Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Formed in 1985 as the antidote to mindless pop, egocentric rock, and the indulgent, bluster of the music business, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain donned black tuxedos, and began giving ‘concerts’ in tiny rooms above old pubs. Four decades later, they’re still thrilling audiences with their off-beat humor and four-stringed virtuosity. There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks, guitars, or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery—just an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and old classics. Come and celebrate the 40th anniversary of this much-loved institution, on a white-knuckle shopping-trolley dash through every kind of musical genre. From ABBA to ZZ Top, Tchaikovsky to Nirvana, Bluegrass to Broadway, all played on the ‘bonsai guitar.’

Season sponsored by the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center