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Formed in 1985 as the antidote to mindless pop, egocentric rock, and the indulgent, bluster of the music business, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain donned black tuxedos, and began giving ‘concerts’ in tiny rooms above old pubs.
Four decades (and 400,000,000 plucks) later they’re still thrilling audiences with their off-beat humour and four-stringed virtuosity from Tasmania to the Arctic Circle, Windsor Castle to Carnegie Hall.
There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks, guitars, or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery - just an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and old classics.
Come and celebrate the 40th anniversary of this much-loved institution, on a white-knuckle shopping-trolley dash through every kind of musical genre. From ABBA to ZZ Top, Tchaikovsky to Nirvana, Bluegrass to Broadway, all played on the bonsai guitar.
The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain
Imagine the sounds of your favourite grunge, classical, punk, rock 'n' roll and indie classics, all through the medium of.. .ukulele. Struggling? Let this cult collective show you the way! Fans includes Michael Palin, HRH Princess Anne and Sir Paul McCartney. They unite fans across the globe in celebration of 'one plucking thing after another' on instruments bought for loose change. 'Iconoclastic. Unabashed genre crashing antics. Nothing is spoof proof' (The Sunday Times) 'They extract more than seems humanly possible from so small and so modest an instrument' (New York Times) 'The best musical entertainment in the country' (The Independent) 'Among the great entertainers' (The Evening Standard) 'The Best of British' (Michael Palin).
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The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain image © Allison Burke
Chelmsford Theatre
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- chelmsfordtheatre.co.uk
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- 01245 606 505
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on Mon 1 June 2026