George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

A humbly compelling and beloved instrument gains expressive, virtuoso freedom with the George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. At their hands, the ever-present relevance of popular music meets the lofty sounds of “highbrow” fare in a delicious acoustic mash-up like nothing else you’ve heard.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, that’s 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 their 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 are 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.”