Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

The Orchestra

The Artists

• Peter Brooke Turner
• Guy Bellingham
• Ben Rouse
• Guy Hargreaves
• Leisa Rea
• Laura Currie
• Laurie Higgins

A worldwide phenomenon

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, the one founded by George Hinchliffe and Kitty Lux, has already enjoyed touring in the United States many times. For those who have not yet encountered it, the essential point is that it is an original musical ensemble featuring only ukuleles of various sizes and registers, accompanied by just the natural voices of the performers.

Harsher critics have stated the opinion that the Ukulele Orchestra formed its repertoire based on any music considered inappropriate for the instrument, with a “shopping trolley dash through genres” and musical history. In Europe and America, the orchestra is best known for playing versions of famous rock songs and film themes, sometimes changing these so that the expectations of the audience are subverted. Sometimes a rock song will be changed into a jazz idiom, or sometimes several songs which are known from different genres are combined in one “soup of contrasts.”

The founding brief for the group was to have fun and “not to lose money.” Incredibly, throughout its forty-year career, the group has succeeded in both not losing money and incidentally making millions of dollars. It has been seen worldwide by audiences, including members of the British Royal Family and other crowned heads of Europe; at the Houses of Parliament in London; and by many millions of TV and online viewers.

When the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain began in 1985, the public opinion was that an orchestra consisting entirely of ukuleles in different sizes was a strange concept. This was something that attracted the founders. The orchestra members at that time had experience of many kinds of music, and yet they had become tired of the conventions of the music business world as well as the conventions of performance and genre stereotyping which were prevalent at that time. The idea was to make something fresh and entertaining, both modern and old-fashioned, in a different style which deviated from the current performance fashion. People liked the result.

Today, after many years, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain finds that wherever it goes, people are now playing ukuleles, often in groups. Many of these enthusiasts tell the orchestra that they were inspired to play the instrument after seeing and hearing this, the original Ukulele Orchestra. And now there are many ukulele orchestras, some acknowledging the pioneering work of the UOGB, others claiming ignorance of this rich history, but none of them existing before this, the original Ukulele Orchestra.

In 2015, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain celebrated sixteen million minutes of “ukuleleation,” having been “on the road” for thirty years and counting.

While it is not normally in the nature of these artists from Britain to “blow their own trumpets” or to “pluck their own ukuleles,” it is undeniably a fact that The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has become not only a national institution, but also a worldwide phenomenon.

Live appearances, recordings, and collaborations

Among their many international concerts and festival appearances, they have “sold right out” twice at Carnegie Hall in New York, twice at The Royal Albert Hall in London, and also at Sydney Opera House in Australia.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain was featured in a CNN report in 2012 and featured on CBS This Morning in 2013. The orchestra has been invited by the British Broadcasting Corporation to play live on air for BBC Radio 3 (the classical music channel) as well as for BBC Radio 1 (the rock, electronic dance music, and youth music channel) and live on other BBC channels many times. They have taken part in The Electric Proms (in a collaboration with The Kaiser Chiefs), and the BBC Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London (The Proms), where they were the “fastest selling late-night prom in history,” selling many thousands of tickets for the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London very quickly.

At that concert, the Ukulele Orchestra performed “Jerusalem” and other classics of the Last Night of the Proms, the celebrated 120-year old concert series which launched in 1895. Around 2,000 ukulele players in the audience joined the orchestra in playing passages from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. A DVD of this 2010 BBC Prom concert at The Royal Albert Hall is available to order at www.ukuleleorchestra.com. For those who wish to perform with the orchestra in the comfort of their own homes, chords and words to accompany the Ukes during their 2012 Sydney Opera House concert are available on this DVD.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has recorded and released records, CDs, and DVDs on its own independent label, and with CBS, Sony, Discethnique, Longman, Volume, Tachyon, and The Ministry of Sound, as well as appearing on Jools Holland’s Hootenany.

Original compositions and songs by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain have been used on television, in film, and in radio plays, as well as in performance by other musicians. The orchestra musicians have collaborated with the British Film Institute in providing music for silent films and also musically with Madness, Robbie Williams, Ant & Dec, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Stefan Raab, Rainer Hersch, and a full symphony orchestra performing at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Celebrity fans include Sir Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Monty Python’s Michael Palin, Brian Eno, Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, George Benson, Joe Brown, and Bette Midler.

In addition to performing at theaters and concert halls, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has also packed the crowds in at rock festivals such as Glastonbury, The Big Chill, WOMAD, The Electric Picnic, and before 170,000 people in Hyde Park, as well as playing in seven cathedrals in England and Wales. The group has been commissioned to write commemorative concerts, including a Cecil Sharp memorial concert in 2012 and the World War I Memorial Concert in 2014 for Birmingham Town Hall.

Some typical Ukulele Orchestra-isms

One unique feature of this, the original Ukulele Orchestra, is that although there are many examples of collaboration, the group has remained a determinedly independent concern. Relying on its own resources and an email list of tens of thousands of fans, the musicians continue to run their own recording, publishing, and to eschew mainstream advertising and record companies.

The orchestra has many catch phrases which audiences find entertaining. “A world tour with only hand luggage,” for example, refers to the fact that ukuleles are small instruments. Every concert from the first to the present day has begun with the announcement: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, we are the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.” For English speakers, the stress on the word “are” is a little amusing, suggesting as it does that the orchestra is politely explaining to someone who perhaps thought that a different group was on stage, and that in order to clear up any confusion, they are confirming that they truly are the members of the orchestra.

A typical ukulele orchestra concert will feature songs sung by each member of the orchestra so the audience can get to know each person on stage. Often a fast piece will be followed by a slow piece in order to maintain variety, and a rock song will perhaps be followed by classical music. The concept is that if a “level field” is maintained by playing only the one kind of instrument, then all kinds of music can be played quite easily without the variety appearing to be chaotic.

One important task of any musical group is to maintain unity with variety, integrity with difference, many voices all working in the same direction. This orchestra is made up of performers who are different from each other and with different musical backgrounds, experiences, and performing styles. The ukulele brings them all together.

Hinchliffe says that the work of the orchestra is like a pencil line drawing rather than a multi-colored painting. The palate is limited but the possibilities are endless. The ukulele in the hands of the orchestra is said to be like an iceberg; visible above the water, but with much more hidden beneath; there are spiritual dimensions which are far larger and which are not immediately seen. Within the limitations and the simplicity of the humble starting point of the orchestra, there are many possibilities for exploration and variation. It may be the case that the very nature of limitation (in this case, to the sounds of the ukulele) enables wider variations to be pursued (which might seem too extreme in a less limited context).

Perhaps the limitation stimulates freedom within a defined context. Too much variety could be confusing, too many limitations could become tiresomely familiar. With its combination of “unity and variety, and simultaneous individualism and collectivism,” the orchestra is able to make the best of the overriding vision as well as the individual talents and personalities in the orchestra.

Because the music is played on only ukuleles in different sizes, the conventions of any given genre might not be present. Sometimes the music sounds like folk music, sometimes like a music without a tradition. The sounds of the instruments are not typical for most of the music played.

The arrangements of the music are specially made, often by Hinchliffe, the director and founder, or by other members of the group. The focus is to bring out the spirit of the music, to be faithful to the musical notes, while changing the style or genre of the music by the mere fact of playing it on ukuleles. Audiences have reported that the music of the orchestra is variously moving, funny, stomping, thought-provoking, surprising, or inducing the audience by sheer infectious spirit to “tap their toes” along with the beat.

The Musicians

Peter Booke Turner

Peter Brooke Turner (soprano ukulele) was born in Portugal and grew up in the Soviet Union, Brazil, America, Finland, Italy, and Britain. Turner dominates the skyline at over 6 feet tall. After false starts on the violin, trumpet, and guitar, he turned to the ukulele and joined the orchestra. Turner has worked with many showbiz greats, even lending his uke to Tiny Tim. Away from the tuxedo, Turner has an alter ego, Tony Penultimate, whose musical shenanigans and albums have a website all of their own.

Guy Bellingham

Guy Bellingham (soprano ukulele) is a multi-skilled performer and veteran of the circus and cabaret scene. He trained at Circomedia in juggling, clowning, and physical comedy, and he has performed internationally on stage, on television, and in variety shows for twenty-five years. He was a founding member of legendary comedy jazz band The Hot Potato Syncopators. Bellingham is also a multi award-winning tintype photographer and musical saw virtuoso.

Ben Rouse

Ben Rouse (tenor ukulele) is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, mandolin, violin, saxophone, flute, trumpet, banjo, and ukulele. His background as an all-rounder led him to form the rock band Purple Monkey and the folk duo Teapot Junkies. Rouse has also released several albums of his own original music. Born in Cornwall, England, he now lives near Chichester, where he enjoys sailing, electronics, and astronomy. But not all at once.

Guy Hargreaves

Guy Hargreaves (soprano and concert ukulele) is a seasoned performer and theater maker from Lancashire with a background in acting, dance, clown, puppetry, and music. He has directed shows for The National Youth Theatre and made short films about friendly ghosts for his local library. He’s appeared in iconic British television program, such as Coronation Street and East Enders, as well as penning his own solo show about letter writing, ballet dancing, and growing up. Hargreaves is a keen artist and hill climber. Sometimes he combines the two.

Leisa Rea

Leisa Rea (soprano and concert ukulele) has a rich background in performing, directing, and writing for stage, television, and radio. She has worked with several established names, including Miranda Hart (BBC), Jack Rooke (Channel 4), and Live at the Apollo comic Jen Brister. She has produced her own solo shows and written many original songs for Adams & Rea, with whom she won the Musical Comedy Awards (2009). Leisa has Irish-Italian heritage; plays uke, guitar, and percussion; and lives in London.

Laura Currie

Laura Currie (tenor ukulele) was born in Dumfries, Scotland, and joined the orchestra shortly after graduating from Edinburgh University in English literature. She started playing the ukulele at the age of 15 after seeing the Ukes in concert and, inspired, she fronted her first rock band a year later. Aside from the orchestra, Currie performs under the stage name Ra, writing and releasing her own original material. She has garnered an active online following for her eclectic mix of self-produced YouTube videos. She also plays piano, bass, and guitar.

Laurie Higgins

Laurie Higgins (bass ukulele) is a professional bass player from Dorset, England, who has many years of experience playing and recording with a huge variety of artists, including Robbie McIntosh, Mutter Slater, and Steve Jones. Having studied jazz and composition, she is busily involved in writing and arranging music as well as in music education. Laurie has provided his signature sound on tour with the orchestra in the United Kingdon, Germany, Austria, Sweden, and the United States.