The sounds of the holidays around the Lower Mainland will most certainly consist of harmonious uke strums once again as the Langley Ukulele Ensemble (LUE) ready for their annual Themes of Christmas concert.
The concert, held Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Chief Sepass Theatre, 9096 Trattle St. in Fort Langley, is comprised of Senior A and B ensembles members, spanning from ages 10 to 17.
Paolo Luongo, senior ensemble director, said there will plenty different themes to get people into seasonal spirit.
“It’s broken down into different themes, so you’ll hear familiar themes like the Nutcracker to Charlie Brown. There’s the themes of bells and the themes of familiar characters like Frosty, Santa, and Rudolph,” Luongo said.
The telling of the Christmas story through uke music will also be part of the program with video clips illustrating Mary and Joseph’s journey.
A solo performer will also tackle a rendition of Antonio Vivaldi’s Winter.
Luongo said his father Peter, aka “the uke man,” will make an appearance to facilitate his annual rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” activities’ using the months of audience member’s births.
“It’s to get people into season. It’s that time of year that’s enjoyable or perhaps provides some challenges for some. We want to bring joy to people’s lives,” Luongo explained. “There’s plenty of singing – we like to get the crowd involved and just get people in the mood for Christmas.”
LUE is certainly doing their part to make sure as many people as possible have a merry Christmas; the ensemble is performing just about daily at a variety of charitable functions, including the CTV Toy Mountain, Global TV’s Wish Breakfast, and the CKNW Kid’s Fund pledge day.
People can catch them at the Langley Christmas Wish Breakfast on Nov. 26, Willowbrook Mall on Dec. 5 and 6, and GLOW at the Abbotsford Tradex on Dec. 14, to name a few.
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They’ll even be stopping by a variety of retirement homes like Sunnyside Manor and White Rock Senior’s village and performing an additional Christmas concert at South Langley Church on Dec. 20.
“It’s one of the busiest times of the year for the ensemble,” Luongo assured. “Having established a reputation over the years, it’s something we want to continue.”
People can visit www.langleyukes.com to see the full schedule of performances and purchase tickets.
Themes of Christmas, among other performances this season, are not just a way to showcase talent and spread holiday spirit, Luongo noted, but also one of the main ways LUE funds their programming and trips to Waikiki and the soon to be National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) in Anaheim, CA.
Ticket sales go towards expenses, as do the sales of Uke merchandise and CD’s, such as their most recent recording, “One Love, One Heart.”
Themes of Christmas runs 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., Dec. 7.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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