Community Group Performances
Enjoy the many wonderful community group performances
Chalice Church
Saturday 10am to 10.30am
The Balla Balla Ukes were formed in October 2017. Focusing on techniques and ensemble playing, they perform a wide variety of repertoire that could include anything from older hits to rock, pop, country and everything in between. They have performed at many ukulele and community events, including Hills Ukulele Festival, Cranbourne Australia Day Celebrations, Berwick Show, Cranbourne Music Winter Uke Fest, Whittlesea Uke Muster among many others. They have also performed at Melbourne Ukulele Festival in 2018 and 2019.
Chalice Church
Saturday 12.15pm to 12.45pm
The Tall Ones grew out of some adult ukulele lessons by some guy called Dan who is based up in the Dandenong Ranges. Just like his school students (The Short Ones), Dan discovered that once adults learn how to play the ukulele, they are keen to then play the ukulele.
The Tall Ones is a growing group of adults new to the ukulele world, but keen to grab it by the neck and strum. They bring an eclectic skill set and love of musical genres to the stage that will impress even the most jaded ukulele aficionado.
Chalice Church
Saturday 2.30pm to 3pm
The Qukes are a group of ukulele enthusiasts from the Kew Neighbourhood Learning Centre – currently led by the fabulous Betty France. The Qukes occasionally perform in public at local events around the Kew area but primarily enjoy just getting together to play and sing in their weekly classes. They have appeared at a few Klub Muk nights, a choral event at the Sacred Heart Church in Kew, with the most divine acoustics, and the Gentle Annie musical gathering in Carlton. Their repertoire ranges from classic hits to contemporary pop and some of their arrangements are…. pretty good.
Chalice Church
Saturday 4.45pm to 5.15pm
BUGSS is made up of members of the Bennettswood Ukulele Groups and Singalong and Stringalong, led by Margaret Crichton. Experience ranges from those who have played a few weeks or months to years. For some it is their first instrument while for others, well, who’s counting! Keeping it fun, accessible and challenging is an important part of the equation, with everyone learning at a pace that suits them, so newcomers are always welcome. We add an extra dimension to many of our songs with vocal harmonies – and not everything is in C!
Chalice Street Stage
Saturday 2.30pm to 3pm
The UkeAlohas are bursting back on to the music scene!
Enforced lockdown? No worries, we’ve got you Covid!
Zoom fatigue? No way!
The UkeAlohas with their leader Des Mahoney, are a fun-loving, music-loving, diverse, yet united band of performing Ukulele enthusiasts from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Members include artists who have performed at the Melbourne Ukulele Festival; Surrey Hills Music Festival, Community Events, Community Choirs and instrumental groups. The UkeAlohas are a mix of both the original founding members and those recently welcomed to the group; and they are united in their love of the ukulele, playing together and playing for others.
Music is their inspiration. The UkeAlohas believe that music is for the benefit of not just Ukulele lovers, but for everyone. They desire to bring the joy of music to the community – their friends, family, and others less fortunate than themselves.
The UkeAlohas have played at a number of Community events where their audiences sing along, clap and even dance along to their music. You really feel the joy when they play, and you don’t want to miss seeing them!
Chalice Church
Saturday 10.45am to 11.15am
U3A Knox Music Muster is a community based music group that meets every Tuesday as part of the University of the Third Age (U3A) Knox. Now in its third year, the Music Muster has nearly 30 enthusiastic members with a strong focus on having fun while playing, singing and learning. The Music Muster performs at U3A Knox functions and in 2019 has performed at the Girgarre Moosic Muster and the Hills Ukulele Festival.
Chalice Church
Saturday 1pm to 1.30pm
The group originally formed to give students an outlet for the skills that they learnt in music class. There are no remaining original members! They all got good at playing and then left to go to secondary schools. Our current line up consists of students from Year 2 to Year 5. They take playing the ukulele seriously. They take their band leader/music teacher a lot less seriously. Probably a good mix.
Chalice Church
Saturday 3.15pm to 3.45pm
Yarra YUkers is the very first ukulele orchestra established by GBU in March 2015. Yarra YUkers meet upstairs on Tuesdays at the charming and historic Retreat Hotel, in Abbotsford. They perform regularly at KLUB MUK, as well as at various ukulele festivals, including The Hills Ukulele Festival (2018, 2019) The Melbourne Ukulele Festival (2015-2019) at local inner north markets, and for the lovely residents of our local nursing home. To see their faces during our performances will “put a little love in your heart”!
Chalice Street Stage
Saturday 3.15pm to 3.45pm
Chicks with Picks Melbourne are students of the ukulele. Led by teacher, Helen Begley. They play a broad selection of songs, everything from Blackbird to Gorillaz with great strumming, singing, and twiddly bits. They are always keen to encourage ukulele playing folk to get up and join them in spontaneous music making.
Chalice Church
Saturday 11.30am to 12pm
SKULL was formed in 2015 to fill the ukulele void in Melbourne's southside with some DIY community uke fun.
They have a free SKULL Tuesday Night Uke Jam every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month upstairs at St Kilda RSL in Acland St.
Chalice Church
Saturday 1.45pm to 2.15pm
As a community group Goldfields Ukestra support the learning needs of ukulele players of all abilities within the Bendigo area, providing members with a safe, inclusive and supportive environment to learn and advance their ukulele craft at their own pace. Goldfields Ukestra has sprung forward in leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings in 2015, where members would meet for a strum around someone’s kitchen table. In 2017 our numbers grew substantially so we moved away from the 'home based learning model', found some club rooms, appointed a musical director and adopted the name Goldfields Ukestra. In 2019 we became an incorporated association and today we have over 40 financial members!
Chalice Church
Saturday 4pm to 4.30pm
Wyndukes Ukestra are a small performing ukulele ensemble based in Werribee, Victoria.
We play a repertoire of contemporary songs, “ukestrated” by Steph Payne with riffs and chord strumming patterns for ukuleles and 2-3 part vocal harmonies, rehearsed to bring them up to performance level.
Wyndukes has performed at local Wyndham events like Red Arcade, Unstrung Music showcases, Melbourne Ukulele Festival, Newport Singalongs, and NFFC theme nights.
Chalice Church
Sunday 2.15pm to 3pm
The Ukastle Ukestra are the performing troupe of the Hunter's Ukulele Community, guaranteed to be fully ukestrated - prodded and poked until they know their pentatonics from their ginantonics. Their outfits are 'Hawaiian Formal', their repertoire 'Radio Normal'. Under the brutal guidance of maestros Mark Jackson & Jane Jelbart, the UU plays arranged 'contemporary' songs, with maybe the odd TinPanAlley tune. They know their parts and stick to them, and sing like their life depends upon it. Blutacced bits of paper on tuners make up for the dearth of music stands. They have fun. (You WILL have fun!).