Internationally touring ukulele artist Victoria Vox will grace the Carnegie Arts Center loft with a small concert May 15.
Vox, a Green Bay native, began writing songs at age 10 inspired by Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, and mostly with her guitar.
Last year Vox released her new album, “KEY” described by interim director of the Carnegie Lisa McDermott as “a heartfelt collection of songs that she wrote during her self-inflicted 52 Original Song Project.” The project was an effort to fund the artist’s time on the road.
“KEY,” which features such original songs as “Daffodil,” “Out the Back Door,” and “Mon Coeur Vide” (translated in English as “my empty heart”) showcases Vox’s light and pure sound. The artist sings the latter in French, but the majority of her songs are in English with what has been described as a “uke-pop” sound by U.K. magazine R2 Rock’N’Reel.
Vox’s inspiration for the title of her newest album comes from some of her reflections on life’s journey.
“We spend a lot of time in search of key,” Vox said. “Maybe it’s the key to success… to happiness… or to someone’s heart. As I searched for the right key, I found keys to songs, which opened the door to my own heart. I entered into a year of songwriting where I unlocked my senses in order to create. I let music in and out”.
Prior to the show, Vox will hold an hour-long workshop in association with Turlock Uke Jamz from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $10. Reservations are reccommended.
For Dan Murray of Turlock Uke Jamz, having an artist like Vox visit Turlock is an honor.
“Even though we have over 100 members and growing, Turlock Uke Jamz is kind of off the beaten path in the ukulele world,” said Murray. “To have someone of Victoria's caliber teach and perform in our community is just awesome.”
Murray explained that even though there are multiple avenues online for learning the ukulele, “nothing beats hands-on, face-to-face instruction, and Victoria is one of the best at sharing her skills with others.”
While Murray and his fellow jammers are looking forward to learning some new techniques from Vox, the workshop is open to anyone in the community.
Tickets are $15 for non-members and $10 for Carnegie members.
The show will take place at 7 p.m. May 15. Concert tickets and workshop reservations are available in the Carnegie Gift Shop, located in the center at 250 N. Broadway, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, or online at www.carnegieartsturlock.org.
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