Whether you are new to the ukulele or an advanced player, the fun, interactive workshops at Denver UkeFest will help you learn something new from the very performers you see on stage!
Workshop details will be announced soon – check back on this page for updates.
DENVER UKEFEST TICKETS
Get tickets to the UkeFest concert or workshops, or save with both.
Act quick to get Early Bird pricing before prices increase on May 1.
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 on the island of O’ahu and now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Steven is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in ‘Ukulele, Kī Hō’alu (Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar) Bass and Leo Ki’e Ki’e (Traditional Hawaiian falsetto). Of Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent, his ethnicity is as diverse as his unique sound which preserves the integrity of the traditional with a flourish of the modern.
In 2007, Steven’s musical efforts earned him the recognition of “New Artist of the Year” at the Hawai‘i Music Awards. In 2023 Steven’s original song “Sakura” was a finalist for the prestigious Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award in the Hawaiian Music Video category. He was recently featured on the cover of the 2024 Summer issue of Ukulele Magazine and has been a Contributing Editor & Columnist for that publication for several years.
Steven continues to be very active in the ‘ukulele community, teaching and performing at many of the country’s top ‘ukulele festivals.
Cynthia Lin
Creator of the 100 Days of Ukulele Project, Cynthia Lin is a singer-songwriter and creative community leader based in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
Through her popular YouTube channel (75+ million views) and approachable teaching style, Cynthia has introduced the joy of ukulele to a new generation of fans. With the motto “Practice your ukulele 5 minutes a day: it’s good for your brain, and good for your soul,” Cynthia has encouraged thousands of budding artists to embrace and share their own creative journeys.
As an independent artist, Cynthia has toured the globe and released 9 album recordings, including “Ukulele Days” which hit the Billboard jazz and world charts.
Also an actress, vocal coach, and dancer, Cynthia embodies the mantra that she lives by: Follow Your Passion.
Brittni Paiva
Brittni Paiva is a powerhouse in the world of music, celebrated for her unparalleled ukulele mastery and her influence on the global resurgence of the instrument. With millions of views on YouTube and a reputation that extends across world music circles, Brittni has firmly established herself as a top-tier artist and producer.
Her virtuosity has led to performances alongside iconic figures such as Carlos Santana, Tommy Emmanuel, Dick Dale, Billy Gibbons, and many others. Throughout her illustrious career, Brittni has garnered numerous accolades, including four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. Grammy winner Tom Scott, captivated by her ability to innovate while preserving her unique identity, personally requested to collaborate with her.
Brittni’s fifth album, a collaborative triumph with Tom Scott, not only achieved critical acclaim but also dominated the 2013 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, winning both Ukulele Album of the Year and Instrumental Composition of the Year. Her music, infused with a vibrant energy and refreshing spirit, consistently captivates audiences and sets her apart as a visionary in the industry.
In 2024, Brittni’s creative brilliance was further validated when she won the award for Instrumental Composition of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for her single “Heartbeat Melody,” co-written with reggae artist Chardonnay. This accolade underscores her status as an innovative and influential force in music.
Brittni’s journey began at the age of four with classical piano training under the Suzuki method. Her profound connection to the ukulele, sparked by a gift from her grandfather at age eleven, has driven her to redefine the possibilities of the instrument.
Beyond her performance accolades, Brittni is a sought-after music educator, offering private lessons and workshops that inspire students of all ages and skill levels. Her expertise extends into composition, arrangement, and production, where she has crafted and shaped numerous tracks within her own recording studio.
Born and raised on the beautiful island of Hawaii, Brittni’s diverse heritage—Portuguese, Danish, Hawaiian, and Japanese—enriches her music and fuels her creative vision.
Songwriting Basics
with Danielle Ate the Sandwich
In this class we will explore how to use your ukulele as a songwriting tool. We will focus on the basics of chords, melody and writing lyrics, and write a song together. Beginners are absolutely welcome, but those with a basic knowledge of chords and strumming may find it easier to concentrate on the writing and singing aspects of this class. Please bring your favorite writing utensil.
Chord Transposition for Ukulele
with Casey Cormier
Have you ever wanted to play a song in a different key from the chart provided? Maybe singing it in the given key is too difficult, or the chords are too complicated. A little bit of theory goes a long way in this case! Learn how to put a song in any key you’d like through this workshop 🙂
Easy Two-Finger Picking
with Danielle Ate the Sandwich
Learn an introductory picking pattern to improve your right hand technique. We’ll learn how to apply the technique to popular songs, and give you ideas to spice up the songs you already know how to play in your jam circles and performance songs.This class is great for advanced beginners or intermediate players who know their chords, but want to learn a new right hand technique.
It's About Groove!
with Feng E
We will discuss what makes music groove, including rhythm, note duration, dynamics and tone – with samples of each to practice. We will put the elements all together and get groovin’!
Etudes on the Ukulele
with Daniel Ho
In this workshop, Daniel will be using “Amis Rondo” to demonstrate how to hold the ‘ukulele, efficient left hand and right hand technique, how to produce a beautiful tone, arpeggios, and how to bring out melodies within them.
Feng E
Teenage Taiwanese music sensation Feng E came to worldwide attention when a video of his ukulele performance at age ten went viral. That video led to his two appearances on the Ellen De Generes show, as well as both Asia and America’s Got Talent shows.
Since then, Feng E has become a star in the world of ukulele music, performing and winning competitions around the world, in places like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China, and Hawaii. His recent historic tour of the USA west coast saw him wowing thousands at the prestigious Los Angele International Ukulele Festival, as well as numerous television and radio appearances.
To date, Feng E has nearly a million YouTube subscribers, and growing daily. He will be returning to the US in 2025 for a larger tour. Feng E is sponsored by International music instrument company Enya Music, and you can purchase his new line of merch directly through us.
Danielle Ate the Sandwich
Combining soft, lilting vocals with poignant honesty and wit, Danielle Ate the Sandwich (Danielle Anderson), writes songs for the biggest and smallest moments of life. A songwriter, ukulele and guitar player, and performer, Danielle first found her place at open mic nights and coffee shops in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is now based in Kansas City, MO. Growing a fan base through her homemade videos on YouTube, Danielle performed and toured extensively from 2009-2018, leaving an impression on audiences across the country, and fans around the world.
Danielle has written and released hundreds of original songs, 7 albums, over 300 YouTube videos, and conducts an annual 24 Hour Album project, writing and producing new songs with the help of her patrons in only twenty four hours. She has opened for Mumford and Sons, Jake Shimabukuro, and had the opportunity to write the soundtrack to the Emmy nominated HBO documentary, “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson.” Danielle Ate the Sandwich releases her 8th studio album, Fumbling, in March 2025.
Daniel Ho
Originally from Honolulu and based in Los Angeles, Daniel Ho is an ʻukulele pioneer, Hawaiian slack key guitarist, pianist, composer, singer-songwriter, producer, audio engineer, and record company owner. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner, twelve-time Grammy Nominee, six-time Taiwanese Golden Melody Award winner, and recipient of multiple Hawaiian music honors.
As an artist and clinician, Daniel performs concerts and teaches workshops in North America and abroad. He has toured as a cultural ambassador and arts envoy for the U.S. Department of State to Asia, Australia, Greenland, Mexico, and Brazil. He is the co-designer of the Romero Creations Tiny Tenor ‘ukulele, and Ohana Bongolele and Shakerlele percussion instruments. Daniel’s Spalted Mango Tiny Tenor ‘ukulele is currently on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
His newest endeavor to spread the love of making music: the ʻEkolu ʻukulele. Ask him about it and he’ll light up at the opportunity to share!
Ukulele Nature Walk
with the Denver Ukulele Community
Join us for a unique experience at the Denver UkeFest’s Ukulele Meditation Nature Walk! Take some steps into a serene place where music, nature (as much as we can get in Denver proper), and mindfulness converge to create an unforgettable hour of tranquility that will nourish your soul and calm your mind. We will begin with a stroll to an urban oasis on our way to a peaceful meditation session.
During our time together, we will connect with our inner self and the world around us by letting the gentle strumming of ukulele chords guide us into a state of blissful relaxation. As we bask in the serenity, feel life’s worries melt away, leaving us rejuvenated and ready to embrace the festivities of Ukefest. Let our melodies, meditation, and the great outdoors come together in perfect harmony as we unwind, recharge, and get ready for a day of fun and celebration at Ukefest!
Solo Uke and Gypsy Jazz
with John Nash
Solo playing w/ ukulele can be such a rewarding endeavor on the ukulele. When learning to juggle melody, harmony and rhythm it can be challenging to hold this last, and most important element down.
In this workshop we’ll be exploring the Django Reinhardt classic Limehouse Blues and using it to learn some fundamental rhythms of gypsy jazz. At the same time we’ll learn how to weave in the melody while keeping our strumming pattern consistent and solid.
Fretboard Findings
with Bryan Tolentino
Use your whole neck – you paid for it, might as well! Get more color, vocabulary, and options on your whole uke in this workshop.
Navigate up and down the fretboard, use the chromatic scale logically and tastefully, and learn how to hear the I-V and I-IV-V chord progressions in various keys.
The Art of Solo Ukulele
with James Hill
Playing melody, harmony and rhythm at the same time is the ukulele’s greatest magic trick.
Learn the secrets of chord-melody from James Hill with this fun workshop.
Clawhammer Ukulele
with Jem Zornow
“Clawhammer” is a traditional banjo technique that adds an energetic, driving rhythm to any song. Most people don’t realize it, but the high G string on a ukulele makes the instrument perfect for clawhammer playing.
Join Jem in this workshop to learn the basics of clawhammer ukulele, to add energy and spice to your bluegrass and folk playing.
The Polyphonic Uke
with Chris McGarry
Polyphony in music occurs when two or more independent parts are performed simultaneously.
This workshop will explore various approaches to rounds, partner songs and more on the ukulele. Musicians in this workshop will learn to take simple melodies, and divide them into multiple parts – a perfect practice for small ukulele gatherings or clubs.
Musicians will learn solo polyphonic techniques as well for an additional challenge.
Bluegrass Ukulele
with Casey Cormier
What can sound like a banjo, guitar, and mandolin all in one? An ukulele, of course!
Learn to roll, chop, and boom-chick your way through bluegrass classics, adopt the etiquette of jam sessions, and take or pass a solo in this workshop that’ll have Bill Monroe dancing in his casket!
Ukulele 101
with Daniella Katzir
Welcome to the wonderful world of ukulele! In this workshop, you’ll learn the basics of how to tune and play this four-string instrument from the island of Hawaii.
In this course we’ll learn to tune our ukuleles, play a handful of chords, strum easy songs, pluck simple melodies, and have fun with our four-string friends.
Denver Uke Community
The Denver Uke Community is open to all ukulele players of any skill level. Held on the 3rd Saturday of every month at Swallow Hill (except during the summer), ukulele players get together and share songs in a supportive, group setting. For more info, please visit www.den-uke.com.
James Hill
An award-winning songwriter who “gives the ukulele its dignity back without ever taking himself too seriously” (Songlines), James Hill “proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that in the right hands the uke can be a formidable axe” (Ann Arbor News).
“If you thought James Hill was simply the ukulele wunderkind,” writes Penguin Eggs magazine, “his latest album will convince you that he is also a great songwriter.”
Produced by Joel Plaskett in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, The Old Silo invites you into a world of new beginnings, old regrets, beautiful women, horny geezers and gold diggers. Nominated for both JUNO and ECMA awards, the album cuts a winding path through Folk, Roots and Americana, “reflecting the musical maturity of Hill and Plaskett and delivering in every aspect of music-making.” (The Manitoban)
Bryan Tolentino
‘Ukulele player, Bryan Tolentino has been known, for the past forty plus years, as an accompanist who performed and continues to perform, locally and abroad with some of Hawaiʻi’s most well known and accomplished Hawaiian music artists.
Bryan’s recorded on over 60+ CD’s for other artists as well as compilations adding his unique “fairy dusting”, as he calls it. He says, “You must feel Hawaiian Music,” evident in his award winning recordings featured on Nā Hōkū Hanohano and Grammy nominated CD’s which have also garnered many awards. He blends all that he’s learned, as an accompanist, into his own unique sound.
Bryan has performed and recorded with notable Hawaiian entertainers such as: Raiatea Helm, Jake Shimabukuro, Herb Ohta, Jr., Aunty Genoa Keawe, Pomaika‘i Lyman, Karen Keawehawai‘i, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi, Marlene Sai, Jerry Santos and Olomana, O’Brian Eselu, Nathan Aweau, Frank Hewett, Byron Yasui, Benny Chong, Sonny Lim, Jeff Peterson, Wailau Ryder, Kalei Gamiao, ‘Elua Kane, Owana Salazar, Weldon Kekauoha, Natalie Ai, ‘Iolani Kamau‘u, Napua Greig, Kuana Torres Kahele, Aaron Salā, Keao Costa, Blaine Kamalani Kia, NUE – Nā ‘Ukulele ‘Ekolu – Bryan, Kama Hopkins and Halehaku Seabury, The Side Order Band – with Del Beazley, Chris Kamaka and Asa Young, and more!
Bryan also worked with award winning hula hālau, engineers and producers. The noted halau includes: Nā Wai ‘Eha O Puna, Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Hālau Maoli Pua, Ka Pā Hula O Kauanoe O Wa‘ahila, Keali‘ika’apunihonua Ke‘ena A‘o Hula, Hālau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniakea and Kuhai Hālau O Kawaikapuokalani Pa Olapa Kahiko. Engineers and producers: Imua Garza, Dave Tucciarone, Milan Bertosa, Steve Kramer, Gaylord Holomalia, Flip McDiarmid, Shawn Pimental, Kip and Max Ebersbach, all among the best in the music business.
In May 2005, Bryan opened another musical chapter by releasing his solo CD “Ka ‘Ukulele Lele” that became a Nā Hōkū Hanohano finalist for Instrumental Album of the year.
Ten years later in April 2015, he released a duet CD, “Ukulele Friends”, with Herb Ohta Jr. that received a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for 2016 ‘Ukulele Album of the Year. In the Summer of 2016, he expanded his role by joining the Performing Arts Academy at Kamehameha Schools – Kapalama campus, educating young adults interested in learning and performing the ‘ukulele. He released a second duet CD with Herb Ohta Jr. ‘Ukulele Friends: The Sequel In December 2017, also winning a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award! NUE – Nā ‘Ukulele ‘Ekolu with Kama Hopkins and Halehaku Seabury released their CD “In the Heart of Paradise” on Dec. 30, 2021.
Bryan Tolentino continues to teach in person and online, sharing his love for the ‘ukulele through performances and workshops.
Daniella Katzir & Casey Cormier
Casey Cormier and Daniella Katzir have been performing together for ten years along the Colorado front range. They first met as ukulele teachers at Swallow Hill Music, found shared musical influences in their past and present, and soon were accompanying one another on gigs ranging from Americana, funk, and even Hawaiian in style. Their duo sets blend original works with a variety of creative covers, and are sure to fill their audiences with happiness and inspiration.
Chris McGarry
Chris McGarry has played a variety of roles throughout his musical career. McGarry served at Swallow Hill Music from 2007-2017 teaching the ukulele, writing curriculum and serving as the Director of Outreach and Instruction. Chris can currently be found at Swanson Elementary in Arvada teaching K-5 general music (with a classroom set of ukuleles, of course.) As a ukuleleist, Chris utilizes the ukulele as a tool to pull together his varied and often conflicting stylistic impulses. These influences include his formal music education, his work as a folk music historian and performer, his time in electrified bands and his experience as a songwriter steeped in Americana traditions. McGarry is currently completing his Master’s of Music Education (Kodály emphasis) at Colorado State University.
John Nash
John Nash is a ukulele artist creating original music out of Denvver, CO. Brandishing his own unique style on the instrument, he is constantly pushing the boundaries of what can be done on this instrument. He is also the founder and moderator for the website Ukulele Inspired, creating content highlighting the ukulele and creating a venue for all of the community to connect and be inspired.
Nash was born in the Philippines, raised in Alaska, and has lived in Seattle, Brazil, Hawaii and the Bay Area. He has been playing and teaching music for most of his life and in 2008 found the ukulele while living on Oahu. He immediately fell in love with its sweet sound, its capability, its portability, and most of all its innate ability to bring people together.
Jem Zornow
A Denver based musician and teacher who loves to mix genres and styles from across eras, Jem’s music is a blend of New Americana, folk pop, and jazz. A classically trained vocalist, his music is inspired by the classics and adapted to connect with all audiences. He evokes the vocal styles of Amos Lee, Van Morrison, and Frank Sinatra. He performs original music, as well as classics from the Great American Songbook and folk covers. Jem is a strong multi-instrumentalist, playing the piano, guitar, banjo and ukulele. His music moves, delights, and inspires audiences. Most importantly, he brings people together.
with Jem Zornow
