UW Cultural Programs Presents Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Dec. 6

University of Wyoming Cultural Programs concludes the fall semester with a special holiday celebration featuring the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts concert hall.

Tickets cost $23 for the public; $19 for senior citizens, 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.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (UOGB) is a musical ensemble featuring ukuleles in different registers. Orchestra 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.

UOGB’s concerts are known to be funny, twanging, light entertainment featuring only the “bonsai guitar” and a menagerie of voices. There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks or banjos, nor pitch shifters or electronics -- only a revelation of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and singing.

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.

UOGB encourages audience members to bring their own ukuleles to play and sing along from their seats. There will be tutorial videos posted before the show.

There will be an ugly holiday sweater contest at intermission. The winner will receive two free tickets to the Cultural Programs spring concert of the winner’s choice.

To view the 2017 entertainment lineup, visit the Cultural Programs webpage at www.uwyo.edu/culturalprogram/.

For more information, call Janelle Fletcher, UW Cultural Programs director, at (307) 766-5139 or email janelle@uwyo.edu.