Witty, quirky, and irreverent, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain to bring an unforgettable evening

Susan Bland

20 Mar 2024

Members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, three white women and four white men, stand in a line wearing all black. The women are order from shortest to tallest, left to right, and the men are ordered the same way., and they all lean right towards the tallest man. The woman on the far left holds a ukulele. — The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Photo courtesy of Stefan Mager.

Witty, quirky, and irreverent, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain takes audiences on a roller coaster ride through musical genres, from Abba to ZZ Top, Tchaikovsky to Nirvana. Following a 2015 performance for a packed house, the ensemble returns to the Moss Arts Center for an unforgettable evening on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Featuring only ukuleles and the voices of its performers, the seven-person ensemble is best known for playing versions of famous rock songs and film themes, sometimes in amusing new ways. Performing for 30 years and counting, the orchestra is not only a British institution, but a worldwide phenomenon.

Whether it’s soul, funk, classical, country, pop, rock, punk, or folk, in the hands of the Ukulele Orchestra, musical alchemy unites and transports the audience. There are no pianos, backing tracks, or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery — only an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by different sized ukuleles, vocal harmonies, and a bit of whistling.

Formed in 1985 as a bit of fun, the orchestra’s first gig was an instant sell out, and the musicians have been performing ever since. By 1988 they had released an album, appeared on BBC TV, played at the WOMAD festival, and recorded a BBC Radio 1 session.

The orchestra has given thousands of sold-out concerts across the world, recently performed sell-out shows at the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, and New York's Carnegie Hall.

The Ukulele Orchestra's music has been used in films, plays, and commercials, while film clips of its live concerts and TV appearances have been watched millions of times online. Collaborators have included Madness, David Arnold, the British Film Institute, the Ministry of Sound, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and the Kaiser Chiefs.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Dr. Charles Y. Davis and Mrs. Carole C. Davis and Mr. Edwin H. Talley and Mrs. Melinda P. Talley.

Related events

The Belview Elementary School Ukulele Club performs prior to the performance at 6:30 p.m. in the Moss Arts Center’s Cube. Led by music teacher Natalie Gibbs, the club was founded in 2014 to give students a chance to further their music education experience in a fun and positive atmosphere. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Tickets

Tickets for the performance are $25-$65 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.