World renowned ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro will give an educational workshop and demonstration for the public at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the Issaquah High School Auditorium.

This presentation is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. Seating is first come first served. Doors open to the public at 12:30 p.m.

Shimabukuro will be working with music students from Sunny Hills Elementary as well as the Issaquah High School Ukulele Club. In addition, he will demonstrate some of his own techniques for playing the ukulele.

Originally from Honolulu, Shimabukuro got his start at age 4 when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson. Fascinated by the instrument, he eventually began playing regularly at a local café where his talent and reputation grew.

Through his teenage years Shimabukuro began to adapt sounds of other music genres to the four-stringed instrument. Gaining acclaim though a YouTube posting of his cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Shimabukuro embarked on a career touring the world, playing with musicians like Jimmy Buffett, Bela Fleck and Yo-Yo Ma.

Leading a ukulele renaissance, Shimabukuro has redefined the instrument, been declared a musical “hero” by Rolling Stone, won accolades from the disparate likes of Eddie Vedder, Perez Hilton and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, wowed audiences on TV (Jimmy Kimmel, Conan), earned comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis, and even played in front of the Queen of England.

For more details, email Phillip Donley, ISD Music Specialist at donleyp@issaquah.wednet.edu.