Concerts

Sit back and enjoy two great nights of music as our performing instructors show off their best!

Friday Night Concert

Melissa Nannen

Melissa Nannen has been creating music since the age of 5 through a variety of means and finally found her perfect instrument in the ukulele during a cold, snowy winter in 2014. She has been writing original songs since she was 15 on her guitar, but found the ukulele took her songwriting and playing abilities into uncharted ter

Mim

A Vaudeville inspired act, Mim combines elements of circus, novelty, and forgotten favorites! Expect the unexpected! Her show is a high-energy, smile inducing set that takes the audience along on a musical journey that will have them laughing and singing along!

The Birdwatchers

The Birdwatchers (formerly the Naked Waiters) is a unique, ukulele-centric, acoustic trio. Kim Bjerga, Clark Holmes, and Andy Nufer have carved out a niche for themselves in their local music scene, and for good reason.

Daniel Ward

Daniel Ward is an accomplished musician, composer and educator, who has become one of the country's top clinicians and performers on the ‘ukulele circuit’. He is known for his command of Latin styles and teaches right hand techniques, adapting his style and knowledge from the classical and flamenco guitar.

Heidi Swedberg

Heidi Swedberg was born in Hawaii, the youngest in a family of of four girls where music was a regular part of family life. Singing at church, in the car or around the piano are her most treasured memories. When she was 5 years old the Easter Bunny left ukuleles for all four Swedberg girls, and she has played one ever since.

Donna Frost

Donna Frost is a true traveling troubadour, logging thousands of miles year round performing shows in cities all across the US. She has appeared in the UK and the Caribbean as well during her career. She performs solo with her guitars, ukuleles and mandolin most times and also plays select shows with her band.

Katy Vernon

Katy Vernon is a Minneapolis / St. Paul based singer songwriter. She grew up in London, England and has been writing and singing as long as she can remember.

Craig Chee

Wanting to bring something to share on the mainland, Craig chose to focus on the ukulele before leaving Hawai’i for college. Although Craig had grown up playing the cello and piano, he wanted something that gave a little more distinction of coming from the islands.

Sarah Maisel

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Sarah has always had a love for music. At the age of 6, she began violin lessons and played in youth orchestras for several years. Her focus was primarily classical for the 10 years she studied.

Jim Beloff

Jim Beloff is the author of The Ukulele—A Visual History (Backbeat Books) and author, arranger, and publisher of the Jumpin’ Jim’s series of ukulele songbooks with over 1,000,000 copies in print.

Steven Espaniola

It’s rare when an artist arrives on the scene offering a refreshing new spin on a traditional genre of music. Steven Espaniola is that artist. Raised in Aliamanu, Hawai’i and now residing in the California Bay Area, Steven is a self taught multi-instrumentalist Hawaiian artist specializing in Ki Ho'alu (Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar

Saturday Night Concert

Debi Velasco

I first saw Hawaiian dance (hula) in the late seventies. I loved the variety of dances that the girls did and how graceful they were. I never dreamed I would be dancing with them but one time I saw them dancing while sitting on the floor and that was it! If you can sit and dance, I want to try it!

Steel City Ukes Little Band

The Steel City Ukes Little Band is an ensemble made up of members of the Steel City Ukes.

Christopher Davis-Shannon

Christopher Davis-Shannon's music is the essence of honest simplicity. Bringing together influence ranging from Fats Waller to Chet Baker, he creates an atmosphere that will instantly transport you back to jazz clubs, and speakeasies of the early 20th century.

Neal Chin

Award winning artist and Maui, HI native Neal Chin, has been both an ‘ukulele educator and performer over the course of his musical career of 19 years. His clear and direct enthusiasm for music has come to life in countless workshops, concerts, and private instruction.

Aldrine Guerrero

Aldrine Guerrero is the head instructor and co-owner of the Ukulele Underground. Moving to Hawaii at the age of 7 from the Philippines, Aldrine has taught hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world to play the ukulele.

Gerald Ross

Gerald Ross is one of the finest instrumentalists on the scene today. Whether he is playing the guitar, the ukulele, or the Hawaiian steel guitar, his music expresses a sense of rhythm and melody that is rare in contemporary music.

Mika Kane

Mika Kane is a professional 'ukulele player and Kamaka/Ko'olau artist from O'ahu, Hawai’i. Mika received a Bachelor's Degree in Music with an 'Ukulele focus and a Masters Degree in Educational Foundations from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Mentored by many of Hawai’i's finest musicians, including Dr.

Aaron Keim

No stranger to the ukulele world, Aaron Keim has been teaching ukulele techniques and performing at festivals since 2004. As an educator with a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in musicology, his true talents lie in his ability to adapt instruction to fit a wide range of learners and learning styles. Aaron is an ambassador for old time folk music in the ukulele world, adapting banjo and guitar techniques to the ukulele (including playing in the "clawhammer" tradition).

Del Rey

Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four years old. At thirteen, she was immersed in the world of folk music, via the San Diego Folk Festival. She has tried to get a whole band onto her solo instrument from the beginning. This gives her music an interesting complexity, especially when applied to the ukulele.

Nicole Keim

Nicole earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and taught K-5 elementary school music for nine years in the public schools while living in Colorado. She sang professionally for several years with the nationally recognized Ars Nova Singers and has taught private voice and piano lessons to students of all ages since 2002. In 2012 (after moving to Oregon), Nicole took a sabbatical to perform and travel with Aaron as The Quiet American.