Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro takes the stage with Hawaii Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster and violinist Ignace “Iggy” Jang Thursday for a concert benefiting Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Hawaii-born Shimabukuro began his music career in the mid-1990s, performing at local coffee shops as a sideman with his first band, Pure Heart. But his solo career began in 2002 when he signed with Epic Records, becoming the first ukulele player to sign with Sony Music.
While his well-received solo releases positioned Jake as an established musician in Hawaii and Japan, his career skyrocketed when a cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube with more than 13 million views, opening the rest of the world’s eyes to Jake and his unique playing style.
In the years since the YouTube clip aired, he has collaborated with an array of artists that include Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffet, Bette Midler, Cindy Lauper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Dave Koz, Michael McDonald, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Tommy Emmanuel, and Lyle Lovett, as well as orchestras around the world. He’s sold out world-class venues, played at Bonnaroo, SXSW, the Playboy Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock Festival, the influential TED conference, and even performed for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England.
In addition to live performances, Shimabukuro wowed audiences on national television with his appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Good Morning America,” and “The Today Show.”
The fundraiser at Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai begins with a “Not-So-Silent Auction.” Doors open at 5 p.m. Thursday for the auction and 7 p.m. for the concert.
Proceeds from the concert and auction benefit the 2016 HPAF scholarship fund and Summer Festival that brings talented young musicians from Hawaii and around the world to Hawaii Island from June 28 through Aug. 3 to study and refine their musical skills in more than 25 public performances.
General admission tickets are $70 and reserved tickets are $110. Tickets include two drinks and pupu.
Info/tickets: www.hawaiiperformingartsfestival.org, 333-7378. ■