Vancouver Recital Society hosts the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on April 19

Fun-filled 12-member group formed nearly four decades ago has risen to international fame

SPONSORED POST BY Vancouver Recital Society

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Photo by Allison Burke

Vancouver Recital Society will welcome the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 19 at 7:30 pm.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a group of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players whose concerts are a funny, virtuosic, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll featuring their strings and a menagerie of voices. The music is juxtaposed with the performers’ black tie attire.

Formed in 1985 as “a bit of fun” by founding members George Hinchliffe and Kitty Lux, the orchestra’s first gig was an instant sell-out. Their catalogue is a collection of rock, pop, jazz, blues, and classical music, with a love of irreverent wit and a penchant for reinterpretation.

The current ensemble has been playing together for over 20 years, and has performed concerts around the world at venues such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, The Royal Albert Hall in the U.K., and New York City’s Carnegie Hall. By request in 2016, the orchestra proudly performed at a private 90th birthday party for Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

A multi-instrumentalist and musicologist, Hinchliffe started playing the ukulele in 1960. He gifted Lux—a post-punk singer—a ukulele for her birthday in 1985, which eventually led the pair to found the orchestra after they gave ukuleles to two more of their friends, original members David Suich and Richie Williams.

Today, the group has grown to include 12 members total: Hinchliffe, Suich, and Williams, plus Hester Goodman, Will Grove-White, Jonty Bankes, Peter Brooke Turner, Leisa Rea, Ewan Wardrop, Ben Rouse, Dave Bowie, and Laura Currie. Lux passed away in 2017, but her legacy lives on in the group’s signature style and accomplishments.

To date, the orchestra has released over 30 albums which consist of studio recordings, live concerts, and compilations. Hinchliffe writes and arranges for the group, including the original music in their songs “Ukulelescope” and “Dreamspiel”.

Started in 1980 by founder and artistic director Leila Getz, the Vancouver Recital Society presents the world’s most promising up-and-coming recitalists at venues across the city including the Vancouver Playhouse and Orpheum Theatre.

Tickets to the concert, sponsored by The Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation, and more information can be found at Vancouver Recital Society.

Post sponsored by Vancouver Recital Society.