Each year, since 2011, Mark Jackson and Jane Jelbart have taken their Ukastle Ukestra to the Hawai’i Ukulele Festival.

In 2016 we opened this up to all Australians, creating …

Enjoy a “slide and video night” of our 2016 Hawai’i trip.

We invite you to join us in performing songs in beautiful places around the world.

But let’s start with the Pacific.

Our next Ukestralia experience is the Opotiki Ukulele Festival in New Zealand

We did it in 2017. We were enthralled. Please, join us.

 

Other possibilities for 2019

Send us an email if you are interested to join us in Waikiki for the Hawai’i Ukulele Festival in July 2019 – subject to enough people being interested and confirmation from the festival (usually in November).

I don’t live in or near Newcastle – how will it work?

We select and ukestrate the music, and provide instruction videos and sheet music to you once you are fully registered. You need to practice your allocated part, preferably with a group, and be able to attend the rehearsals (online or in person).

We rehearse in Newcastle and broadcast rehearsals live on the net for others to join in.  When we arrive at our destination we tend to get in a rehearsal or two.

What does a Ukestra sound and look like?

At home in Newcastle we run nine different weekly ukestras (ranging in number from 10-50 people). Jane and Mark (pictured above crouching on either side of Hawai’i Ukulele Festival director Roy Sakuma) are professional ukulele leaders and teachers and our uke players range from beginners through to highly experienced lead ukulele players and singers.

Here are are few video examples of what we mean.

Royals – this is a lovely professionally produced video, but the music gives you an accurate indication of a well ukestrated song.

Nantes – Ruth McCrae is a sublime singer, lead singing this version with the Ukastle Ukestra at the Newkulele Festival.

Our version of Libertango is much slower than whizzkid versions. But even with a complex piece like this there is a simple line – one note for much of it! We taught these students (at a folk music camp in the USA) with just a few hours of tuition.

Want to join us?

Well. It’s only a matter of choosing – Opotiki or (maybe) Hawai’i, or both?