OPAS concludes the 2021-22 Intimate Gatherings series with a concert by The Queen’s Cartoonists on Thursday, Mar. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Rudder Theatre. Tickets range from $39 to $60 and are on sale now at the MSC Box Office (979-845-1234) and online at MSCOPAS.org. The OPAS Intimate Gatherings series is sponsored in part by Comfort Keepers.
The Queen’s Cartoonists perform music from cartoons! Pulling from over 100 years of animation, The Queen’s Cartoonists performances are perfectly synchronized to the films projected on stage. The band matches the energy of the cartoons, leading the audience through a world of virtuosic musicianship, multi-instrumental mayhem, and comedy.
Projections of animated films dazzle the audience, while the band re-creates original soundtracks note-for-note, or writes their own fresh compositions to modern pieces, all the while breathing new life into two uniquely American forms of art: jazz and animation. Tying everything together is the The Queen’s Cartoonists brand of comedy - anecdotes about the cartoons and their composers, stream-of-consciousness humor, and elements of a musical circus.
Watch favorite classic cartoon characters interact with the musicians on stage, and expect the unexpected from the Golden Age of Animation, cult cartoon classics, and modern animated films. Inspired by the cross-roads of jazz, classical music, and cartoons, The Queen’s Cartoonists features Jazz Age composers like Carl Stalling, Raymond Scott, and Duke Ellington, alongside classical giants Mozart, Rossini, and R. Strauss (to name just a few).
The band includes Dr. Joel Pierson (Musical Director, Piano), Greg Hammontree (Trumpet, Trombone), Mark Phillips (Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone), Drew Pitcher (Flute, Tenor Saxophone), Rossen Nedelchev (Drums), and Malik McLaurine (Bass).
Since their inception in 2015, the band, hailing from as far away as Australia, Bulgaria, and Washington, D.C., now all reside in Queens, New York, and are a creative part of the New York jazz scene. The band has brought their unique concert experience to performing arts centers, clubs, and festivals all across the United States and Europe. The Queen’s Cartoonists have opened for the New York Philharmonic and are the only artist in the 40-plus year history of the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City to sell out multiple all-ages shows. They have been featured in over 50 publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, Mashable, and featured on TV spots for Pix11 and Fox5.
For more about The Queen’s Cartoonists and OPAS, visit MSCOPAS.org.
Courtesy of MSC OPAS
