We are pleased to be able to present our first ever artist from Taiwan, G.J. Lee!

Well-known in his home country of Taiwan, G.J.’s performances are, as he describes it, “characterised by a richness of emotion and meticulous detail”. Not only interested in the ukulele itself, but also the greater world of music, he has arranged many familiar tunes for the ukulele. He plays a variety of music, including classical, folk, animation and film music, and Eastern and Western pop music, among other genres. His goal is to touch people’s hearts through music, as he believes music is always an effective way to connect with people.

G.J. will perform traditional Taiwanese music on his ukulele during the World Music Dinner Friday August 26th. You’ll also be able to catch him during the Kala Opening Night at the Hilton Thursday August 25th.

In case you were wondering what G.J. stands for, it is in fact “good job”, as he explains, “I always expect myself to do a “Good Job” when performing my own music”. We’re sure he’ll be doing just that during this year’s Cairns Ukulele Festival!

This year, we are running a new campaign to showcase the many iconic attractions that you could visit while here for the Cairns Ukulele Festival and offer attendees discounted prices on all of these tours as well as the opportunity to win tickets through our Facebook campaign.

Visit our web site or Facebook for details and to participate (it’s easy!)

Tickets to our ukulele festival workshops go on sale today (August 1st) at 5pm. As always, our capacity is limited so please get your tickets as soon as you can!

Below is the workshop time table. The workshops will be held at the Pacific Hotel on the Esplanade.

For workshop descriptions and booking link, please head over to our web site. 

This is a new addition to our festival and it’s going to be something very special!

Join us for a sumptuous 2 course dinner (alternate drop) at the top class Pacific Hotel for a unique world music experience, never presented in Cairns before.

Start the night watching the sun set in the outdoor area, with traditional and modern Hawaiian music by Kainoa Kamaka, and catch up with ukulele friends over a drink.

Next we shall be seated at our tables for dinner and a special one night only show by Candra Kirana (pronounce: Chandra Kirana)

“Indonesia’s answer to Cesaria Evora and Buena Vista Social Club”

Ibu Lina is the lead singer and band leader of Candra Kirana, keeping the orchestra together for over 30 years with band members hailing from various Indonesian islands. The orchestra consists of six band members, with each band member coming from a family of musicians and has practiced the art of Keroncong folk music since childhood. The orchestra features vocals, cak tenor ukulele, ukulele, violin, cello and double bass. Keroncong music dates back to the Portuguese sailors following the spice trade in the early 1600s. They brought their stringed instruments with them during their travels. Keroncong music tells the tales of love, yearning, beauty and melancholy as well as an appreciation of the natural environment and countryside. Festival organiser Gaby Thomasz describes the music and the orchestra as “Indonesia’s answer to Cesaria Evora and the Buena Vista Social Club”, referring to the charismatic band leader with powerful operetta like vocals and melodies, a rich history and rhythms reminiscent of South American music, but with a distinctly Indonesian flavour.

For more information and to book, follow this link