Members of the Langley Ukulele Ensemble ought to feel right at home when they perform this weekend.
Following a whirlwind year spent traveling from from Kelowna to Victoria, Whistler and Hawaii to Seattle, the renowned ukulele ensemble is preparing to kick off the fall concert season with a performance at Langley Free Evangelical Church this Saturday, Oct. 4.
The young musicians have been kept hopping by their new director, Paul Luongo, since he took over duties from his father, Peter, one year ago.
During that time, the A and B ensembles have together performed no fewer than 50 shows.
“It has been extremely busy, but the ensemble has successfully made it through the transition year between directors and the association is excited to be on the rise with the evolution of the ensemble gradually taking place,” said Luongo.
Among the opportunities the LUE has had to step onto a stage in the past 12 months have been at Italian Day celebrations, the Hats off day Parade in Burnaby, Whistler’s Under the Stars arts festival, the BC Seniors Games and in Hawaii where, for the 19th year out of 20, the ensemble was welcomed back to its home away from home at the Sheraton, Waikiki.
This Saturday, however, it’s all about showing some hometown pride, as the Langley Ukulele Association presents the Langley Ukulele Ensemble live in concert, featuring ukulele virtuoso and LUE alumnus James Hill, performing alongside his wife, Anne Janelle.
“It will be a show of musical variety, energy, entertainment, and a fun, family-friendly, evening out in Langley,” promised Luongo.
The concert will highlight the next up-and-coming player in the ensemble’s midst — Yoon ho Park — as well as feature numerous other soloists. The program will draw from a range of musical genres including songs of the 1950s to the ’80s, as well as music from around the world.
The ensemble will also give the audience a brief taste of what’s to come this winter, with excerpts from its holiday season production titled “Themes of Christmas” as well as its spring production, “Music from Broadway”.
For Luongo, personally, the past 12 months have been a busy, but productive, time spent balancing his duties as ensemble director with a new job as music teacher at the Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts.
“Since Sept. 18, a lot has happened quickly, but I am very happy, lucky, and blessed to have full-time work in the profession that I love very much,” he said.
And there’s much more to come.
In addition to returning to Hawaii, the Langley Ukulele Ensemble are preparing to tour Reno, Nevada as headline entertainers at a ukulele festival at the Golden Nugget. Additionally, the ensemble will also be headlining performances at the Stratford Music Festival in early August, as well as at the Canadian National Exhibition this August in Toronto.
This Saturday, doors open at the Langley Evangelical Free Church, 20719 48 Ave., at 6:30 p.m. Showtime is 7 p.m. For tickets call 604-340-UKES (8537).
