Roland’s Lulu and the TomCat is a Juno Award-nominated children’s musical group that has produced numerous children’s albums and made many concert appearances around the globe.
They are a multi-instrumental, bilingual entertainment group that encourages active audience participation. With their colourful puppets and creative themes, this duo performs many different shows and tailors each to suit your particular audience.
Originally from Montreal, LuLu (Lori Neufeld) and TomCat (Tom Neufeld) were members of several bands before meeting at Beaconsfield High School in Montreal. They played and composed music together in a band that Tom led. They both continued their education in Quebec and after university, they relocated to Roland, where they found jobs in local schools.
LuLu taught Music, French, Spanish, and German, while Tom was a high school librarian and did extracurricular music. Because of their backgrounds, the group combines music with education in its music, books, and live shows.
“While we were in Montreal, Lori and I would put on shows for her little sisters,” said Tom Neufeld. “I guess that’s where the enjoyment of Children’s Music started. After moving to Manitoba, we still did all types of music and entertainment, but the Children’s Music seemed to strike a chord with us and our audiences. We still do all types of performances, including shows by Tom and Lori.”
Over the years, Lulu and the TomCat have toured Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. They have produced nine multiple award-winning CDs and a series of children’s books with accompanying pedagogical activity guides.
They have earned three Parents’ Choice Awards, a Children’s Music Web Award, a Western Canadian Music Award, a Prairie Music Award, and two Canadian Children’s Book Centre “Our Choice” awards for their original compositions. Of their nine albums, seven have received WCMA nominations, two have received WCMA awards, and one has received a Juno nomination.
Some of the significant career highlights include representing Canada at the World 2005 Expo in Aichi, Japan. In 2006, they toured schools and community centres in Cuba with a 15-piece band. In 2008, they performed in Ottawa for Canada Day. In 2010, they performed at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“We have been so fortunate to be able to perform all over the world,” said Neufeld. “I still remember our Canada Day show in Ottawa. We were singing a song that we wrote about the colours of Canada, and during the song, the Canadian Snowbirds Aerobatic jets flew overhead. I told the crowd, ‘Just like in rehearsal.’
Playing at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. was another privilege, as we looked out over the mall at the iconic buildings.”
Perhaps the biggest honour of Lulu and TomCat’s careers was being asked to represent Canada at the 2005 World Expo in Japan.
“Lori, being a language specialist, spent about six months learning as much Japanese as she could, even writing songs and choruses in Japanese that really connected with the crowds. It even got us on a Japanese national radio program to perform a song live. The people, the culture, the food, the opportunity. What a great experience.”
Through it all, the pair still writes and performs as much as they can for kids, adults, and seniors and plays with various community bands.
They have several upcoming performances and private and public functions (schools, senior homes, private parties). The public functions include Winnipeg’s Teddy Bear’s Picnic in Assiniboine Park on Sept. 8 and the Roland Pumpkin Fair on Oct. 5.
“We are also in final negotiations for a major local public concert, tentatively in January of 2025.”
