As featured on CBC's national radio Documentary "Four Little Strings"

Ruby's Ukes presents the 4th Annual Vancouver Ukulele Festival 

 The Vancouver Ukulele Festival 2013
Saturday February 23rd 2013 ~ Workshops 10am - 6pm

                                        Address: 525 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 3K4, Canada

With 8 Ukulele workshops!
this will be an Extraordinaire Event of workshops, and all things Ukulele!

Opening evening concert

at St James Hall on Friday February 22nd 2013

                                       Address: 3214 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 2L2, Canada

Doors 6.30pm Show 7.00pm

Featuring:

Mathias Kom from 'Burning Hell', St John's New Foundland.

Aaron Keim from 'The Quiet American', Portland, Oregon.

Daphne Roubini from 'Black Gardenia', Vancouver, BC.

Guido Heistek from 'The Nicky Needle Project', Vancouver, BC

The Ukesters ~ the Ruby's Ukes alumni performance ensemble, Vancouver, BC

Ralph Shaw King of the Ukulele reads from his latest Book

With performances from:
The winners of the "Ruby's Ukes Ukulele Song Contest" 2013

Cost:
$115 Ukulele Festival Saturday February 23rd 2013 10am - 6pm  

($89 for early-birds till December 5th 2012)

$25 for the concert at St James Hall Friday February 22nd  7pm

(or $18 if purchase in advance)

You can pay on-line, this easy, simple system guarantees your place immediately.

 Workshop details:

There will be 8 workshops on offer of which you can choose 4, each workshop is 90 minutes 

and will appeal to beginners, intermediates and advanced.

~Free Tea, Coffee, & Snacks will be provided throughout the day~

you can either bring your own lunch or enjoy many of the nearby restaurants

The Vancouver Ukulele Festival

Workshop Program 2013:

Levels:  I~intermediate, A~advanced,

or G~General (all levels including beginner)

Mathias Kom: Mathias Kom is 34 but only looks 33. He's the singer, songwriter and baritone ukulele player for Canadian indie-folk band The Burning Hell, as well as one half of banjo/uke duo Spring Breakup (with Kim Barlow), and one of the founders of Newfoundland's Lawnya Vawnya music festival. When he's not doing any of that, Mathias is trying to finish his PhD in ethnomusicology at Memorial University. He likes dogs better than people and he is very bad at drawing, sports and saying no. Mathias performed on the main stage at the Vancouver Folk Festival 2012.

"Bring Your Own Song: A Hands-On Ukulele Songwriting Workshop" I, A

"From Exotic Itch to Indie Kitsch: A History of the Ukulele in Pop Music " G

Dawn Pemberton: Vibrant, genuine and soulful, Dawn Pemberton has deep musical roots that take her powerful voice from gospel and soul to jazz, funk and world music. This WCMA nominee has become a staple of the Vancouver music scene and can often be found tearin’ it up as a vocalist, teacher, facilitator, choir director. She spent many years as the Associate Assistant Director and a featured soloist with the Universal Gospel Choir. She's shared the stage with legends such as The Campbell Brothers, Leon Bibb, The Sojourners, Jim Byrnes, Dee Daniels, Kurt Elling, Kenny Werner, John Lee Sanders and John Boutté.  Dawn is a passionate educator and performer who loves help folks 'get lifted' and inspired by singing Gospel music and learning about it's traditions.

"Gospel Ukulele: Sing gospel tunes and harmonies, with Ukulele accompaniements " G

(Khari Mclleland is going to be on tour with The Soujorners, and so Dawn Pemberton formerly of the Universal Gospel Choir will be teaching Gospel Ukulele and harmony singing in one workshop, and Daphne 'Ruby' Roubini will be teaching a beginners workshop too ~ .Jan 26th 2013)

Daphne Roubini: Daphne "Ruby" Roubini is Vancouver's playfully named 'First Lady of Uke'.  Ruby's Ukes Founder, Director and Beginners teacher Daphne has enabled hundreds of people to learn to play the Ukulele.  Holding a Foundation in Jazz Vocals from the City Lit Institute in London, England, and Kodaly Musicianship training Daphne easily unlocks your natural musicianship and voice. Her "Uke Can Free your Voice" and "Uke can Play" Ukulele workshops are a staple at Ruby's Ukes. Daphne is the ambassador of the Ukulele and the lead singer in her band  'Black Gardenia'. She  has played her Ukulele at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival as well as shows in North America and the United Kingdom. Black Gardenia's debut album No Moon at All came out in May 2012 and is going into its second pressing!

"Uke can Play : A Ukulele Workshop to teach you how to play melodies on your Ukulele " B

Aaron Keim: The Quiet American (Aaron Keim) is not just a musician, he is your tour guide through American folk music.   He presents you with ballads and blues, field hollers and gospel shouts, fiddle tunes and banjo breakdowns, dusty gems and like minded originals.  Not content merely to re-create the music of his heroes, Aaron updates, arranges and re-contextualizes this music to reflect the modern world.  The rattle
of the banjo, the wheeze of a pump organ, the plunk of a ukulele string, the purr of the electric guitar, the power of voices in harmony, the grit of a life worth living. Aaron is also a luthier, making Ukuleles with Mya Moe and tours around the world teaching Ukulele workshops.

 "Clawhammer Ukulele: A Ukulele workshop in the clawhammer technique" G

"Chords Accordingly: A Ukulele workshop that explores common chord progressions in Music " G

Guido Heistek: holds a B.F.A. Music from Concordia University in Montreal and is a CANSTAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He makes his home in Vancouver, BC, where he teaches and performs. He is on faculty at the Georgia Straight Guitar Workshop, The Vancouver Island Music Workshop, the BC Swing Camp and teaches at Vancouver's own Ruby's Ukes. Guido has performed his solo acoustic sets in the U.S., Japan and Canada. In 2011, he appeared with Black Gardenia in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. He has released five solo CDs and recently released Hear the Strum  an instructional DVD which teaches ukulele students how to strum by ear and from the heart.

"Chord Melody: learn the art of playing chords and melody together" I, A

"Hear the Strum 2: Taking your strumming to the next level" G

Time table

10.00am – 10.30am

Arrive & Orientate

10.30am – 12.00pm                                            10.30am – 12.00pm

"Gospel Ukulele:” G                                                                                         Chord Melody (I A)

             Dawn                                                                                                                 Guido

12.00pm – 1.00pm

 Lunch

1.00pm – 2.30pm                                                               1.00pm – 2.30pm
"Clawhammer” (G)                                                                            A history of the Ukulele in pop music (G)

           Aaron                                                                                                             Mathias

2.45pm – 4.00pm                                                      2.45pm – 4.00pm

     Strumming 2 (G)                                                                                           Song writing (I, A)
                                  Guido                                                                                                              Mathias

4.00pm – 4.30pm                                        4.00pm – 4.30pm

            Tea break                                                                                                          Tea break

4.30pm – 6.00pm                                                             4.30 – 6.00pm
" Uke can read tab" (G)                                                                              Chords accordingly (G)
            Daphne                                                                                                   Aaron Keim

Getting there: Easy access to buses and skytrain as well as  the BCIT parkade next door ($6.50 day rate) and Easy Park on Richards Street ($4.50 day rate). 

Luthier ~ Andrew Smith (recommended by Mya Moe to repair their Ukuleles for The Langley Ukulele Ensemble) will also be available to give you a free estimate on any Ukulele restorations you may have, so bring them along with you to show him!

Registration for the festival is now open! Space is limited to 65 people, so get your ticket and come join us...
Ruby        phone: 604 408 2290 or email: daphneroubini@gmail.com

Ruby's Ukes Ukulele School | Vancouver's Ukulele classes, workshops & festival