2011 Uke Fest

2011 was another great year for the festival. We sold out with 180 attendees and ran 8 classes in parallel on Saturday. Friday night concert attendance was over 500 people, and we jammed The Pines on Saturday night. The proceeds of the festival were used to purchase over 100 ukuleles for local schools, and to provide 5 teacher scholarships to the James Hill Ukulele Initiative (JHUI).

2010 Uke Fest

photo by Craig Chee

What a Blast!

We had an incredible time together! Many thanks to our sponsors, volunteers, performers, instructors, camp attendees & concert-goers! The festival was successful beyond our expectations:

Concerts were played in front of over 3000 people.
The workshops were sold out with 125 adult and 50 child attendees.
We raised enough money to buy 110 ukuleles and books.
We are able to provide full scholarships ($1000 each) to 4 teachers to attend the James Hill Teacher Certification Program.
And, we have spread the ukulele program to additional schools in Hood River, and to by the neighboring communities of The Dalles (OR), Welches (OR), and White Salmon (WA).

2009 Uke Fest

Ukuleles in the Classrooms

The 2009 Gorge Ukulele Festival, held February 27th-28th, 2009, raised nearly $8000 to benefit the local schools' music programs. Using those proceeds, we bought 50 ukuleles and 75 books for 3 music classes. In September 2009, we awarded scholarships to 4 music teachers so that they could attend the Langley Ukulele Conference.

Friday, 27 February - Langley Ukulele Ensemble

Almost 2000 elementary & middle school kids got to see the Langley Ukulele Ensemble in action during 2 assembly programs presented Friday morning. We were impressed with how well-behaved & appreciative all the kids were!

Friday night, Langley took the stage again to wow 250 concert attendees. The crowd reaction was that of the highest praise! We would love to bring them back next year!

Saturday, 28 February - Ukulele Camp

80 campers graced the campus of the Hood River Middle School. 16 classes were offered in 4 time periods. Many thanks to our instructors who volunteered their time. The campers loved their classes & left inspired!

photo by Craig Chee

The Langley Ensemble came to participate in what turned out to be the camp's highlight. 18 kid campers were divided into small groups, each taught by 1-2 Langley players. At the end of the period, the group came together for a 20-minute jam session. It was amazing!