and what his victory could mean for American unity.
Us & Them host Trey Kay speaks at an event on the campus of Marshall University to hear from Generation Z voters in the leadup to the 2024 election.
Drawing on past experiences, Kay considers how Us & Them’s aim of bridging divides by fostering empathy and understanding might continue during a second Trump administration.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the CRC Foundation.Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
“There’ve been three presidential elections since Us & Them first launched and Donald Trump has been a candidate in every one. With each cycle, the sense of division in our country only seems to deepen. Each time I reflect on this, I recall the words of my producing partner after Trump’s first election. He said, “I think our stock just rose.” And in a way it’s true. Again, this year, with a narrow margin of victory in races across the country, we need to find a new way to help the part of the nation who feel they’ve lost. Maybe part of that is to encourage those who have won to listen with empathy.”
For this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay heads to Marshall University to hear from Generation Z voters. In the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election, young voters share their thoughts on the challenges of political divisions, campaign tactics, and frustrations of whether or not their perspectives are being heard.
For this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay heads to Marshall University to hear from Generation Z voters. In the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election, young voters share their thoughts on the challenges of political divisions, campaign tactics, and frustrations of whether or not their perspectives are being heard.
The 2024 Presidential election season continues to be a rollercoaster of unpredictable actions, reactions and events and it seems that each week brings big political headlines.
Political campaigns have always had some rough edges, but now, candidates routinely call each other names and some frequently perpetuate outright lies in their speeches and at their rallies. That’s a challenge for many voters, including some of the youngest.
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay travels to Marshall University to talk with a new generation of voters. Many Generation Z voters, from 18 to 27 years old, want to get involved. At a recent Us & Them event, they talked about their role in our democratic process, and about the frustrations that come from the compromises our system can require.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the CRC Foundation. Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Us & Them host Trey Kay leads a discussion with students at Marshall University. Credit: Julie Blackwood Dr. Marybeth Beller is an Associate Professor in Political Science at Marshall University. She also advises the Cabell County Young Democrats. Credit: Julie Blackwood
“How can you get candidates to respond? Running a campaign now is based on numbers – candidates look at precinct level voter turnout for the previous two elections and if they see high voter turnout then they’re going to look at which party predominated and play to that. One of the ways to change this is to get your cohort out to vote. All counties have records of who turned out to voteand while we cannot know how they voted, we can know if they voted. Candidates will pay attention to the voters that they think are more likely to turn out. Every campaign has limited resources and time and money. So if you’re voting regularly, people are going to pay attention to you. It’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way it is.”
— Dr. Marybeth Beller
Dr. Shawn Schulenberg is an Associate Professor in Political Science at Marshall University and serves as Chair of the Faculty Senate. Credit: Julie Blackwood
“The generation that has the least amount of trust in institutions, is the Gen Z era. They are much more skeptical about future oriented issues, especially in the era of sustainability. From most of my conversations and also seeing in the data, there is a thought that none of the institutions are working as they should. We’re not getting the results that we should. And therefore, there is some type of breakdown. They’re supposed to be solving big problems, but it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any closer to that.”
— Dr. Shawn Schulenberg
Marshall University students queueing up to ask questions or share a comment about the 2024 Election. Credit: Julie BlackwoodUs & Them host Trey Kay with Marshall University professors Marybeth Beller and Shawn Schulenberg speaking with students about the upcoming election. Credit: Julie BlackwoodCredit: Julie Blackwood
“I do feel a lot of personal frustration when I see a politician just straight lie to my face. I haven’t attended a speech or rally, but if I did, I wouldn’t be too happy about it. And while I can try to do my best to keep any biases out of my decisions, it’s impossible to be completely unbiased. I’m not a big Trump fan and that’s because of how many falsehoods he’s put out there and stood by – kind of creating this web of lies so much that your voters aren’t sure what’s true.”
— Gavin Reynolds, Marshall University student
Reagan Clagg, a Political Science major and President of the College Democrats, asked the panel how they feel the media — traditional or social — has motivated young voters. Credit: Julie BlackwoodCredit: Julie Blackwood
“It was very clear for a very long time that President Biden was not a popular candidate for this general election. I think it was a February poll that had even 71 percent of Democrats didn’t want him as their candidate. And as that kept being ignored and ignored, I felt very disrespected and ignored by the party. So, while I’m not a huge Harris booster — although I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen so far — just the fact that they made any change at all in the candidate, I think has motivated a lot of people. They think that the party has listened to them, has listened to the American people in some regard.”
— Logan Stickler, Marshall University student
Credit: Julie Blackwood
“What makes you think that politicians don’t come and speak to us like you’re speaking to us right now? [Politicians] make claims about climate activism and violence. Show me what you’re gonna do to fix it. Like, what makes you think politicians won’t come and speak to us like you all are right now?”
— Marshall University student
Credit: Julie Blackwood
“When you’re looking for what’s motivating young voters, I would look towards activism and issues they’re passionate about, and this is just one example. But one significant form of activism we’ve seen in the past year driven by youth is protests surrounding the U. S. government and institutions support of Israel’s genocide in Palestine, but neither major political party seems to be listening. What should young voters be doing? Do you think this might be pushing voters toward third parties? We must demand candidates address the issues we care about, but what does that look like?
— Olivia Andrew-Vaughan, Marshall University student
This Marshall student asked the panel what drives shifts in which party platforms win elections. He referenced Obama’s 2012 win, Trump’s victory in 2016, and Biden’s success in 2020, asking whether changes in voter perspectives, platforms, or key issues influenced the outcomes, and how the panel sees this evolving in the future. Credit: Julie Blackwood Credit: Julie Blackwood
Quinlin Sollars: You keep on talking about the age demographic, I believe 18 to 24 I believe. I’m 22 on the older end of that,and I believe this will be my sixth election I’ll be voting in. But my question is … how do you think the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United has undermined trust in our institutions and specifically for my generation which came of age politically entirely in a post Citizens United era?
Trey Kay: Can you explain to me what a person 22-years-old knows about Citizens United? Why does it matter to you?
Quinlin Sollars: It matters to me because a lot of the very wealthy people and very large industrial companies might donate to both political sides because they want a certain policy. And that way they win either way when it comes down because they’re like, “Well, if we stay in West Virginia, Democrats most likely not going to win this state.” So if you’re a Google, you might be supportin a Democrat in California. But you’re also going to support a Republican in West Virginia, because that’s who’s going to end up in power, and that’s who’s going to regulate you in that state. So, they’re sort of playing both sides. And it makes it hard to trust a candidate when they’re taking money from a company that really doesn’t care about your issue or anything like that. They’re supporting both sides, and they’re sort of playing the long games to the point where your voice doesn’t matter in the end.
Credit: Julie Blackwood
“I’ve noticed that in both myself and my peers, like people in the general age range, they have issues, but they don’t really know how to get involved. And if they do get involved, it’s very simple. It’s like voting, and that’s pretty much all where it ends. And I’m thinking, like, is there any way for people to feel more empowered in, you know, issues, government, media, uh, anything like that?”
Sports in America often sit at the crossroads of social, cultural, and racial debates. From controversial referee calls to athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, the conversation extends from little league to the pros. In this episode, we explore how sports and race intersect in a Kanawha County youth football league.
Sports in America often sit at the crossroads of social, cultural, and racial debates. From controversial referee calls to athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, the conversation extends from little league to the pros. In this episode, we explore how sports and race intersect in a Kanawha County youth football league.
We love our sports in America.
From little league to professional competition, athletic teams can bring us together. However sports can also spotlight some of our most pointed social, culture and racial debates. Mascot names drive a wedge between fans. Some athletes choose to display their opinions about political candidates or police violence.
In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the intersection of race and sports. Lawsuits over youth football in West Virginia have highlighted questions between teams and leagues over who’s allowed to play and whether young Black and brown athletes face discrimination. While some parents accuse the youth leagues of foul play, the leagues say some parents are simply not following the rules.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, and the Daywood Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Coach Rayshawn Hall speaks to his Charleston Cougars football team at the end of a practice on a hot Saturday morning in August.
The Charleston Cougars football team is not allowed to play in their local league in Kanawha County, West Virginia. To compete, they must travel over an hour to face teams in Parkersburg or even Ohio. Coach Rayshawn Hall explains that the travel is a financial strain for some parents and a challenge for others who need to take time off work. When Us & Them host Trey Kay asked Hall how it feels not being able to play locally, he responded, “Weird. It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel like home. Even when we have home games, it doesn’t feel the same. Nothing feels the same.”
Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier is an attorney based in Charleston, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier
In the fall of 2013, Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier was asked to represent a youth football team from the West Side of Charleston, W.Va. that had been barred from a Kanawha County football league in West Virginia. The team, part of a club league not governed by a school system or any single authority, had nowhere to play that season. Each league has its own bylaws and requirements, often run by parent volunteers, which can lead to inconsistencies and confusion when new teams join. It also opens the door to potential unfair practices.
Kusimo-Frazier said all the teams were originally part of one league, but when that league disbanded and formed a new one, existing teams were invited to reapply for membership. However, some teams were not accepted, including those with a high concentration of African-American and mixed-race players. To Kusimo-Frazier and the affected teams, the exclusion appeared racially motivated.
She filed a civil rights lawsuit to allow the excluded teams to play. The suit, against the Kanawha County Board of Education, sought to prevent the league from using school property for games unless all teams—representing all citizens—were allowed to participate. Kusimo-Frazier noted that while private clubs can discriminate against non-members on private property, an organization cannot enforce discriminatory practices on public property.
The case was settled without an evidentiary hearing, but Kusimo-Frazier said she felt confident in the legal theory of her case.
But why were these teams excluded in the first place?
Kusimo-Frazier recalled that many around the league didn’t like how certain parents behaved during games.
“They didn’t like the way the parents acted. They felt the parents were sometimes vulgar,” she said. “This is a Sunday morning, and they didn’t want to deal with rowdy parents. They wanted a more congenial atmosphere, with good sportsmanship. They didn’t like that the coaches would curse in front of the children.”
However, she believes there was another factor. The excluded teams had a history of success on the field.
“When you look at who was winning championships before the league was restructured, it was [the excluded teams]—year after year. I think they got tired of it.”
Trent Redman, a lawyer and youth football coach, has a son who has been playing in the league since 2021, starting at age 6. Photo courtesy of Trent Redman
Redman, who is Black, has a mixed-race son who has played youth football for three years. He says he’s seen situations similar to the 2013 lawsuit brought by Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier, although some issues are more about leadership than race.
“There are so many layers to this onion,” Redman says. “The most recent issue wasn’t about color—it was about leadership. People were upset because we were winning by 40 points with a team of talented kids from across the city. After we went undefeated, there were suddenly issues with the paperwork, and the majority-Black team was disqualified.”
The “books” Redman refers to are the paperwork each player must have, such as a birth certificate, medical clearance, and proof of address. A player must have a waiver to join a team outside their zone. After his team’s undefeated season, the league cited problems with some players’ paperwork.
“We went to court and got permission to play in the playoffs, but it didn’t work out for us. After the court hearing, teams left to join a different league, and the league basically dissolved. The following year, we won the championship again, but they disqualified us because a player had participated in middle school football,” Redman says.
Because of the rules violation on one team, all three of Redman’s teams were disqualified. His wife, Tiffany Davis Redman, also a lawyer, filed an injunction, allowing the other teams to continue playing.
Attorney Olubunmi Kusimo-Frazier reflected on the disqualifications, comparing them to voter suppression tactics.
“It feels like a poll tax—like keeping the wrong people from voting,” Kusimo-Frazier says. “Instead of educating and helping people follow the rules, they make it exclusive. Why kick people out instead of guiding them to do it right?”
Justin Knapp, a volunteer coach for South Hills Football Club, has a son who has played youth football for three years. Photo courtesy of Justin Knapp
Knapp, who is white, says his team is about 90% white this year. He explains that players must get a waiver to switch teams, including kids from travel leagues whose seasons end in the middle of the youth football season.
In 2021, before Knapp became a coach, South Hills allowed several travel team players to join midseason, which led to them dominating other teams. This upset parents, prompting league presidents to agree on stricter rules for waivers and transfers.
When the next season began, several players from South Hills wanted to transfer to the Charleston Cougars but were denied due to the timing. The decision caused outrage, leading to racial accusations against the South Hills president and threats that escalated to police involvement.
Knapp insists the issue wasn’t racial but a matter of following rules. “It wasn’t about race—it came down to rules,” Knapp said, explaining that travel teams have both Black and white players. “But on social media, it turned into a racial issue.”
To avoid conflict, South Hills canceled a game against Charleston, and later, the team withdrew from the playoffs. The controversy contributed to South Hills’ decision to leave the league, as they believed other teams weren’t adhering to the agreed-upon rules.
Knapp acknowledges the inconsistency in leadership year over year, as new board members and coaches take over when others leave. Despite this, he says many coaches and volunteers go out of their way to support the kids, even buying equipment or helping them with schoolwork.
At the end of the day, Knapp, like Trent Redman, says that every time something like this happens, teams leave the league—and it’s the kids who lose out.
Coach Rayshawn Hall of Charleston Cougars football team on a field at the North Charleston Recreation Center in Charleston, W.Va. Credit: Trey Kay
Rayshawn Hall has played football since he was 5 years old and believes in the value of bringing kids from different backgrounds together through sports.
“I met a lot of people through playing sports, even some of my best friends, whether they were white or Black,” Hall said. “It didn’t matter. Once we came together, it was like a brotherhood. I don’t know what they did outside of sports, but when we were together, that’s all that mattered.”
It’s election season, and Us & Them is back at the dinner party table for a potluck gathering. With just weeks until the election, our guests have a lot on their minds as they consider their votes. The group discusses some of the year’s biggest stories shaping this campaign—the candidate debates, recent assassination attempts, trust in elections, campus carry laws, gun rights, and what West Virginia might look like without U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin.
It’s election season, and Us & Them is back at the dinner party table for a potluck gathering. With just weeks until the election, our guests have a lot on their minds as they consider their votes. The group discusses some of the year’s biggest stories shaping this campaign—the candidate debates, recent assassination attempts, trust in elections, campus carry laws, gun rights, and what West Virginia might look like without U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin.
Us & Them host Trey Kay invites us all back for a new dinner party episode bringing together a wide-ranging group of people for food and conversation. Kay has used this gathering as a forum to break bread with folks who hold vastly different beliefs.
The topics are varied… trust in elections – campus carry and gun rights – party conventions and candidate debates – and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) legacy. We began this dinner party tradition in 2020 and have continued it through the turbulent times since then.
While election season can make it difficult to come together with people who disagree, Kay’s guests offer a fresh perspective and share their reactions to some of the biggest stories of the year shaping this election season.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council and the CRC Foundation.Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Trey’s mom Kathy Kay carefully and lovingly sets the table for this year’s Us & Them Pre-Election Dinner Party. Credit: Us & Them team
In the fall of 2020, during the pandemic and the run-up to the presidential election, the Us & Them team hosted a virtual dinner party that brought together a diverse group of West Virginians. The episode created from that event earned a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, inspiring the continuation of the tradition. Once the pandemic subsided, the Dinner Party Crew began meeting in person for potluck dinners and thoughtful conversations at the home of host Trey Kay’s mother in Charleston, West Virginia.
Us & Them host Trey Kay stands in front of the serving table filled with dishes brought by the dinner party guests. The feast included roast chicken, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, caprese salad, and soft rolls. Credit: Us & Them teamTerri Triplett Delauder, veteran to most of the Us & Them Dinner Parties who identifies as conservative, welcomes new guests Alexus Steele and Michael Borsuk, who are students at Marshall University. Steele, who is registered as a Democrat, says she is fiscally conservative on some issues, but is far left on social issues. Borsuk identifies proudly as a Republican, however, he does not consider himself far right, but rather in the middle of the Republican spectrum. Credit: Us & Them TeamUs & Them host Trey Kay kicks off the gathering with introductions, including from left to right, Felicia Bush, Joe Solomon, and Jay Gould. All three were part of the first virtual dinner party and have participated in most of the subsequent gatherings. Bush, who lives near Parkersburg, identifies as a fiscally conservative Democrat but a social justice liberal. Solomon, a Democrat, serves on Charleston, West Virginia’s City Council and is active in helping people who live with substance use disorder. Gould, from Montgomery, West Virginia, is mostly retired from a business that repairs mining equipment. He describes himself as a conservative Democrat but adds, “There’s no such critter anymore, so I’m registered Republican.” Credit: Us & Them TeamFrank Annie (L) serves on the Charleston City Council alongside Joe Solomon. Annie is a registered Republican and describes himself as right of center on most issues. Although he and Solomon hold different political views, they see eye to eye on many issues and often collaborate on solutions. They campaigned for office together and refer to themselves as the Bipartisan Bros. Credit: Us & Them TeamUs & Them host Trey Kay kicks off the gathering with introductions, including from left to right, Felicia Bush, Joe Solomon, and Jay Gould. All three were part of the first virtual dinner party and have participated in most of the subsequent gatherings. Bush, who lives near Parkersburg, identifies as a fiscally conservative Democrat but a social justice liberal. Solomon, a Democrat, serves on Charleston, West Virginia’s City Council and is active in helping people who live with substance use disorder. Gould, from Montgomery, West Virginia, is mostly retired from a business that repairs mining equipment. He describes himself as a conservative Democrat but adds, “There’s no such critter anymore, so I’m registered Republican.” Credit: Us & Them TeamElliot Hicks (R) sits next to Marshall University student Michael Borsuk (L). Hicks, an attorney based in Charleston, West Virginia, is a registered Democrat who describes himself as progressive on social issues, but reasonable on fiscal issues. Credit: Us & Them Team
The Dinner Party guests discussed some of the year’s biggest stories shaping the upcoming election. Topics included the Trump-Biden debate, the assassination attempt on former President Trump, trust in elections, campus carry laws, and gun rights. Everyone admitted to having strong feelings about the election’s outcome in November. The group has committed to gathering again on the Thursday after the election.
Alexus Steele: I’m excited to hear what you guys have to say [in November]. I am nervous about it, but not so much about talking to you guys, just seeing how it’s gonna change our country.
Michael Borsuk: I’m all for coming back. My only fear is doing it that Thursday immediately after—we might not have results.
Trey Kay: And that might be part of the tension that we need to wade through.
Felicia Bush: I can come and be elated or devastated, and I’ll still feel safe expressing it here. There’s nothing to fear here. We’re just Americans.
Jay Gould: Last night, I listened to our discussion last year. A big topic of that was trust. Canyou name anything that has happened since last year that would have increased our trust in our country and in the officials and so forth? I can name you a whole bunch that would have diminished it.
Terri Triplett Delauder: I wanted to say something that’s positive about voter integrity now. Judicial Watch, which is a right-leaning, a bunch of lawyers that do really good work – they sued California, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, to clean up their voter rolls. So we should have a little bit more confidence in especially those states, that those rolls are cleaned up. It makes me feel a little better.
Eliott Hicks: Right, but what we have to be in mourning for is that there is somebody who has led this whole argument that our elections weren’t fair… And we know we’ve had voter identity issues in West Virginia. We know we’ve had that, but we keep getting better. What I’m in mourning for, is that there’s somebody who continues to agitate and people who jumped on the bandwagon with him to tell people that our elections are not fair when we get better every single time we get better at this.
Frank Annie: I’m happy with the decision by the President [Biden] to step down. I think it was very timely… I think people are tired overall, collectively. They kind of want a little bit [of the] 70 days to be done. It’s been an interesting couple months so far.
Joe Solomon: I feel like a real kinship and affinity with this group and the space that creates… I worry about other long shadows, but I don’t worry about more long conversations.
Editor’s Note: Elliot Hicks serves as the volunteer president of the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Friends Board.
In Charleston, West Virginia, there’s a live storytelling event that invites three highly visible members of the community to talk about their careers. They tell the audience about their First, Favorite and Future. It gives the audience a glimpse into the lives of people they may think they already know.
In Charleston, West Virginia, there’s a monthly live storytelling event called “Three Things” that invites three highly visible members of the community to talk about their careers. The guests are asked to follow a simple prompt: tell the audience about their First, their Favorite and their Future.
Jeff Shirley, the producer and host of “Three Things,” says the freewheeling format “guarantees that we will get three unique approaches to the task from all of our guests.” It also allows the public a unique and barrier-breaking glimpse into the lives of people they may think they already know.
On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay shares a part of his story you might not know about, as does Valicia Leary, executive director of the Children’s Therapy Clinic, and Maurice Cohn, music director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, and the CRC Foundation.
Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.
Valicia Leary is the Executive Director of Children’s Therapy Clinic in Charleston, West Virginia
Credit: Digital Pix & Composite, LLC
Children’s Therapy Clinic (CTC) provides therapy services – speech, occupational, physical, and music therapies and social skills groups – to children from birth to 18 years of age who live in Kanawha, Putnam, and surrounding counties in West Virginia. The clients present with a variety of diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, neurological impairments, developmental delays, and exposure to drugs/alcohol in utero. CTC serves families that lack sufficient income and/or insurance to pay for the therapy their child requires. Services are provided on an income-based sliding-scale fee however, most of their clients have incomes of 200% of the Poverty level or below and receive free services.
“My favorite part of my job is the children, the families, my co-workers, everyone who does the hard work. The therapists teach the children what they need to do, and I get to see the children grow. We have children that come in and they can’t communicate. They might not be able to walk. They might need help interacting with other children. They might come to our social skills groups. So, it’s so much fun to see that growth. My favorite success story, I would have to say, would be my daughter. Elizabeth received therapy for several years. She was able to go to college, navigate campus, and graduate with her degree. And I know it’s because of the things they taught her at the clinic.”
— Valicia Leary
Maurice Cohn is the Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony
Credit: Sylvia Elzafon
A two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, Maurice Cohn currently serves as Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony and as Artistic Partner and Conductor of New York City’s Camerata Notturna. Recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements include the Cincinnati Symphony, Utah Symphony, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, ensembleNEWSRQ, Omaha Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival, and the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra.
Maurice completed a three-year tenure as the Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony at the end of the 23/24 season, including his subscription debut in 2023. Other performance highlights with DSO include the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique, the second ever performance of Gabriela Ortiz’s Yanga, and a concert performance of selections from Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Concurrent with his time in Dallas, Maurice was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Maurice spent two summers as a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, where he received the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and the Aspen Conducting Prize, and he received an M.M. in conducting from the Eastman School of Music. He holds a B.M. in cello performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a B.A. from Oberlin College, where he studied history and mathematics. When not conducting or playing cello, you can find him reading mystery novels, playing tennis, or continually searching for the best podcast app.
“I grew up in Galesburg, Illinois, which is a small town about an eight or nine hour drive from here. And I had a group of friends [that], after school. we’d all pile into somebody’s house and have a babysitter. In this group of kids, one of them is named Peter Ortner. He would have been 8 years old, and I would have been 4 [years old]. And, you know, when you’re four and you have a friend who’s eight, I mean, they’re cool. Anything that Peter does, I want to do. And one of the things that Peter got to do is he got to go to Monmouth, Illinois, which is a town maybe 30 minutes away, because he took cello lessons. There was a cello teacher in Monmouth. And so a lot of times we’d have to schlep in the car to take Peter to his cello lesson, which was very exciting because it was a kind of field trip, but also very boring, because then you had to sit and wait for it to be over before you came back. And so I came up with the idea of how to make this less boring, which is to join Peter and also learn how to play the cello. So, I went to my parents and said, ‘I have decided to learn how to play the cello.’ And they said, you’re 4 years old. Don’t be ridiculous.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll ask you tomorrow.’ I don’t know if it was their eventual decision that music is good in a young person’s life, or if they were just really annoyed that I kept asking, but eventually they said yes, and I got cello lessons. And that began my relationship with music.”
— Maurice Cohn
Us & Them host Trey Kay speaking at FestivALL Charleston’s “Three Things in July 2024
Credit: Kristin Harrison
Trey Kay told a story about one of his favorite interviews. It was with country music songwriter Billy Joe Shaver.
“At the time, I was grieving the death of my father. At the time, [Billy Joe] was still grieving the death of his son, who had an overdose of heroin. I was looking for some type of thread to the story that I was [producing] about him and I. As he was talking, he started telling me about his relationship with God and how God had changed his life. And he used all the terms that I had heard here growing up in West Virginia, that had seemed fundamentalist and evangelical and that quite frankly — and I hope I’m not offending anybody — turned me off. But somehow, hearing Billy Joe talk this way, it seemed like he was speaking with a kind of a spiritual connection that seemed to transcend all of those terms. I guess I was trying to say, ‘Well, okay, have you turned from all this honky tonk life that you seem to celebrate so much in your songs and now you’re embracing God?’ And I also said, ‘Do you seem to be somewhat concerned that maybe all of this honky tonk life that you lived might have also contributed to the lifestyle that your son lived and that maybe that led to his death?’ And he says, ‘No, no, man. He said, God, God loves you wherever you are. God loves you if you’s in a church or whether you’s in the honky tonk.’ And that just hit me like a ton of bricks.”
— Trey Kay
Billy Joe Shaver
Listen to the profile that Trey Kay produced about Billy Joe Shaver for Studio 360 back in 2005.
Listen to the Billy Joe Shaver songs that Trey Kay’s dad and his friends would sing as reverently as church hymns:
“Us & Them” is returning to Marshall University with award-winning podcaster and host Trey Kay to discuss with Marshall students and young voters their thoughts on the upcoming election. This live taping of “What Is (or Isn’t) Motivating Young Voters in 2024?” will feature a discussion with Dr. Marybeth Beller and Dr. Shawn Schulenburg, Marshall University political science faculty members, followed by a Q&A with the audience. The discussion and Q&A will be recorded for use in a future episode of the podcast.
Huntington, WV: “Us & Them” is returning to Marshall University with award-winning podcaster and host Trey Kay to discuss with Marshall students and young voters their thoughts on the upcoming election. This live taping of “What Is (or Isn’t) Motivating Young Voters in 2024?” will feature a discussion with Dr. Marybeth Beller and Dr. Shawn Schulenburg, Marshall University political science faculty members, followed by a Q&A with the audience. The discussion and Q&A will be recorded for use in a future episode of the podcast.
The episode taping will take place on September 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m in Marshall University’s Drinko Library Atrium.
The event is co-sponsored by Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the West Virginia Humanities Council, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the broadcasting home of “Us & Them.”
This event is free and open to the public but registration is recommended for planning purposes.
About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
