Küf Knotz & Christine Elise
2025 Levitt National Convening
Saturday, January 25 at 4:15 pm
Omni Hotel Ballroom
Küf Knotz & Christine Elise is an act bringing together songwriter, producer, and MC Küf Knotz and classically trained instrumentalist Christine Elise Gallagher. Their music combines Küf’s hip-hop poetry, infused with soul, Lo-Fi, and ‘90s era vibes, with Christine’s classical skills in harp, piano, and vocals.
In 2018, Christine and Küf founded a community music therapy outreach performance project called Higher Grounds Music, which uses the power of music, clinical training, and performance experience to foster personal growth. Working in a strength-based model, the workshops/performances are designed to support participants in building skills to instill confidence, increase motivation and drive, and strengthen self-care skills.
Together, they have recorded and released three albums: Higher Grounds (2018), kƏ’myo ōnƏdē (2021), and Hypnagogia (2024).
Christine Elise Gallagher, MA, MT-BC, LMT, LPC, is a classically trained harpist, pianist, and vocalist who has toured across North America for the past four years. Holding a master’s degree in music therapy, Christine has facilitated group sessions and workshops for professionals and clients in the U.S., South Africa, Peru, and Jamaica. She has presented at regional, national, and world music therapy conferences and written scholarly articles published by Music Therapy Perspectives.
Dedicated to expanding the music therapy community, Christine has provided clinical supervision for undergraduate and graduate students at MusicWorks, Jamaica Field Service Project, Women’s & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, New York, Warren Wilson College, and Immaculata University. She has also taught as an adjunct professor for the music therapy department of Immaculata University College of Graduate Studies and at the Boyer College of Music and Dance of Temple University for several undergraduate and graduate level classes.
Christine has composed for various organizations and institutions. Recent commissions include The Free Project Series for Pennsylvania Humanities Council; What Does Freedom Mean to Me? as part of the Dedication of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland for St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Club House Theme Song for AHA Studio for Integrated Therapies; and over twenty original compositions for Autism Across the Globe, directed by Rima J. Irani of Lebanon.
Küf Knotz, a songwriter, producer, and MC who was named Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Rapper of 2022, blends hip-hop poetry with deep grooves of soul and beats, sun-kissed with the spirit of Lo-Fi and ‘90s era vibes. Küf’s inimitable style revels in an unsubtle spirituality that, like his music, focuses on unity, positivity, and creativity.
In 2008, the same year he opened for Bruce Springsteen, Küf sang lead vocals on “Unstoppable,” a song created to mark the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series. In 2010, Küf recorded “Boombox Logic,” which was named the year’s best hip-hop song by the Independent Music Awards. His next venture, 2015’s A Positive Light, reflected his carefully forged fusion of music styles.
Küf’s on-screen credits include a part on the hit FX TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and commercial appearances. Film and video are close to Küf’s heart; he earned a degree in video production from the Art Institute of Philadelphia.
Küf Knotz & Christine Elise have performed on Levitt stages from coast to coast, including Levitt AMP Harrisonburg, Levitt AMP Stevens Point, Levitt AMP Hana, and Levitt AMP Soldotna.