From Seattle Symphony

Jake Shimabukuro has elevated the ukulele from a beloved Hawaiian folk instrument to a world-class vehicle, fearlessly traversing boundaries and putting his inspired touch on everything from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” to Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” And he can still vividly remember the first time he held a ukulele, at age four. “I fell in love with the ukulele immediately,” Jake recalls. “From that day on, you had to pry the instrument away from me in order to get me to do anything else.”

In Jake’s early touring days, everyone was surprised that he could even attempt such complex music on such a humble instrument. But now, they know better. Jake has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis, has collaborated with everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Cyndi Lauper, and was the subject of an acclaimed 2012 documentary, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings.