Jake Shimabukuro Opens The 10×10 Art Series At Walton Arts Center

The ukulele has a reputation for being cute and breezy. Jake Shimabukuro has spent his career proving it can be something far more powerful, and you’ll get to hear that proof for yourself in Northwest Arkansas.

THE DEETS

📅 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
🕑 7:00 PM
📍 Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
🎟️ $10
🔗 More info | Tickets

Four Strings, No Limits

You’ll hear the range for yourself once he starts playing: jazz, rock, classical, blues, folk and traditional Hawaiian music, all blended together. That range has earned him a nickname, the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele, a nod to how far he’s pushed an instrument most people don’t expect to hear this way.

The Night Bohemian Rhapsody Took Over

You might catch a version of this yourself. One of Shimabukuro’s most memorable shows came from an unplanned moment, when he played his arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody at a music festival and the crowd spontaneously started singing along. The moment stuck, and it’s now a regular singalong in his shows.

Blues Records And Classroom Visits

If you’re curious what else he’s been up to, Shimabukuro recently recorded a full blues album with Mick Fleetwood called Blues Experience, a project he calls one of the most memorable of his career. He also spends time visiting schools and playing benefit concerts, a habit that traces back to his own school days, when visiting artists first showed him what music could do.

This performance opens the 10×10 Art Series at Walton Arts Center, an intriguing and innovative showcase of art forms selected to satisfy the artistic curiosity of the Northwest Arkansas community. If you plan on catching more than one show in the series, you can build your own package and save when you buy tickets to three or more performances.