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Ukulele for Harmony Tutorials on Culture Days – Sep 26, 2015

The Cutie Circle is offering free ukulele tutorials to absolute beginners as part of the nation-wide Culture Days effort! Come and join in on the fun.

Learn to strum some chords and sing some songs with your fellow budding ukulele players! Let your inner musician shine and get a taste of what music can do for you! Get in on the soothing sounds so well-known in Hawaii and beyond!

Ukuleles, music stands, etc. will be provided on site. All you have to do is bring yourself, your friends and family!

Let’s play harmony together using the world’s happiest instrument. Music self-played is happiness self-made!

This event is sponsored by the Cutie Circle and the City of Port Coquitlam.

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2015
Time: 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Location: M. Wright Art Gallery, Gathering Place, 2253 Leigh Square Place, Port Coquitlam
Admission: Free

Courtesy of City of Port Coquitlam

Cuties’ 2015 Ukulele Spectacular at Coquitlam Multicultural Fair

Photo Credit: Terry Wilson

Our dear friend, Gary Cyr, will be leading us to perform among others on July 28 as a part of the Multicultural Fair at Spirit Square in Coquitlam. Our presentation is coined “Ukulele Spectacular”. If you would like to participate but have not signed up yet, complete the form below to let us know as the more the merrier! If you have spare ukes to bring for the audience to try, let us know as well.

The Fair actually starts at 11 am and there will be “a variety of live entertainment, music and dance. Many cultures will be represented with performances from Chinese, South Asian, Polynesian, Korean and South American groups. There will be door prizes and activities for kids as well as adults. Visitors can try their hand at Chinese brush painting, calligraphy or learn a new dance.”

Performance

Date: Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Time: 1:40pm – 1:50pm (Please arrive by 1:10pm as requested by City of Coquitlam.)

Attire: Hawaiian-themed outfits (e.g., leis, grass-skirts, etc.) or Cutie t-shirts

Accessories: Bring a uke, a music stand and songbooks.

Location: Spirit Square, 3000 Burlington Drive, at Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

A shuttle bus will run between Glen Pine Pavilion and Dogwood Pavilion during the event. See official website for current shuttle schedule and information.

Map:

Informal Rehearsals

Note: Everyone is welcome to participate at the Fair without coming to the informal rehearsals. However, please do register so that we can let the organizer know how many chairs to put on stage, etc.

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Time: 6:00pm

Location: Como Lake Park, 700 Gatensbury Street, Coquitlam

Accessories: Bring a uke, a chair, a music stand, and songbooks.

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Time: 6:00pm

Location: Como Lake Park, 700 Gatensbury Street, Coquitlam

Sign Up for Performance on July 28

(There is no need to sign up for the informal rehearsals.)

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Cutie Circle April Updates and May Meeting

Happy Portuguese “National Play Your Ukulele Day”! This is indeed a time for ukulele celebration. Tahiti just broke the world record with 4750 ukulele players strumming and singing simultaneously for over five minutes on April 11 in Papeete!

Cuties had lots of fun in April, too! After a few of us played at Tonari Gumi accompanied by a pianist and a drummer (many thanks to Harvey for organizing it!),

Courtesy of Wayne S.

we had a terrific turn-out at our song circle led by Paul! Kiwi and Soegi accompanied Paul by noodling and playing an upright bass, respectively!

April 2015

Our performance time started with Luisa and Paul playing a beautiful traditional song, Haere Mai, they learned on their recent trip.

April 2015

Harvey did a fingerpicking solo of Misty.

April 2015

Brian and Gill had another entertaining tune, I Want My Dog Back, to share with us.

April 2015

Alan, Harvey, Jen and Paul played their rehearsed song, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

April 2015

Ralph (who came to give the 1950s Songshop) and Paul got recruited to play Midnight Special with a Coquitlam twist along with Alan, Harvey and Jen! Thanks, guys!

April 2015

Kiwi performed an instrumental of Girl from Ipanema!

April 2015

Paul rounded it all up with a crowd-pleaser solo of Dock of the Bay.

April 2015

Ralph’s Songshop challenged us to some cool strumming patterns. He certainly worked us hard and it was well worth the effort learning to strum like pros!

Ralph Shaw

We again had some great snacks with Susi bringing in a special platter of homemade goodies! Thanks, Susi! Just a reminder that we are meeting at the Pinetree Community Centre on May 10 from 2 to 4pm. Rumour has it that there will be ukulele cookies for Mother’s Day. Ralph’s “Songs from the 1940s’ Songshop” follows immediately after the song circle on May 10, from 4 to 5:30pm. Only a few seats are left for this workshop. To sign up, click here. There will be a draw for two pairs of tickets to “Ruby & Smith | ‘A Ukulele Album’ CD Release Concert” compliments of Ruby’s Ukes.

Email us to enter the draw if you cannot attend the May meeting. See you all at the May 10 song circle!

The Cuties’ Winter in Review

Cuties’ March meeting

Winter can be loads of fun. Just look at what the Cuties have been up to the past three months! At our March meeting, Brian was the first up to perform another amusing tune, The Invalids, with his custom uke. It was a good educational moment when we all realized what one can do with creativity and the many possibilities that are out there for ukuleles! At the sight of the cool uke, the smiles on both Brian and Paul, our in-house expert luthier, were bright, shiny and priceless!

Brian impresses us with his custom uke (complete with a pick-up) before his performance

Kiwi gave us his first performance at the Cutie Circle. His sizzling hot rendition of Santana’s Europa garnered him a much-deserved standing ovation from the Cuties!

Kiwi wows the crowd with Europa

Paul rounded the performance time with a sweet refreshing song, Latch, performed in his usual gentle and soothing style! Last but not least, Pat baked us a delicious load of chocolatey goodness that kept us strumming with gusto throughout the two hours! Thanks, Pat!

Paul performs Latch for the Cuties

The Cuties did a few things differently in February. With the sponsorship of Coquitlam’s Glen Pine Pavilion and help of Litmus Films, we held a free premiere of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain‘s documentary film, “The Ukes in America“. The turnout was great and the space was fabulous.

UOGB Film Premiere at Glen Pine Pavilion

It was followed by a sold-out Hawaiian Ukulele Workshop with Gary Cyr that afternoon. Gary patiently guided us through some rather challenging jazzy chord progressions! Just look at how many dots are on each of the chord charts (below)! These chords do sound groovy! We had fun dressing up in Alohawear and donning colourful leis! If you missed or enjoyed this workshop, check out his All New Hawaiian Ukulele Song Workshop in June!

Gary shares some of the jazzy Hawaiian chords

A few Cuties performed for the W.H.O. (Women Helping Others) at the W.H.O.’s Valentine’s Day-themed meeting. Lorraine gave an entertaining lesson on how to do the hula! As it turned out, the participant who volunteered for the demo was a talented and quick-learning student! We may be able to form a hula troupe before too long!

Lorraine teaches the Hula at the WHO meeting

The Friendly WHO Members

Cuties performing for the WHO At our January meeting, we had a big crowd with lots of snacks, thanks to all the Cuties! Many Cuties performed as well.

Photo Credit: Jerry Santa Cruz

Brian and Gill got up and performed My Get Up and Go has Got Up and Went to a cheering crowd.

Gill and Brian spiritedly performed “My Get Up and Go has Got Up and Went”

Brenda and Jen enjoyed each other’s company by doing Enjoy Yourself together.

Brenda and Jen did “Enjoy Yourself” together

Jerry truly gave us a treat by singing the romantic song, Gift (originally sung by Singto Numchok).

Jerry sang a sweet-to-the core song, “Gift”.

Paul and Luisa gave us the nostalgic Act Naturally and Paul, by popular demand, did a lovely solo of Kiss a Girl!

Paul checked his handheld device before performing a lovely solo of “Kiss a Girl”

A big thank-you goes to Paul for enthusiastically leading us and to all the Cuties who helped with the set-up, take-down and clean-up! It is much appreciated.

It’s All About Ukulele – Concert and Workshop Tour by Hawaiian Masters Kimo Hussey and Zanuck Lindsey

kimo_poster_r

This July, we will be welcoming world-renowned ukulele masters, Kimo Hussey and Zanuck Lindsey, from Hawaii. They will be having a BC Tour of concerts and workshops entitled, “It’s All About Ukulele,” which will include rare duet ukulele performances. The ukulele workshops will be co-taught by Kimo and Zanuck who have years of teaching experience. Be sure to take this opportunity to learn from two experts under one roof! A discounted price of $35 is offered to all registering in both the concert ($20) and the workshop ($20). This tour is sponsored by Arbutus Music in Nanaimo and the Cutie Circle.

Biography

Kimo Hussey is a much-sought after performer and teacher, traveling extensively to ukulele festivals and workshops around the world. He has recorded two solo ukulele CDs, “Eminent Ukulele” and “Low G” (from iTunes), and has participated in several other composite ukulele CDs (including Legends of the Ukulele, Island Style Ukulele 2) . He is an author of the multiple award-winning Hawaiian songbook,”He Mele Aloha” which has sold millions of copies around the world and has been translated into other languages. He will be presenting a five-day “Ukulele Forever” workshop at Hollyhock on Cortes Island this July.

Read the exclusive artist interview of Kimo by Ukulele Mike.

Zanuck Lindsey has been a professional musician, bandleader, teacher, composer, producer, and contractor for 30+ years. He has traveled extensively, performing internationally. A few highlights include performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Irvine Meadows, Shoreline Amphitheater, Aloha Stadium and the Oneness Center in Golden City, India to mention a few.

Enjoy the duo’s performance of Blue Lei with a kiku and a ukulele

Concert

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2015

Time: 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)

Location: Evergreen Cultural Centre, Studio Theatre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Parking: Free

Cost: $20

Workshop

Date: Sunday, July 12, 2015 Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Location: Evergreen Cultural Centre, Rehearsal Hall, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Parking: Free

Cost: $20

Map:

Local Accommodations

Poco Inn & Suites (closest to the venue)
Executive Plaza Hotel Coquitlam
Best Western Plus Coquitlam Inn Convention Centre
Coquitlam Sleepy Lodge (economy motel; some units have kitchenettes)

Directions and Parking

Visit Evergreen Cultural Centre’s Find Us page.

Registration Form

To pay with credit card, . To register and pay cash at the door, please complete the following form:

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All New Hawaiian Ukulele Song Workshop with Gary Cyr

Gary Cyr Workshop

If you enjoyed the first Hawaiian workshop Gary brought us then you will love his second with new songs and strums to learn! Let’s kick off summer aloha style!

Gary Cyr

Date: Sunday, June 14, 2015 (ONLY THREE SEATS LEFT)

Time: 12:15pm – 1:45pm

Location: Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Parking: Free

Cost: $20 (please bring exact change)

Map:

Registration Form

To register, please complete the following form:

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Emo and Ukulele — What Dreams are Made Of

Another Tale of a Ukulele Adventure

A Cutie’s simple wish of being in a photo with her all-time favourite comedian and all-time favourite instrument turned out better than her wildest dreams.

Jen was beyond elated with her favourite comedian and instrument all in one shot.

Emo Philips, the amazing comedy legend, graciously brought out his teal recorder after the photo and humoured Jen to a kanikapila of her all-time favourite ukulele song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

The first in Vancouver (maybe?) duet involving two underdogs of musical instruments took place at Yuk Yuk’s tonight in front of a live off-stage audience.

When Jen laughed herself into stitches and fell to the ground on one knee in the middle of their song, Emo quipped that she was just like Jimi Hendrix except that Jimi would save that for the end of his act.

The ukulele player disappeared from view as she laughed too hard and was on her way to the floor.

Jen could only credit this memorable encounter to the ukulele’s awesome ability of attracting compassionate, funny people together with the ultimate goal of generating laughter and happiness. The unbelievable impromptu duet erased the gut-wrenching pain that had plagued Jen all day and left her with a semi-permanent grin as she entered dreamland tonight. Laughter is truly the best medicine. Congratulations on a fantastic show tonight, Emo! Thank you for your humanity and all the best to your comedy tour.

Ralph Shaw’s Ukulele Songshop Series: Songs from the 1940s Workshop

Songshop 1940s

The Cuties are happy to announce that, Ralph Shaw, the King of Ukulele and leader of the Vancouver Ukulele Circle, once again will be returning to the suburbs to present the third workshop in his Ukulele Songshop Series.

Songs from the 1940s

In this workshop you’ll discover a range of song types from one glorious decade of music. It was a period overshadowed by World War II and the songs are some of the finest expressions of love, yearning and joyful escapism you’ll ever play. 1940’s people interacted through music and dance and it was a time of exceptional songwriting. Each song is handpicked as a means for learning a variety of techniques and strumming styles (samba, syncopation, waltz, triplets, rolls and more.) And you‚Äôll pick up some swell new repertoire along the way! You may also record the lesson for your personal use! Seats are limited so RSVP soon.

Date: Sunday, May 10, 2015

Time: 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Location: Room 4, Pinetree Community Centre, 1260 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Parking: Free

Cost: $20 (please bring exact change)

Map:

Registration Form

To register, please complete the following form:

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Ralph Shaw’s Ukulele Songshop Series: Songs from the 1950s Workshop

Songshop 1950s

The Cuties are happy to announce that, Ralph Shaw, the King of Ukulele and leader of the Vancouver Ukulele Circle, is returning to the suburbs to present the second of three workshops in his Ukulele Songshop Series.

Songs from the 1950s

The decade that gave us Doo wop, The Everly Brothers, Elvis and the songs of Lieber and Stoller provide the material for this workshop. Every song is handpicked as a means for learning a variety of techniques and strumming styles. And you’ll pick up some nifty new repertoire along the way! You may also record the lesson for your personal use! Seats are limited so RSVP soon.

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2015

Time: 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Location: Room 4, Pinetree Community Centre, 1260 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Parking: Free

Cost: $20 (please bring exact change)

Map:

Registration Form

To register, please complete the following form:

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Free Community Screening of “The Ukes in America” Documentary

The Ukes in America

Come and join us on February 8, 2015 for the Coquitlam Premiere of “The Ukes in America”, a documentary about the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain’s tour across the United States produced by the independent filmmaker Robert Stern at Litmus Films.

We thank Litmus Films for letting us purchase a community screening license for this film and for the generous assistance of the Glen Pine Pavilion staff and for the use of their facility to hold this event.

To reserve seats, please call 604.927.4386 and mention barcode 518262 during Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 7:00 pm.

Synopsis

Your back-of-the-tour-bus seat on The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain’s anarchic first coast-to-coast tour of the USA. America is The Ukes’ major musical inspiration, but what will Americans make of the cult heroes’ British humour and ukulele musicianship? The Ukes In America features barnstorming stage performances, impromptu jams and guerrilla gigs in unlikely venues, including eight previously unrecorded songs.

From Carnegie Hall to California, from the NY subway to a San Franciso cafe, The Ukes In America is bursting with unexpected encounters, genre-bending music and self-deprecating wit. Backstage, on the road and at play, unique access reveals an intimate, fun and compelling portrait of this unique band.

Date: Sunday, February 8, 2015

Time: 11:00 am – 12:10 pm (immediately before the Cutie Circle’s Hawaiian Ukulele Workshop with Gary Cyr at Pinetree Community Centre at 12:30pm)

Location: Great Room, Glen Pine Pavilion, 1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam

Parking: Free underground parking on the first level of the building

Cost: Free Admission

Map: