THE UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF ST. ANDREWS
When is the last time you sat around with a group of friends and played music and sang songs? The sheer joy of keeping company with good friends and belting out happy tunes makes for a memorable time.
Enter the ukulele.
In 2013 a group of Bay County music lovers joined together to learn and play ukuleles. Since its first meeting, the Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews as grown to an active playing membership. As the group grew in number and diversity of instruments, so has our range of musical interests ranging from classical ukulele tunes to rock and roll, blues, folk, and cabaret.
“Initially, we would play and sing along to some classic old tunes,” said founder Julie Merritt. “To our surprise, the Ukulele Orchestra of St. Andrews has become a very active family of musicians that includes not only ukuleles, but trumpets, cellos, accordions, drums, vibra slaps and kazoos. It is truly an orchestra!”
The group now performs at venues across the Panhandle and has raised money through donations, special events and tips to spread the love by providing ukuleles and fostering teaching and performance at local schools, civic groups and through the local library.
Everyone of all skill levels is welcome to join the Orchestra. We practice weekly. Beginners may find the Ukulele Social Club on the first Saturday of the month as a good starting point. If you are interested in joining the Orchestra, send us a note on the Become A Member page or come to one of the events you see on the Calendar page. We love our strumming!