The animated musical hilarity of The Queen’s Cartoonists (TQC) will charm concertgoers of all ages when the group kicks off Wayne State College’s 2024-25 Black & Gold Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, in Ramsey Theatre, located in the Peterson Fine Arts Building.
Tickets are required for the kid-friendly performance. To secure tickets, visit www.wsc.edu/performing-arts and select “Purchase Event Tickets.” Tickets are $10 each. Wayne State students, faculty, and staff attend free, but must obtain a ticket using their NUID number on the ticketing website.
Drawing from more than 100 years of filmed animation from around the world, TQC synchronizes their sound to films projected on stage. The band leads the audience through a frenetic world of virtuosic musicianship, multi-instrumental mayhem, and comedy. Familiar faces include “Betty Boop,” “Porky Pig,” “Popeye,” “The Simpsons,” “Daffy Duck,” “Bugs Bunny,” “Wallace and Gromit,” “Shaun the Sheep,” and “The Muppets.”
Inspired by the crossroads of jazz, classical music, and cartoons, TQC features Jazz Age composers like Carl Stalling, Raymond Scott, and John Kirby, alongside classical giants such as Mozart, Rossini, and Strauss. Joel Pierson, the group’s founder and pianist, also writes new musical scores to elevate a film’s rib-tickling spirit. TQC’s comedic flair often results in audiences garnering a new appreciation for jazz and classical music.
Brief narrations and zany antics interject the band’s performance, accompanied by musicians playing two instruments simultaneously and quick instrument swaps. Established in 2015 in Queens, N.Y., TQC includes five permanent members and a rotating cast of bass players. In addition to Pierson, the musical masters include percussionist Rossen Nedelchev, woodwind players Drew Pitcher and Mark Phillips, brass expert Greg Hammontree, and Sam Minaie playing bass. Singing, kazoos, slide whistles, and recorders produce additional sound effects.
The celebrated musicians have performed throughout the United States and in Germany and Austria. They have opened for the New York Philharmonic, sold out the Blue Note Jazz Club in Manhattan, and enjoyed an extended run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. TQC has been featured in more than 50 publications, including “The Wall Street Journal,” “The Chicago Tribune,” “The L.A. Times,” “The San Diego Tribune,” and “The Houston Chronicle,” as well as NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Mashable,” and on “BBC Radio 3.”
For more information, contact the Wayne State Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
