PERFORMING ARTS HOUSTON PRESENTS THE UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN
(Houston) – Performing Arts Houston presents the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, performing a wide range of genres with their signature British humor, on April 30, 2024 at 7:30 pm in Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater. The seven-piece orchestra formed in 1985 has collaborated with David Bowie, Cat Stevens, and performed for Queen Elizabeth II at her private 90th birthday celebration. Tickets start at $29, at performingartshouston.org.
Created in 1985 by Kitty Lux and George Hinchliffe, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a group of all-singing, all-strumming Ukulele players, using instruments bought with loose change, which believes that all genres of music are available for reinterpretation, as long as they are played on the Ukulele.
A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a funny, virtuosic, twanging, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll and melodious light entertainment featuring only the “bonsai guitar” and a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies. There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery. Only an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and singing.
Going from Tchaikovsky to AC/DC via The Cranberries and Spaghetti Western soundtracks, the Orchestra takes us on “a world tour with only hand luggage” and gives the listener “One Plucking Thing After Another” Using instruments small and large, in high and low registers, whether playing intricate melodies, simple tunes, or complex chords, and sitting in chamber group format dressed in formal evening wear, the Orchestra uses the limitations of the instrument to create a musical freedom as it reveals unsuspected musical insights.
Both the beauty and vacuity of popular and highbrow music are highlighted, the pompous and the trivial, the moving and the amusing. Sometimes a foolish song can touch an audience more than high art; sometimes music which takes itself too seriously is revealed to be hilarious.
The Ukes have played sold-out shows all over the world, including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall and many more.
About Performing Arts Houston
Performing Arts Houston (formerly known as Society for the Performing Arts) connects audiences with exceptional artists through diverse performances and learning experiences. We ignite and cultivate passion for the performing arts, exploring the vast landscape of artistic expression to discover new understanding about ourselves, create community, inspire dialogue, and enrich our world. More at performingartshouston.org
Ticket InformationTickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased through the Performing Arts Houston website a
t performingartshouston.org or by calling our box office at (713) 227-4772. To support the arts and enjoy benefits like priority access, member-exclusive pricing, no-fee exchanges, and more, become a Performing Arts Houston member at performingartshouston.org/memberships.
# # #
PERFORMING ARTS HOUSTON
presents
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
April 30, 2024
Tuesday, 7:30 pm
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
Tickets start at $29
performingartshouston.org
Follow us on Social:
FACEBOOK: @performingartshouston
INSTAGRAM: @performingartshouston
TWITTER: @artshoustontx
Media Contact:
Caroline Senter
csenter@performingartshouston.org
713-632-8105