The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been entertaining audiences since 1985, and they will be hitting Koerner Hall on May 4 and 5 as part of a North American tour.
Together with musical director George Hinchliffe, members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain inc lude Dominic Howles, Peter Brooke Turner, Laura Currie, Leisa Rea, Ben Rouse, Chris Walker, and Ewan Wardrop. All of the members sing as well as play.
The refreshingly low-tech approach focuses on the music, which the ensemble draws from multiple genres and eras. They maintain that any genre is open to be reinterpreted. Humour and banter are also part of the show, and woven into the music.
The Orchestra plays ukuleles of varying sizes and ranges from soprano to bass, and dress formally for every concert in a good-natured parody of a classical orchestra. They’re perhaps best known for their takes on pop songs, often with an unexpected twist or mash-up, although their repertoire samples from classical as well as pop and jazz.
The Ukulele Orchestra was first intended to be a one-off event performance organized by musicologist and performer George Hinchliffe and the late Kitty Lux, who had just gotten a ukulele. They bought a few more for friends, and in 1985, the first performance took place.
However, it was so well received that they found themselves in demand. The Orchestra released their first album in 1988, to be followed by many more. They’ve since toured the world with their unique performance.
Why the ukulele?
The ukulele is actually an off-shoot of small stringed instruments that were popular in Portugal towards the end of the 19th century. In 1879, there is a news story in the Hawaiian Gazette that describes Portuguese immigrant sailors performing for local audiences. The sound took off in Hawaii, where it garnered the support of King Kalākaua, and became part of his revival of traditional Hawaiian culture.
“It has a sweet voice, it’s cheap and easy to play, and you can carry it as hand luggage,” Hinchliffe told the Chicago Tribune in 1989.
The fact that the ukulele had virtually no repertoire in the classical world was part of its appeal, and a challenge that the group enthusiastically took on. The instrument is versatile and adaptable, and can play anything from classical to pop and jazz.
“It allows us to do things that are both entertaining and creative without having to meet the technical requirements of being virtuoso classical players or image-conscious pop musicians,” Hinchliffe said.
Tickets to their Koerner Hall show are on sale [HERE].
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