UW Presents Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain April 9

Back by popular demand is the unique-sounding Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB), which will perform Tuesday, April 9, at the University of Wyoming as part of the UW Presents spring series.

The orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall. Tickets cost $20 for the public; $17 for senior citizens and UW faculty and staff; and $10 for students. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk, by calling (307) 766-6666 or going online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

“This talented and witty group of musicians will leave audiences rethinking everything they know about the ukulele, as rarely does one get to see so many varieties of ukulele together on one stage,” says Philip Moline, UW Presents director. “Their high-quality original arrangements feature a wide array of musical genres such as classical, jazz and popular music -- all with a little bit of humor mixed in. This is a family-friendly event, and audience members of all ages are guaranteed to enjoy the performance.”

UOGB members play and sing music from a variety of musical genres, all on the ukulele. When the UOGB began in 1985, the public opinion was that an orchestra consisting entirely of ukuleles in different sizes was a strange concept. The idea was to make something fresh and entertaining, both modern and old-fashioned, in a different style that deviated from the current performance fashion. Audiences liked the result.

The orchestra has toured the United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. It has performed in many venues worldwide, including New York's Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, London's Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury Festival.

In Europe and America, the orchestra is best known for playing versions of famous rock songs and film themes. It has recorded and released records, CDs and DVDs on its own independent label, as well as with CBS, Sony, Discethnique, Longman, Volume, Tachyon and the Ministry of Sound.

The current group has been performing together for more than 20 years and has given thousands of sold-out shows in America, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Poland and more.

For more information about the UOGB, visit www.ukuleleorchestra.com.

The last remaining UW Presents performance in the spring is pianist Daniel Hsu Friday, May 3.

For more information, call Moline at (307) 766-5139 or email pmoline@uwyo.edu.