Trans, Queer and Allies All-Ages Jam

Willow Park, 11 Willow Ave, Wolfville, NS B4P 2G5

FREE Drop-In! Now open to all ages!

This jam starts on Friday, July 8 and runs all summer. Play songs for each other, jam together, and work on ideas with support from our awesome staff and guest musicians! BYO ukulele, guitar, song ideas, etc. Instruments are provided if you do not have your own.

Not every place is safe. That's why we say "Trans, Queer & Allies". We want participants to know our facilitators have got their back. Our facilitators have personal experience with what makes a safe and friendly space for trans and queer folkx, as well as finding ways to make a shared musical experience for those who would like to be allies. Our leaders will bridge differences and field questions that might arise, and help everyone have fun together playing music.

Meet the facilitators!

Freya Milliken (she/her) "Hi everyone, my name is Freya and I'm a 4th-year music student at Acadia. I've been actively involved with the 2SLGBTQ+ community since my early teens, having attended various workshops and Pride events, and I look forward to creating a safe space for youth to socialize and make music by means of sharing my relationship with music and songwriting, as well as my perspective as a queer person. I am committed to maintaining an open, supportive space and welcome folks from wherever they stand on their journey as a member of the Rainbow Community or ally."

Antonella Ponce (she/they) "Hey, y’all! My name is Antonella and recently moved here to Wolfville all the way from New York. I was born and raised in Ecuador, and in my last few years of high school, I began to get involved in the 2SLGBTQ+ community as a queer person through activism, workshops and getting involved with queer safe spaces and representation for the community in the arts. I hope to create and be part of a safe and welcoming environment for the queer community here in Wolfville, and to allow people to explore their journey through identity with open arms and support."

Special Guests: July 29 - Hope Salmonson, from Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), is a queer, trans composer and tubist, trying to navigate the very big world around her. She has studied composition with Dr. Kevin Morse, and tuba/euphonium with Drs. Linda Pearse, Dale Sorensen and Olivier Huebscher. Hope received her Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University in Spring 2022, and will be pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at the University of British Columbia in the fall.

Hope’s compositional practice is inspired by community and connection to others. Her works have been performed by Ensemble Allure, the andPlay Duo and the Mount Allison Elliott Chorale, among others. Recent engagements in summer 2022 include LAMP’s Composition Academy, composing incidental music for the Shifting Conversations podcast, and scoring a genderqueer retelling of Michel Tremblay's Hosanna (produced by Greenhouse Art Collective). In her free time, Hope enjoys cooking for her loved ones and singing in choirs.

July 22 - T. Thomason has impressed fans with emotional and highly energetic performances for over a decade at festivals like The Great Escape, FOCUS Wales, Parliament Hill’s Canada Day, POP Montreal, Pride Toronto, Reeperbahn Festival, Canadian Music Week, Milwaukee Summerfest, and more. In 2019, T. won CTV’s The Launch, which landed his launched single “Hope” on top 40 radio, Spotify Editorial playlists, and put T. on stage at the Bell Centre with Quebec’s pop queen and his mentor, Marie-Mai. In 2020 T. released his “Part II Project”, a series of reimagined singles from his self-titled album, featuring mentors and champions of his career. Rose Cousins, Ria Mae, Ivan Coyote, and Sarah McLachlan each lent their unique talents. Summer 2021, T. released his own take on Bruce Cockburn’s classic ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’. It was #1 on CBC Music’s list of 12 “Heartwarming, Life Affirming Music Videos to Watch During Pride 2021”.

August 12 - This week we have special guest hosts: our very own Sarah McInnis and Kim Barlow!

Questions? Email: events@wolfville.ca events@wolfville.ca 902-542-3019