George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain Comes To Houston

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) will present the incredibly entertaining George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on Sunday, March 17 at 5:30 p.m. in Cullen Theater at the Wortham Theater Center.

Founded in 1985, George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's first gig instantly sold out. The orchestra has become an international institution despite playing an "outsider" instrument. The current group has been performing together more than 20 years, delivering standing-room-only concerts around the world. The ensemble has played at prestigious venues such as the Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall, and New York's Carnegie Hall. The orchestra also had the honor to perform, by invitation of The Prince of Wales, at the private 90th Birthday party of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle.

The New York Times raved that George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is "sheer fun and outright daffiness tied to first-rate musicality and comic timing." When George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain puts on a show, there are no drums, pianos, backing tracks, or electronic trickery. Instead, audiences can look forward to lots of catchy, foot- stomping tunes on ukuleles, a bit of comedy, and sheer fun.

The orchestra is renowned for witty entertainment and novel interpretations of music and songs from across all genres. Expect anything from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana to go through the ukulele orchestra blender and emerge as a stomping, uplifting and thought-provoking show.

George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has released CDs and DVDs on their own independent label. The latest studio album "By Request - Songs from the Set-List" features the previously unrecorded songs by the orchestra most requested by fans. The orchestra's music has been used in films, plays, and commercials.

In conjunction with the mainstage performance of George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Society for the Performing Arts will host a Public Ukulele Workshop with the ukulele orchestra on Sunday, March 17 from 1 - 2 p.m. inside one of the Wortham Theater Center practice rooms. This unique opportunity will allow ukulele enthusiasts to practice their skills on the ukulele while learning in an intimate setting from world-class artists. Public Ukulele Workshop participants will get to play with the artists before seeing their show directly after the workshop. For more information about the Public Ukulele Workshop, please e-mail education@spahouston.org.

Tickets for George Hinchliffe's Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain start at $35 and can be purchased online at www.spahouston.org, by phone at 713-227-4772, or at the courtyard level ticket office at Jones Hall located at 615 Louisiana St. Hours of operation: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Group rates for 10+ people are available. Prices are subject to change.

About Society for the Performing Arts

Founded in 1966, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) is the largest independent non-profit presenting organization in the Southwest. Since its inception, SPA has sponsored more than 1,000 performances of the world's finest music, dance and theater events, in adherence to the belief that the arts are fundamental to the overall enrichment and quality of life within a community. In addition to presenting artists, SPA seeks to provide a variety of learning experiences for adults and children through master classes, lectures and special student performances, as well as build relationships between the performing arts and other interests within the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Texas.