Sounding Off on Queer Joy

Event Details

Event type: All Ages

This panel discussion will be lead by proudly queer Kingston vocalist, poet, and activist Jermaine Marshall, and feature artists from Kingston band Tiny Horse and Toronto's here and queer Trash Panda Brass Band. They will discuss the importance of queer joy, queer art, and the issues facing queer artists in our current social and political landscape.

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Jermaine Marshall aka J-Marsh is a proud queer Jamaican immigrant, artist and educator with a profound interest in facilitating meaningful and transformative intercultural encounters. After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies and a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Equity Studies from Brock University, Jermaine worked passionately across the public and private sector in Canada to increase organizational capacities in responding to complex socio-legal issues and changing inter-cultural landscapes. He now serves as a policy advisor, educator and project manager at Queen’s University. As an artistic practitioner he is an active poet, vocalist and performer, a featured 2021 “artist of the city of St. Catharine’s” and the 2023 recipient of the city of Kingston Mayor’s Arts Champion Award. A storyteller at heart, his artistry pulls from a wealth of personal experience as he seeks to create a vibrant soundscape that captures the contours of lived pain, practiced joy and emergent hope within an oppressive society.

Trash Panda Brass formed in the summer of 2022 on the streets of Toronto with a simple mission of engaging crowds and spreading queer and inclusive joy. Within two years of conception, they graced the cover of Whole Note magazine, rocked TD Jazz Fest, DoWestFest, Cultivate festival, and the Distillery District Concert Series. They’ve also performed in educational workshops at Sterling Hall and O’Neill CVI, and were guest panelists at Queens University on the topic of queer representation in post-secondary music. In November of 2023, they released their debut EP, “Opposable Thumbs”. However, after three summers of active busking, their home will always be on the streets where they are “retooling the art of busking into a kind of amazing outdoor ambush” - The Whole Note. With all arranging done by members of the band, Trash Panda Brass is known for their upbeat and fun loving tunes, paying homage to quintessential queer hits and icons. Trash Panda Brass is proud to be here and queer!

Tiny Horse - To see and hear Kingston, Ontario indie rock outfit Tiny Horse—led by guitarists and vocalists Ciara Roberts and Rae Corcoran—is to step into a place of possibility and freedom. Tiny Horse’s magic lies in its contradictions. You’re not just getting one mood or genre—you’re getting a reflection of the human experience: honest, exaggerated, and beautifully unpredictable. The tension between smoky slow-burn moments and sparkling disco explosions isn’t a conflict—it’s a harmony.

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Next Church: 89 Colborne St, is wheelchair accessible via a ramp at the rear entrance of the building. We'll have a volunteer stationed at the front door to help guide anyone who requires ramp access.
From the park, Next Church is a 300m walk from Skeleton Park - head South through the park, turn right on York, turn left onto Barrie, and take Barrie up to Colborne and turn right.

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This workshop is co-presented by the Kingston Music Office.