The Muskoka Wharf is filled with the sounds of live music every Thursday through the summer as multiple groups of musicians throughout the region have converged as one.
The H11CUPS have come to be as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple ukulele groups in communities along Hwy. 11 disbanded after the worst of the pandemic. Many members still interested in playing the instrument have formed one group.
“To have all those folks so enthusiastic and committed to come every week, it just warms your heart,” said Joan Randall-Tuck, one of the leading members. “We do this for the love of it. We want to share our music with the people. Music certainly lives my soul, and that’s what we’re out here to do.”
The group has consistently grown in size over recent months. It has more than 130 registered members, with approximately 40 people turning out weekly.
About 50 per cent of the group is new to the ukulele, having just learned the instrument over the last year.
“Not only are we experiencing the joy of playing music and singing, which brings you a lot of joy in your life, but we also do songs that are singalongs, and people sing with us, or they clap with us if they can, or they’ll dance with us,” said Karen Ross, another leading member in the group.
The H11CUPS spell their group’s name with two ones in replacement of the letter I, symbolizing how its members come from communities along Hwy. 11.
The group is preparing for the Dockside Music Festival next month, with other public performances on the horizon as well.
“Ukulele is really for me just about the joy of it and the fun; the people are fun, the music is fun, it’s just all fun,” said Ross.
Once Fall hits, the group will meet on Monday afternoons at Sawdust City Brewing in Gravenhurst.
