The New Zealand Ukulele Youth Orchestra Christchurch Tour

The New Zealand Ukulele Youth Orchestra Announce Christchurch Tour

The New Zealand Ukulele Trust is celebrating 10 years of creating musical opportunities for New Zealand children and young people. To mark this milestone, The New Zealand Ukulele Youth Development Squad, a ukulele orchestra of Year 8-10 students will tour Christchurch at the end of March.

The youth orchestra is made up of promising musicians from Northland, Waikato and greater Auckland. The students are given development in ensemble, instrumental skills and performance opportunities.

This unique instrumental ensemble plays symphonically on soprano, tenor and baritone ukuleles. Music covers a range of genres from Mozart to Six60. The group are led by an international expert in fretted instruments, Philip Griffin.

The New Zealand Ukulele Youth Development Squad will perform:

Thursday 31st March, 5.00pm - Chisnallwood Intermediate, Christchurch.

A special guest appearance during Kiwileles workshop for Christchurch teachers.

Friday 1st April, 10.00am - Chisnallwood Intermediate, Christchurch.

School concert and workshop.

Friday 1st April, 3.00pm - Margaret Mahy Family Playground, Oxford Terrace, Christchurch. Pop-up concert – FREE public concert.

Friday 1st April, 7.00pm - Orange Studios, 1063c Ferry Rd, Ferrymead, Christchurch.

General admission $10 / Unwaged $5 Tickets are available at the door and at

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Saturday 2nd April, 10.00am - Cardboard Cathedral, Latimer Square, Hereford Street.

FREE public concert.

Followed by busking at the Re:start Container Mall, Cashel St, Christchurch.

Saturday 2nd April, 5.00pm - David Beattie Centre, Dilworth Senior Campus, 2 Erin St, Newmarket, Auckland.

Auckland Homecoming Concert.

General admission $10 / Unwaged $5. Reserve seats at admin@nzukulelefestival.org.nz

The New Zealand Ukulele Trust is a volunteer charity that has given thousands of children a start in music. They work to supply instruments, teacher training and resources to schools with the aim of giving as many children as possible their start in music.Over 12,000 children have benefitted from the programmes to date and between 130 and 140 schools participate in theirKiwileles programme each year.

Chisnallwood Intermediate in Christchurch will be hosting the group during their tour. Chisnallwood has been travelling to Auckland for the past four years to perform in the Trust’s annual Kiwileles Massed Ukulele Orchestra at the New Zealand Ukulele Festival.

The New Zealand Ukulele Trust chair Mary Cornish shares “We are very proud of what these young people have achieved and the challenges they have met. The music is demanding and their rehearsal periods are music boot camps, resulting in performances that surprise people who think the ukulele is about strumming a few chords and singing. Of course this where these students started, but we are supporting them to take their playing to another level. They have become accomplished players, mastering bespoke polyphonic arrangements. We hope the tour will show other young people the opportunities that open up when you commit to being part of a musical group. They are great ambassadors for youth, their schools and for music”

The Youth Development Squad took time out from their summer holidays to prepare for this tour by attending a rigourous rehearsal camp at Waipuna Marae in Panguru, North Hokianga.

The New Zealand Ukulele Trust has set up a Give A Little campaign towards tour expenses: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/nzukuleledstour2016

Video: Watch 2015 NZ Uke Development Squad perform Rondo Alla Turca https://youtu.be/kJvIOuVxLdk

ENDS

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