ESVA UkeFest Experience
The East Coast’s Premier
Destination Ukulele Festival!
June 13-15, 2025
ESVA UkeFest is back! We are ready for you at our Annual ESVA UkeFest on the Chesapeake Bay, featuring national & regional Ukulele concerts, bayside beach jams, open mic performances, & more! Come play with us, visit local shops & restaurants, and discover—or rediscover!—our beautiful home, the Eastern Shore of Virginia! Make your plans NOW!
Destination: Cape Charles ESVA
The Oyster Farm Restaurant & Marina, Pearl Event Center
PERFORMERS, GROUP JAMS, WORKSHOPS & MORE!
Welcome to the Annual ESVA UkeFest, where music, community, and creativity come together on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia. Originally launched in 2019, we are thrilled to bring this one-of-a-kind festival back to life! Whether you’re a seasoned player, a curious beginner, or simply a fan of great music, ESVA UkeFest offers something for everyone.
Get ready to dive into educational workshops led by inspiring professionals, connect with local ukulele clubs, and enjoy captivating performances by our confirmed headliners and exhibit leaders. Through small-group sessions and intimate venues, this is your chance to get up-close and personal with incredible talent while learning and growing as part of a vibrant ukulele-loving community. Whether you want to:
- Sing more soulfully with the ukulele,
- Master new strumming techniques,
- Experiment with electronic effects, or
- Simply sit back, relax, and enjoy stellar live music, ESVA UkeFest has something just for you.
Bayside Concert Free & Open to the Public!
While most events require paid registration, all live music on the lawn on Saturday is free and open to the public—make new friends, meet some locals, and share your love of the ukulele! Bring a chair or blanket to enjoy an unforgettable evening of live ukulele performances while watching the sunset over the bay!
Stay tuned for the updated schedule (PDF available here) and prepare to immerse yourself in an event unlike any other. Whether you’re here to learn, play, or simply soak up the music, we can’t wait to welcome you to the 2025 ESVA UkeFest!
GUEST MC & PERFORMERS
Your Master of Ceremonies…
Skye Zentz, Norfolk, VA
Skye Zentz is an Emmy Award Winning Songwriter and Music Educator from Norfolk, VA who has cultivated creative community in Hampton Roads for the last 15 years. Skye has produced commissioned works for Old Dominion University, Elizabeth River Project, and HR Green. Recently, Skye wrote and produced 11 environmental songs for WHRO’s award winning “Green Beats” series, now a touring educational musical with VA Stage Company. We were so happy to feature her skills at our inaugural festival, and we are thrilled to welcome her back as our Emcee for UkeFest 2025!
11-Noon Workshop III: Songwriting for EVERYBODY
Your Hosts…
The Sonic Ukes, ESVA
Since 2017, The Sonic Ukes have been spreading the joy of ukulele music across the Eastern Shore of Virginia. From local gigs to regional performances, they’ve been captivating audiences with their innovative arrangements, vocal harmonies, and unique approach to this beloved instrument. Proud of their Eastern Shore roots, they launched ESVA UkeFest in 2019 to share the region’s charm with ukulele enthusiasts near and far, and have been eagerly awaiting its return to share with you!
Offstage, they wear many hats—educators, contractors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and directors—but when the spotlight hits, they come together to deliver unforgettable performances. At the 2025 ESVA UkeFest, you’ll see them not just on stage but also behind the scenes, ensuring everyone is having an incredible time. If you spot them, be sure to say “Hi!” and let them know your enjoying your visit!
7:30 & 10:30 PM Concert Performance
The Jess & Chris Duo Show, MD
The Jess & Chris Duo show is warm and inviting, like opening the front door of a neighbor who’s just taken bread out of the oven. Roots jazz rhythms and country swing harmonies are vignetted by stories and sounds of Appalachia. Come in, take a seat, and be woven into a musical story that never stops being told. Jess & Chris lead with their signature sun-dappled vocal harmonies, and the multi-instrumentalists trade off on strings and horns, playing fresh originals and dusted-off tunes from their great-grandparent’s coat closet. But don’t let their disarming folksiness fool you: their performance is silver-polished and highly acclaimed. Their band Bumper Jacksons toured internationally for over a decade, and they were honored multiple times as the Mid-Atlantic’s “Artist of the Year” & “Best Traditional Band” by the Washington Area Music Awards. Each are award-winning songwriters, alumns of the Strathmore Artists-in-Residence program, and regular MD State Arts Council grant recipients. You can find Chris and Jess performing and teaching as a duo at ukulele festivals, folk festivals, music camps, house concerts, and smaller, more intimate venues as well.
8:30-9:45 AM Workshop I: Classic Country Jam & Singalong w/Jess Eliot Myhre
1:30-2:45 PM Workshop IV: Kentucky Old Time Ukulele w/Chris Ousley
6:30 PM Concert Performance
www.jesseliotmyhre.com www.linkedin.com/in/chrisousley123
The Birdwatchers, Utah to VA!
The Birdwatchers are an acoustic trio that specialize in three-part harmonies, and creative songwriting & arranging. Kick back and let The Birdwatchers take you under their wing 🦜
3-4 PM Workshop V: Sing the Strings–Introduction to Harmony
8:30 PM Concert Performance
Half-Pint Harry, DC/Northern VA
Half Pint Harry is a tiny cover band from Washington, DC and northern Virginia. The band plays popular songs from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and today – all songs you know, love, dance to, and belt out loud! Though they play smaller-than-usual instruments (featuring ukulele, Ubass, saxophone, and a cocktail drum kit), they have a big sound. Half Pint Harry plays all over the DC area, at bars, restaurants, festivals, sporting events, and more – bringing the love of music, and tiny instruments, to all.
10-10:45 AM Workshop II: Electrifying Your Uke
9:30 PM Concert Performance
VENDORS
Funky Frets, Pottstown, PA
Boyertown, PA’s premiere music location for lessons, workshops, instruments and music goodies.
Curt & Bernadette Sheller and their daughter Kelly Thompson opened Funky Frets on June 30th, 2012. Their showroom includes guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and much more! They carry over 100 ukuleles, electric and acoustic guitars, accessories, drumsticks, violin/viola strings and amps . . . just to name a few categories.
Davidson Ukuleles, Chesapeake, VA
Philip Davidson is a fourth generation fine woodworker. While providing psychotherapy for children and adults during the last 50 years, Philip has also built reproductions of 18th-century furniture. This pursuit has led him to many interesting locations like behind the barricades at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (to take measurements) and to a koa lumber yard in Hawaii in the early 1990’s. Little did he know that nearly 30 years later he would use this koa to build a ukulele.
Philip’s love of music and woodworking skills have come together in this totally enjoyable yet challenging pursuit. Longtime luthiers Mike DaSilva and Ken Franklin have served as consultants to Philip and been very impressed with his work. Philip is eager to find the next piece of wood that can be transformed into this big little sound machine.
Ryans Ukes, Seneca, SC
Ryan is a retired church musician who discovered the ukulele as a meaningful and joyful extension of his music ministry. His search for a high-quality instrument led him to renowned luthier Jay Lichty, whose influence is evident in Ryan’s own work. Inspired to build his own, Ryan began crafting custom ukuleles—offering intermediate and advanced players professional-quality instruments at accessible prices. He’d sure love to build one for you!
The Sea Witch, Exmore, ESVA
The Sea Witch, created by owners Jennifer & Caleb Sayers, is a unique Eastern Shore boutique offering a curated selection of metaphysical and artistic items. Their offerings include crystals, handmade jewelry, clothing, candles, and various metaphysical and artistic curiosities. They also host monthly DIY craft events, fostering community engagement. You are sure to find something to add to your collection!
We Are Thankful to Our Sponsors!
