Home

Yes, there really is an orchestra full of ukuleles right here in Denver. It's the best one in the world (we're pretty sure). And yes, you can be a part of it.

We're under way with our Spring 2026 season. Rehearsals started January 12 and our early focus is playing in individual sections (low G, high G, baritone) to get comfortable with our individual parts so we sound better together.

Our theme for this season is all about travel--songs about the journey and the destination. Have uke, will travel. Ukuleles on vacation. That sort of thing.

It's not too late to jump in for the season. Grab a uke, clear your schedule for Monday evenings, and let us know you're interested by filling out this form.

Is this orchestra thing legit?

We really are an orchestra! The orchestral sounds come from arrangements that blend parts given to different types of ukuleles: high g (the most common uke tuning); low g (for the rebels among us); baritones (two strings short of a guitar and way better); and a bass (there's one in every crowd. But just one.)

We have two seasons, fall and spring. We pick a theme, and people in our community write never-before-heard orchestral arrangements. The rest of us learn and practice those songs in preparation for our concerts. Some people work on other songs that fit the theme either as solo acts or in small groups (aka pods). All this work leads up to our semi-annual world tour, which is two shows long. We play for family and friends and other people who are curious about what a ukulele orchestra might actually sound like.

We are the fun you've been looking for in music, please come join us by filling out this form.

Mark your calendar. Our spring concerts will be :

April 25 at 2 PM
Historic Grant Ave Community Center
216 S. Grant Street, Denver
Free

April 28 at 7 PM
Lakewood Cultural Center
470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood
Watch this space for a link to ticket sales/

Orchestra Members: Rehearsal links for each week will be posted in our Slack group.

Orchestra Mission

Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to arranging a diverse rehearsed music repertoire for solo and ensemble performance in an educational atmosphere. We promote introductory and advanced music development using the ukulele as our principal instrument. We nurture beginning ukulele players as well as composers, advanced performers, and teachers, and we actively encourage community involvement to promote music education for everyone.

Orchestra Leadership

  • Gary Jugert, founder of Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra, captain of the Jolly Roger Ukulele fleet (jollyrogerukulele.com), and big kahuna of the ukulele orchestra movement overall.
  • Cass Chatfield, orchestra director and chief cat wrangler.
  • Kari Pokorny, chief financial officer and listening ear for orchestra members both disgruntled and gruntled.
  • Amy Storey, chief operations officer and idea hamster.

Thanks

The Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra thanks Jim Olson (the dude with the vision to give this a try way back in 2011 when ukulele wasn't hip), Kelly Graham, Susan Martin, Nathalie Renfroe, Tim Hoffman, John Jungerberg and the rest of the staff with the City of Lakewood's Heritage, Culture and the Arts division from the old days and the new. They've helped us with a place to call home, creating a wonderful environment for teaching and learning music. As we've grown, we've enjoyed and appreciated the staffs at Washington Heights, Lakewood Cultural Center, Clements Community Center, Historic Grant Avenue, and Green Mountain United Methodist church. A lot of people have tolerated us over the years ... thank you!