The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra Reuniting For Town Hall Show
Our capital's plucky ambassadors of the nylon string, The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra (WIUO) are rallying the troops (and indeed the ukes) in a big way. Co-founded in 2005 by Age Pryor (Fly My Pretties, Congress of Animals) and Grammy winner Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords, who "may or may not still be part of the band"), the Aotearoa super-collective are reuniting for the first time in ten years to strum up a storm at the newly restored, soon to be reopened Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall on 20th March.
Featuring amongst their ranks such local talents as Andy Morley-Hall, Bek Coogan, Carmel Russell, Daniel Yeabsley, Deanne Krieg, Francis Salole, Gemma Gracewood, Megan Salole, Nigel Collins, Samuel Auger and Stephen Jessup, WIUO's joyful sonic cheer has been a big hit at home and as their name points out, all around the globe. With their arsenal of ukes (plus one double bass), the community heroes have lit up stages in Australia, UK, USA, China and Japan — their uplifting repertoire spotlighted on four EPs and one long player (2014's Be Mine Tonight) during their first decade.
WIUO were natural picks to reopen Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall, now sporting "stronger foundations, sexier décor and refreshed acoustics." Attendees of all-ages can look forward to a uked-up selection of "pop hits, rock classics, country ballads, waiata Māori and Pacific, indie treasures and unexpected deep cuts." Presales are live from right now onwards, so snag a spot while you can and join the fun...
"If you know the words, sing along. If you don’t know the words, sing along." - The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
"The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra holds a special place in Wellington's cultural story, and we're delighted to welcome them back as part of the celebrations marking the reopening of Te Whare Whakarauika Wellington Town Hall. We know many people will be eager to join in for this one — so be sure to get your tickets quickly as we definitely expect a sell-out." - Heidi Morton, GM Events & Experiences at WellingtonNZThe Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra
Saturday 20th March - Wellington Town Hall (7:30pm, all-ages)
Artist presale from 9am, Tuesday 3rd November
Live in WLG & NZ Comedy Trust presale from 9am, Wednesday 4th November
General on-sale from 9am, Thursday 5th November
Tickets via ticketmaster.co.nz
Check out the new 4K version of Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra's clip for 'It’s a Heartache'...
Here's The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra's rendition of Randy Newman classic 'Short People'...
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