Ben’s musical career began in the early 1970s when he was arrested for playing “Smoke on the Water” on accordion and singing in animal sounds in the cafeteria at Lansing Community College. It was the start of something special, for sure. In 2009, on a trip to Hawaii, Ben stumbled upon Roy Sakuma’s legendary “Ukulele Festival Hawaii” and was captivated by the diminutive but dynamic instrument and the communal aloha spirit of the people playing it. His life changed that day.

He is now well-known as the “Ukulele Ambassador of Michigan”, teaching students, young and old, in schools, libraries, senior centers, and other community venues. In addition to his position as the Ashokan Ukulele Weekend Artistic Director, Ben is also in charge of festivals such as Mighty Uke Day, Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp, and Uketoberfest at Interlochen. He co-founded the Lansing Area Ukulele Group (LAUGH) and established the Music is the Foundation 501(c)(3) to help bring the joy of the uke to Michigan classrooms and communities. He performs solo and as a member of The Ukulele Kings and is also a prolific songwriter, with two of his songs about the Detroit Tigers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Ben has been a part of this ukulele event from almost the beginning and considers it his favorite of the festivals and camps he hosts. “There’s something very special about how nature and music become one with the teaching artists and campers at Ashokan; it’s unlike any other ukulele event I’ve been a part of.”

Marcy Marxer is a GRAMMY Award winning multi-instrumentalist who has been teaching ukulele since 1986. Her “Ukulele For Kids” online courses have brought up a few generations of young ukulele players. She has directed a seniors uke orchestra, taught at prominent Uke and Music Camps and is co-artistic director of Strathmore’s UkeFest. Marcy specializes in chord melody, swing and jazz uke, but plays a bit of everything! She also studied with the grand master of vaudeville, Roy Smeck. Her forte as a social music conductor is only rivaled by her virtuosity on over 20 instruments.

Marcy teaches online through www.pegheadnation.com,  www.truefire.com,  www.homespun.com and via Ukulele Magazine.

Cathy Fink is a GRAMMY Award winning multi-instrumentalist and co-artistic director of Strathmore’s UkeFest with Marcy Marxer. She loves teaching all levels and has created a series of courses on playing Clawhammer Ukulele, kin to the old-time banjo style. Cathy has taught at countless music camps including Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Midwest Ukefest, The Augusta Workshops, and Palm Springs Ukefest. Cathy & Marcy released two duo recordings of all ukulele music, “Rockin’ The Uke” and “Wahoo.” They have released a total of fifty-three albums between them and over 50 instructional courses on ukulele, banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmony singing, and even yodeling.

Her online instruction is available at www.truefire.com, www.homespun.com, and www.pegheadnation.com. She has written numerous articles for Ukulele Magazine.

Bryan Tolentino has been known, for the past forty plus years, as an accompanist who performed and continues to perform, locally and abroad with some of Hawaii’s most well known and accomplished Hawaiian music artists. Bryan’s recorded on over sixty plus CD’s for other artists as well as compilations adding his unique “fairy dusting”, as he calls it. He says, “You must feel Hawaiian Music,” evident in his award winning recordings featured on Nā Hōkū Hanohano and Grammy nominated CD’s which have also garnered many awards. He blends all that he’s learned, as an accompanist, into his own unique sound.

Bryan has performed and recorded with notable Hawaiian entertainers such as: Raiatea Helm, Jake Shimabukuro, Herb Ohta, Jr., Aunty Genoa Keawe, Pomaika‘i Keawe, Karen Keawehawai‘i, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi, Hōkū Zuttermeister, Marlene Sai, Melveen Leed, Jerry Santos and Olomana, O’Brian Eselu, Nathan Aweau, Frank Hewett, Byron Yasui, Benny Chong, Sonny Lim, Jeff Peterson, Wailau Ryder, Kalei Gamiao, ‘Elua Kane, Owana Salazar, Weldon Kekauoha, Natalie Ai, ‘Iolani Kamau‘u, Napua Greig, Kuana Torres Kahele, Aaron Salā, Keao Costa, Blaine Kamalani Kia, NUE - Nā ‘Ukulele ‘Ekolu - Bryan, Kama Hopkins and Halehaku Seabury, The Side Order Band – with Del Beazley, Chris Kamaka and Asa Young, and more!

Bryan also worked with award winning hula hālau, engineers and producers. The noted halau includes: Nā Wai ‘Eha O Puna, Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Hālau Maoli Pua, Ka Pā Hula O Kauanoe O Wa‘ahila, Keali‘ika’apunihonua Ke‘ena A‘o Hula, Hālau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniakea and Kuhai Hālau O Kawaikapuokalani Pa Olapa Kahiko. Engineers and producers: Imua Garza, Dave Tucciarone, Milan Bertosa, Steve Kramer, Gaylord Holomalia, Flip McDiarmid, Shawn Pimental, Michael Grande, Kip and Max Ebersbach, all among the best in the music business.

In May 2005, Bryan opened another musical chapter by releasing his solo CD “Ka ‘Ukulele Lele” that became a Nā Hōkū Hanohano finalist for Instrumental Album of the year. Ten years later in April 2015, he released a duet CD, “Ukulele Friends”, with Herb Ohta Jr. that received a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for 2016 ‘Ukulele Album of the Year. In the Summer of 2016, he expanded his role by joining the Performing Arts Academy at Kamehameha Schools – Kapalama campus, educating young adults interested in learning and performing the ‘ukulele. He released a second duet CD with Herb Ohta Jr. ‘Ukulele Friends: The Sequel In December 2017, also winning a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award! NUE - Nā ‘Ukulele ‘Ekolu with Kama Hopkins and Halehaku Seabury released their Hōkū nominated CD “In the Heart of Paradise” on Dec. 30, 2021.

Bryan Tolentino continues to teach in person and online, sharing his love for the ‘ukulele through performances and workshops.

In chronological order, Armand Aromin is a queer Filipino American musician, percussive dancer, singer, and violin maker now enmortgaged in Riverside, RI with his partner, Benedict Gagliardi. More importantly, if you can say “Arm & Hammer” you’re pronouncing his name correctly!

Like many who came before him, Armand’s ukulele journey, too, began with the Irish fiddle in high school. After a text-message-break-up his senior year (he’s doing fine.) his heart told him, “The only way to heal is to stress-purchase a 5-string banjo.” And so he did. But while contentedly clawhammering his way through college, he beheld his first ukulele, and thus his eyes were truly opened. It was as if a banjo-shaped weight was lifted from his shoulders! Now, lo these many years, the clawhammer’s twang has graced and grazed many an ear with a growing repertoire of tunes and songs that continue to wonderfully confound the writer of this bio.

Armand is one-third of The Vox Hunters, a quarter of Eight Feet Tall, and at least a third of The Ivy Leaf. He proudly owns Aromin Violins, a tiny basement workshop in his first, and only, house.

Armand loves, loves, loves teaching with a focus on musicality and giving students tools with which to find their own voice. He’s taught at the Nutmeg Ukulele Festival in Simsbury, Ct; and he regularly teaches private lessons at home as well as group classes at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI. In November 2023, The Ukulele Site hosted an Instagram contest where his submission, “Hunt the Hare”, made it to the Top 10! Video below.

Always asking, “what if,” Amber Rozel’s adventurous musical style is rooted in tradition and inspired by reinvention. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, she is a dynamic ukulele player, violinist, and singer with a style that effortlessly flows from classical elegance to Tin Pan Alley charm, to vintage pop classics, and punk and alternative anthems. Her specialty lies in breathing new life into the hits of the past, delivering fresh, vibrant interpretations with every performance.

Amber is widely known for her unique ability to bring together large groups of ukulele players to share the stage with symphony orchestras and major musical acts, blending community music-making with professional artistry. She leads the Steel City Ukuleles Little Band and serves on the leadership team of Steel City Ukuleles, Pittsburgh’s thriving ukulele club. She also directs the Pittsburgh Ukulele Brigade, a learning ensemble that fosters musical joy across all skill levels.

Since catching the ukulele bug in 2012, Amber has earned her Level 3 certification from the James Hill Ukulele Initiative (JHUI) and toured across the U.S. and Canada with the acclaimed Legacy Ukulele Ensemble. When not fronting ukulele groups or leading workshops at festivals, you’ll find her performing as a section musician for numerous symphonies throughout the Pittsburgh region.

Whether it’s a symphony stage, a festival crowd, or a cozy local venue, Amber Rozel delivers engaging performances with heart, humor, and a boundless love for music.