Monopolele is a festival dispenser of joy, energy and creativity that generate special friendships. This is what happened between Irene Aliverti and Alessandra Scaraggi ukulelists, the first from Brescia (BS) the second from Aprilia (LT) who met right in Monopolele for the first time.

Irene after different musical experiences, at the threshold of forty discovered the greatest joy by slinging a small and very light blue ukulele from which she never separates herself and with which she loves to sing all the Beatles' songs, but really all of them eh!!!

Alessandra started playing ukulele with Maestro Angelo Capozzi and then joined the teaching staff of the same school in 2018. She's continuing her personal musical training also with Maestro Giovanni Albini, in the classical field and following other Masters of international level

The "Organetto a cUkù" project stems from the combination of two instruments that are part of the folk tradition of two very distant areas: the Organetto, present in the folk tradition of Italy and Europe, and the Ukulele, the quintessential Hawaiian instrument, which has been very popular worldwide for several years. The group will propose a new repertoire of "Balfolk" for ukulele and organetto consisting of dances (circassian circles, scottish, mazurkas, bourrées, rondeaus, waltzes…). During the Dance Concert, Mina Morrelli from BiB Balfolk will be present to teach these very simple and engaging dances even to those who have never danced them before.

Francesco Verginelli is an expert in 3D modeling, advanced lighting, texturing, and design. He has been studying music and playing the guitar since adolescence. After visiting the Taylor Guitars factory, he decided to pursue a career as a luthier, apprenticing at the workshop of Pier Luigi Panfili, the current Master of the Roman Academy of Lutherie. He was struck by a great passion for ukulele and over the years he has developed his personal Tenor X-bracing project, which is constantly evolving. He also builds other types of acoustic instruments such as basses, guitars, and various prototypes, producing 4 or 5 instruments per year.

Giovanni Albini is a composer, ukulelist and music theorist. He teaches at several music institutes, including the Conservatory of Alessandria, where he has established the world’s first Bachelor’s degree program in Ukulele. Giovanni loves teaching as much as he loves studying: he has earned several academic degrees (Composition, Mathematics, Guitar). His theoretical research focuses on math and music. He has written several concert music scores as well as many tracks and sound designs for video art, commercials, videogames and television. Moreover, he is a ukulelist devoted to the modern and classical reportoire who commissions and performs new contemporary classical music written for the ukulele.

Davide Donelli has degrees in Musical Education and Guitar at the Milan Conservatory. Throughout his career, Davide has explored the performance practices of early guitars, including Renaissance and Baroque guitar, Venezuelan cuatro, cavaquinho, charango, and ukulele. He has popularized the history of ukulele through his radio show with over 300 episodes on www.deejayfoxradio.com. He has also published “Saltellando qua e là”, the first Italian book about key figures in ukulele history. Davide primarily plays traditional Hawaiian and US repertoire from the early twentieth century.

Calico were with us at Monopolele 2022. Songs from the 1920s to the 2020s are all up for grabs with this energetic ukulele band. Two beautiful voices singing in harmony, two ukuleles and a funky bass make this trio a special treat. With lots of rhythm, fun and feeling they engage the audience to clap and sing along. From Jazz to Pop to Rock to Funk they can make any genre fun and even end up mashing them all together. Calico’s heartfelt original songs shine with positive vibes and a Pop-Folk feeling to them.

Vincenzo Gioia is a passionate musician and a formidable ukulele teacher. He graduated from ICMP and the University of East London. Later on, he also obtained his Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching from Middlesex University. In his quest to spread his love for the ukulele, he has published more than 100 tutorials on his YouTube Channel and keeps spreading his lessons through the website ukulelelovers.com. In 2022 when he became an ambassador for Kala, one of the most successful ukulele brands.

Adriano Bono is the leader of The Reggae Circus project, that were on Monopolele 2023 lineup. Adriano Bono is a well-known name in the national underground scene thanks to his participation, as singer and author, in the successful experience of Radici Nel Cemento. He was also one of the first popularizers in Italy of the ukulele.

Vincenzo Vona has always believed in the potential of the ukulele as an instrument for music education, both in school and social settings. In the past he was a metal bassist and in the present he is committed to several fronts related to music education. He is also co-founder of Ukulele Club Milano and Ukulele Club Brianza, as well as organizer of the Brianza Uku Fest. As singer and musician he has a passion for mantras and devotional songs (Kirtan and Bhajan).

Actress, Stand Up Comedian, Singer, Author, Ukulelist, MC at Burlesque Events and self-proclaimed Official Queen of Eggplant Parmigiana, Giulia will be the master of ceremonies of the three evening concerts. Giulia was, with Salvo and Mauro,  our  MC of the Monopolele 2023 evening concerts. This year she will be the MC of the two usually over-crowded open -mics. While her attitude is usually very polite, people playing more than their allotted time drive her crazy (don't complain after: we warned you).

Aldrine Guerrero is an award-winning ukulele artist, known all over the world. At the age of 7, he moved from Manila to Hawaii, where he immediately fell in love with the instrument. In 2007, the three started the website UkuleleUnderground.com with his fellow musicians Ryan Esaki and Aaron Nakamura. The web community has thousands of ukulele lovers and provides users with live lessons, video tutorials and workshops. Since then, Aldrine has held ukulele workshops and performances in countries all over the globe, and he released 4 full-length studio albums and 3 EPs. His music has been selected as the soundtrack of some TV productions.

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer are an extraordinary duo, representative of the best american folk. They are great clawhammer-style ukulele virtuosos, world-renowned music teachers and Grammy Award winning musicians. As performers, Cathy & Marcy have traveled the world from Japan to New Zealand, Vancouver to New York, China, Malaysia, and everywhere in between.

Evan Joel De Silva is an 18 year old guitarist and ukulele player. He is mostly self-taught, and plays a range of genres: R&B, jazz, soul, pop, and funk. He is an experienced performer, playing for bands, duets as well as solo acts. He won the Thailand International Ukulele Contest in 2020 and the Hiutale Finland International Ukulele Contest in 2022.

Feng E is a 17 years old ukulele artist from Taiwan. Being an unorthodox player, his “rock ukulele” has captured the attention of a worldwide audience. He has been a guest at Ellen DeGeneres TV show and America’s got talent. He won multiple competitions and he has performed in a lot of countries (US, UK, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, China).

George Elmes first gained popularity from his Youtube Channel, which showcased his technical playing skills and varied musical styles. Since then he has performed and given workshops around the world, including China where he developed a reputation as a ukulele teacher and performer. George has released two solo albums and continues to work on new ukulele projects.

Peter Moss has been involved with the ukulele on and off for the past 54 years. He was invited to appear at the Milwaukee ukulele festival, Florida, Australia and New Zealand, and then broke back into the UK and Europe ukulele circuit. Recently there has been a collaboration between Flight Ukuleles and Peter: they have created together two signature special.

The moroccan band Jedbalak starts from the great musical tradition of Gnawa to build a bridge between cultures, merging songs whose origin is lost in the centuries, with sounds and styles closer to our time. Jedbalak want to create a new exciting and original dimension of sound, a kind of "Moroccan'Roll".

P I S C O is the portuguese name for Robin, the bird. 

The ukulele joins the voice, and teleportation is no longer sci-fi. The music is by Patrícia Lestre, nested on Sónia Sobral's accordion. They travel from poignant melodies to the most energetic atmospheres, placing their music between the past and the present of portuguese tradition.

In collaboration with d'Orfeu

Sinfonico Honolulu is an orchestra composed of eight elements: six ukuleles, a bass guitar and a drum set. The formation is recognized as Italy's first and most important ukulele orchestra, known for revisiting the greatest hits of Italian and international pop and rock. A dive into the songs of the past retraced with a scratchy and irreverent style.

Trio Mandili is a georgian musical group. The three girls perform polyphonic singing accompanied by a panduri, a traditional georgian string instrument. They became popular when they uploaded a music video which gathered over seven million views. The fame of Trio Mandili is growing every day, while the band tours around the world like a modern caucasian fairy tale.

Veeble (formerly known as Veeblefetzer) is a well-known balkan rock and bras & roll music project. They are known for the collaboration with the cartoonist Zerocalcare and for a series of concerts that have rocked young people all over Europe as well. Live they light up a freak show that includes a pirate invasion, with pure carnival magic and wild anarchy.

Victor Jofre is a luthier and an excellent ukulele artist. He started to make musical instruments when he was only 17 and his passion became his work. In 2008 he created Asonu, which has made more than du 10,000 ukuleles in the past 15 years. With his work Victor Jofre wants to make his mark on the musical instrument industry.

Adriano Bono is the leader of The Reggae Circus project, that were on Monopolele 2023 lineup. Adriano Bono is a well-known name in the national underground scene thanks to his participation, as singer and author, in the successful experience of Radici Nel Cemento. He was also one of the first popularizers in Italy of the ukulele.