In honor of Global Ukulele Day (March 11, 2011), Gregory de la Haba and The Beatles Complete On Ukulele, in an act of performance philanthropy, will be announcing the ten recipients of specially designed KALA brand ukuleles to the 10 most powerful and interesting people on earth during Armory Week in New York, NY.
Each custom painted, one-of-a-kind ukulele will be designed by a leading New York artist and showcased at The Bowery Hotel located at 335 Bowery at 3rd Street in Manhattan on March 4, 2011. A second set of ten KALA brand ukuleles designed by the same artists will be auctioned at Haunch Of Venison New York with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity- Hi Art! on the afternoon of March 4, 2011.
Hi Art! is one of the most innovative culture programs for youths in New York City. Its goal is to expose young people to the world of opera, classical music, fine art and dance.
Artists participating include: Micheal Anderson, Ryan Cronin, Jsun Laliberte, Bizzid, BTA, Greg Haberny, Noah Becker, Faiyaz Jafri, Lee Wells and Jason Caplan.
The nominees currently being considered to receive a ukulele include:
Bill Gates - Chairman Of Microsoft
Ho Ching - CEO of Temsek Holdings
Barack Obama - President of The United States Of America
Irene Rosenfeld - CEO Kraft Foods
Vladimir Putin - Prime Minister Of Russia
King Abdula of Saudi Arabia
Oprah - OWN Network
Rupert Murdoch - CEO of News Corp
Carlos Slim - Business Magnate
Hu Jintao - President of China
Richard Dawkins - Evolutionary Biologist
Angela Merkel - Chancellor of Germany
Queen Noor of Jordan
Nelson Mandela - Humanitarian
Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister of India
Mark Zuckerberg - CEO of Facebook
Stephen Hawking - Scientist
Maya Angelou - Writer
Pope Benedict XVI - Religious Leader
Aung San Suu Kyi - Political Leader
Benjamin Netanyahu - Prime minister Of Israel
Indra Nooyi - CEO of PepsiCo
Mamoud Abbas - President of The Palestinian Authority
Lloyd C. Blankfein - CEO of Goldman Sachs
Dilma Rousseff - President of Brasil
Larry Page - CEO of Google
Jacob Zuma - President of South Africa
Julian Assange - Wikileaks
Sarah Palin - Politician
Richard Saul Wurman - Creator Of Ted
Nicolas Sarkosy President of France
Lady Gaga - Pop singer
Warren Buffett - CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
Kate Middleton - Future Queen Of England
Dalai Lama - Religious Leader
Steve Jobs - CEO Of Apple Computer
David Cameron - Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Michael Bloomberg - Mayor Of New York City
David Barratt, when asked about what the ukuleles represent says:
It's a little like a Nobel Prize... but more useful."
The Beatles Complete On Ukulele
www.thebeatlescompleteonukulele.com
The Beatles Complete On Ukulele releases a new recording of a Beatles song featuring a ukulele every Tuesday. A short essay coincides with every recording and each performance is performed by a different artist.
The project began on January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day) and will conclude on July 31, 2012. (The eve of the London Olympics)
The project is produced by composer and artist David Barratt. His credits range from writing for Robert Plant, to mixing for David Bowie to composing for several advertising campaigns. His audio sculpture KARITO (www.karito.org) was installed at the United Nations General Assembly in 2008.
Barratt says "The Beatles always stood for peace and creativity. The ukulele is the perfect way to continue that message in the 21st Century.
You can see Barack Obama's version of "Let It Be" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Aa5tJeyK4
Gregory de la Haba
Apart from being an exceptionally skilled painter with a pedagogical lineage that stretches back to the great Neoclassicist Jacques-Louis David, de la Haba is a gambler in more ways than one.
He's created murals for Sean MacPherson's Roger Room in LA, Ceasar's Palace, Atlantic City and most recently for Armin Armiri's latest bar inside the new Mondrian Hotel in Chinatown. Selected solo and group exhibitions by de la Haba include: "Equus Maximus" Jack the Pelican Presents, "Queens International 4" Queens Museum, Pool art fair 2010, Gershwin Hotel, Trash Art Museum, Munich; Salzburg Arts festival, Austria, "Surfboards and Skateboards" World Erotic Art Museum, Miami, and Scope Art Show 2010, Miami. Currently exhibiting at the Salzach Biennale, Austria de la Haba has shows lined up for Berlin, Milan, Shanghai and London for 2011.
A cum laude graduate of Harvard University de la Haba's writings and artworks have been published in numerous publications including the Southampton Review, Rizzoli's Irish America and New York Arts magazine; he is featured in the latest documentary by notable Hollywood director Michael Knowles 'Gambling In Art, A Story of Six New York Artists Who've Gone All In' and in April of 2011 de la Haba will collaborate with award winning playwright Mike Gorman on a 'dramatic performance and art installation' at the venerable La MaMa theater in New York's East Village.
David Barratt proudly endorses Kala Brand Music Company products. Kala Brand Music Company is a California based manufacturer of over 120 models of Ukulele, the Kala U-BASS, and Uke Crazy line of accessories. http://www.kalaukulele.com/
Special thanks to: Miller & Cronin, Cyndie Berthezene at Hi Art! and Haunch of Venison gallery, NY
For more information regarding TBCOU visit: www.thenbeatlescompleteonukulele.com
