The performers in The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are:
Dave Suich, Peter Brooke-Turner, Hester Goodman, George Hinchliffe, Kitty Lux, Will Grove-White, Jonty Bankes and Richie Williams.
The Ukulele Orchestra is a group of all-singing, all-strumming Ukulele players, who use instruments bought with loose change, and who believe that all genres of music are available for reinterpretation, as long as they are played on the Ukulele. If you'd like to purchase our high quality products - click here.
COME AND PLAY YOUR UKULELE WITH THE UKES AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL!
On Tuesday 18th August 2009, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are playing at the BBC PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall. You can buy tickets by clicking here. We are inviting Ukulele players to join us on the night for a mass Ukulele rendition of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'. All are welcome, from beginners to experts. You can find out how to play the piece on the BBC Radio 3 website by clicking here (the videos display in UK only, but you can download the music as PDF files).
In May this year, the Ukes were joined by Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) on a German TV show. You can watch the clip here.
To find out where the Ukulele Orchestra is next playing live - click here.
A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a Funny, Virtuosic, Twanging, Singing, Awesome, Foot-Stomping Obituary of Rock-n-Roll and Melodious Light Entertainment featuring only the "bonsai guitar" and a menagerie of voices; no drums, no pianos, no backing tracks, and no banjos. A collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies.
The Orchestra use the limitations of the instrument to create a musical freedom with Ukuleles (little ones, big ones, high ones, low ones) revealing unsuspected insights into popular music. From Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Reading the Orchestra takes you on a world tour with only hand luggage and gives the listener "One Plucking Thing after Another".
The Orchestra was formed in 1985 as a bit of fun, but the first gig was an instant sell-out, and they've been performing ever since. By 1988 they had released an LP, appeared on BBC TV, played at WOMAD and recorded a BBC Radio 1 session. The current ensemble has been playing together for over 20 years, and has become something of a national institution. The Orchestra has given thousands of sold-out concerts across the world, including Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland, France, America, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.
Over the last 25 years, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has spawned hundreds of imitators, and you can now find Ukulele Groups in nearly every major city, indeed, the Orchestra are often blamed for the current Ukulele revival which is sweeping the globe. The Ukulele Orchestra's music has been used in films, plays, and commercials, while film clips of the Orchestra’s live concerts and TV appearances on websites such as YouTube have been watched millions of times. Collaborators have included Madness, David Arnold, The British Film Institute, The Ministry of Sound and The Kaiser Chiefs.
The Orchestra has rhythm, bass, baritone, tenor, soprano and lead Ukulele players, creating a rich palate of orchestration possibilities and registers. Sitting shoulder to shoulder in a semi-circle, they dress in black tuxedos like a Symphony Orchestra, reworking classics of rock 'n' roll, punk, jazz and classical music. In highlighting both the beauty and vacuity of the material, the Orchestra revel in the triviality and the self-reverence of popular and highbrow music, while being both serious and light-hearted. Sometimes a foolish song can move an audience more than high art. Audiences like to have a good time with the Ukulele Orchestra, which shows that musical intelligence and levity are not incompatible with acoustic versions of heavy metal, performance art techniques and the homage of a live karaoke.
This raggle taggle group of disparate performers from widely different backgrounds is an incongruous assemblage of misfits. Could it be that this entertainment tribe, this anthropological phenomenon, has sidestepped the 20th century problems of art and walked into a new form, like Delphic Oracles on Stars in Their Eyes?
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's Friend Space (Top 13)
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has 4420 friends.
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 2 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): WALKABOUT WITH MY PEN
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen.”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men. That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
howdy reckon you might want to see the wonderful Norton Money and ourselves as we play the Greennote, Camden Town this Thur 9th July cheers mark& graham the henry brothers
Great to see you yesterday! Lovely to see George again, and fantastic to finally meet the rest of you. Hope you made it up to MK safely and rocked them hard. Till next time.
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