Sound & Sense: Jewish Music @York – Queen Kong

The Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies and the Department of Music in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design are proud to present the Toronto based award-winning group Queen Kong, led by drummer and composer Lorie Wolf.

Queen Kong’s aim is to push the boundaries of what can be considered Jewish/Klezmer music by combining traditional sounds with funk, improv and jazz sensibilities. The melodies are familiar and new, with harmonies that take the listener on a trip from the sacred to the profane. Lorie Wolf’s original compositions are contemplative and complex yet intensely groovy. Their debut recording, Fray, was released internationally in May 2022. In April 2024, the band was named Instrumental Band of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Fray was lauded by the Vancouver Sun among “five new albums from women musicians you need to hear.” Queen Kong is Lorie Wolf (drums, bandleader, composer), Max Forster (trumpet), John Williams (clarinet), Nathan Dell-Vandenberg (trombone), Graham Campbell (guitar) and Tom Richards (sousaphone).

“Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York” is a performance and lecture series dedicated to showcasing the multicultural diversity of Jewish musical expression as well as the ongoing intersections between Jewish and non-Jewish musical practices and communities. The initiative is driven by an inclusive philosophy that believes in the power of music to serve as a bridge-builder and a vehicle for cultural exchange and dialogue.

The series has been made possible via the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation.

Sunday, March 9, 2025
Tribute Communities Recital Hall 
3:00 p.m.
FREE 
Register here