Uke Events: Camps, Festivals & Adventures in November and December

From the Fall 2016 issue of Ukulele | BY AUDREY COLEMAN

TAMPA BAY UKULELE GETAWAY

November 4–6, 2016
St. Petersburg, Florida
Cast your eyes on the sparkling white sands and surf of St. Pete’s Beach, a shell’s throw away from the Sirata Beach Resort, site of this year’s Getaway. The roster of famed performer-instructors includes Los Angeles-based Daniel Ward, Canada’s Manitoba Hal, Hawaii-born Renaissance woman Heidi Swedberg, and UK-based Krabbers aka Mike Hayllor. The Sunday Luau will feature island-born Ty Olopai, founder of FUN, the Florida Ukulele Network. Serving as emcee during the getaway will be the ever-popular Bermudan Mike Hind.
tampabayukulele.com

UKULELE EXPO CRUISE

November 4–7, 2016
Long Beach, California
Sharpen your uke skills as you cruise along the Baja California coast aboard the ship Carnival Inspiration. Your host and instructor is Jason Arimoto, co-founder of U-Space, the downtown Los Angeles spot that offers small-group lessons, a broad selection of quality ukuleles, and fantastic espresso drinks. While you sail from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico, and back, expect all the perks of a major resort plus uke workshops, open mics, jam sessions, hula lessons, games, and cocktail parties.
http://tickettocruise.com/2016-ukulele-expo-cruise/

MINI UKE DAY 2 (AKA MIGHTY UKE DAY)

November 5, 2016
Livonia, Michigan
Count on workshops, jam sessions, open mics, and a rousing evening concert headlined by “the irrepressible Andy Andrews” along with the Ukulele Kings. The location is Trinity House Theatre.
mightyukeday.com

UKEFEST VIRGINIA

November 5
Glen Allen, Virginia
Put on by the River City Ukulele Society and held at Glen Allen’s Cultural Arts, a few miles north of Richmond, UkeFest Virginia’s one-day event features workshops Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, the Aloha Boys, Stu Kindle, Rachel Manke, and Mim.
ukefestva.com

JAKE SHIMABUKURO MAINLAND TOUR

November and December 2016
Thrill to a live performance by the musician largely responsible for bringing the ukulele to the center of the global stage in the new millennium. His performances highlight the potential of the mighty uke to deliver excellence in Hawaiian, rock, pop, jazz, and classical genres. You may be lucky enough to be in one of the following locations on his tour:
11/2 Middletown, Ohio. Dave Finkelman Auditorium
11/4 Lawrence, Kansas. Lied Center of Kansas
11/5 Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall
11/6 Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pabst Theater
11/7 Carmel, Indiana. Center for the Performing Arts
11/8 State College, Pennsylvania. State Theatre
11/9 Boston, Massachusetts. The Wilbur
11/10 Brownfield, Maine. Stone Mountain Arts Center
11/11 Keene, New Hampshire. Colonial Theatre
11/13 Ridgefield, Connecticut. Ridgefield Playhouse
11/15 Skokie, Illinois. North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
11/16 Ann Arbor, Michigan. University of Michigan
11/17 Buffalo, New York. Kleinhans Music Hall
11/18 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. F.M. Kirby Center
11/19 York, Pennsylvania. Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center
11/20 Bethesda, Maryland. Music Center at Strathmore
11/21 Richmond, Virginia. The Tin Pan
11/29 Palm Desert, California. McCallum Theatre for Performing Arts
11/30 San Luis Obispo, California. Fremont Theater
12/1 Santa Barbara, California. Campbell Hall
12/2 Cerritos, California. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/4 Malibu, California. Smothers Theatre
12/6 Merced, California. Merced Theatre
12/7 Folsom, California. Harris Center
12/9 Chico, California. Laxson Auditorium
12/10 Arcata, California. Van Duzer Theatre
12/11 Redding, California. Cascade Theatre
jakeshimabukuro.com/home/tour

UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN

December 2016 US TourComing perhaps to a theater near you, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain arrives with uke chops to spare. The UOGB pulls out all the stops with the instrument while often irreverently interpreting musical treasures. Trust the Brits to channel the spirit of Monty Python in formal concert garb. ukuleleorchestra.com

12/2 Gainesville, Florida. University of Florida
12/4 Mesa, Arizona. Mesa Arts Center
12/8 Boulder, Colorado. Macky Auditorium
12/9 Overland Park, Kansas. Johnson County Community College
12/11 Palm Desert, California. McCallum Theatre
12/13 Davis, California. Mondavi Center
12/15 Santa Barbara, California. Campbell Hall
12/16–17 La Jolla, California. MCASD Sherwood Auditorium
12/18 Cerritos, California. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

VANCOUVER ISLAND UKULELE WORKSHOP

January 21, 2017
This daylong event in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest focuses on the Doane method for teaching ukulele, which Canadian music educators have adopted widely. In addition to offering ukulele instruction at all levels, some sessions will provide teacher training in the Doane pedagogy. Although there is no formal concert, the instructors usually give an impromptu performance during the lunch break.
bcukulele.org/VIUkeWksp

Caribbean Ukulele 2017 Cruise

February 10–19
New Orleans, Louisiana
Here’s a scenario for uke players looking to live it up on land and by sea. Before you board the Carnival Dream, you enjoy a two-day hotel stay in New Orleans and experience the delirium of Mardi Gras in the French Quarter with tour co-leader Stu Fuchs. Once you sail for the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, Stu Fuchs and Lil’ Rev will lead daily workshops at all levels of ukulele proficiency. The talented pair will also perform in concert for passengers. Ports of call include Ochos Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico, returning to the Big Easy after seven days of music and sightseeing.
ottawawest.cruiseholidays.com

https://dev.ukulelemag.com/stories/news/worlds-largest-ukulele-according-to-guinness