Music / Ukulele
‘Fun, happy and festive ukulele joy’ planned for virtual Christmas concert
“Fun, happy and festive ukulele joy” can be expected at a virtual concert hosted by Uke Lift Project.
A ukulele music school run by Danielle Greenwood, students will perform festive songs and spread cheer online.
“Uke Lift Project is a ukulele music school promoting confidence and wellbeing with every chord that is strum,” says Danielle, who was born in Texas in the USA but has lived in the UK for more than 20 years.
is needed now More than ever
“The virtual concert is a safe way to watch many ukulele acts perform Christmas songs and spread the ukulele cheer on a digital platform.” ‘
Danielle, who lives in Upper Knowle, has compiled recordings of her students playing the festive songs, and will be streaming them via Facebook and Instagram as part of a two-day concert.
“The videos can be viewed throughout the day or viewers can sit down with a drink in the evening and watch them all in one go,” says the 45-year-old.
“There have been many sad and difficult times in 2020 and we have brought these songs to life to cheer everyone up in the safety and comfort of their own homes. This online event is free and can be viewed anytime from December 23 onwards.”
Danielle Greenwood teaching a socially-distanced lesson
Uke Lift Project students have always performed a Christmas concert in a public space to mark their achievements on the ukulele and to make the celebration Covid-safe, Danielle initially suggested teaching her younger students how to compose and record a song as a a gift to family for Christmas since we could not perform in public.
“This then spiralled into a massive project of recording all of my adult and junior groups performing Christmas songs.”
Danielle has organised the event, which takes place on December 23 and 24, with help from her partner Tom, who works at CC Animation Studio.
He helped to edit the recorded videos together, while Danielle’s brother-in-law, Luke, engineered the sound for the event.
William will be picking Silent Night with guest singer Beth Rowley
Beth Rowley, a singer living and working in Bristol, has also been working with the adult ukulele classes in the lead up to the concert, and features in a recording on Silent Night.
Danielle, who also organises the annual Bristol Ukulele Festival, hopes that lessons can return to the physical sphere in 2021, but that the festive event can bring cheer to people in the interim.
“Weekly ukulele lessons have been a lifeline for so many of my students during this turbulent year,” she says. “I am extremely grateful for modern technology and the dedication and patience of my students to persevere with online classes but nothing beats human contact.
“We have all become ukulele families and look out for each other. The best present that 2021 could bring is human contact and the chance to strum together in person again.”
All photos: Uke Lift Project
Read more: Breakfast with Bristol24/7: Beth Rowley
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
