A songwriter, performer, and ukulele enthusiast, Mandalyn loves to share the joy of music with adults and children alike. After spending several years on the road - from Scotland to NY to the Pacific Northwest - she has settled in Chico, California, where she is working on several musical projects with new collaborators. She has had the immense good fortune to share stages with ukulele and folk luminaries, including Aiofe O’Donovan, MaMuse, James Hill, Aldrine Guerrero, Paul Hemmings, Aaron and Nicole Keim, Brook Adams, Craig Chee, and Victoria Vox - participate in incredible events - Menucha Ukulele Band Camp, Eugene’s Uketoberfest, Sheatherfest (with side project Sons of Jefferson), Oregon Country Fair - and help produce Chico’s own We Heart Ukulele Festival and Fundraiser (raising funds for music education in public schools.)
Mandalyn is currently exploring ‘ukestration’ with larger groups of players, and expanding her repertoire to include workshops that encourage folks to make music out of things they can find around the house - individually or in cardboard created ‘instant’ marching bands.
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She is also keeping an eye out for partnership opportunities with nonprofits and folks who are working towards sustainability in Agriculture, Architecture, and the Arts. In the future, she looks forward to releasing songs with a specific nonprofit in mind - using music as a fun way to help bring attention to and raise funds for charitable, sustainable organizations. If you think you might be one of those organizations, feel free to contact her.
Looking for a shorter, friendlier, slightly sillier bio? How about...
Mandalyn Kaiulani May was surrounded by rainbows and music at an early age. Behind the scenes of Oahu's Diamond Head Crater Festival, she learned to walk while entertaining the bands backstage with her counting, memorization, and singing skills. Preparing for a trip to Scotland, she bought her first ukulele, and good fortune has followed ever since. She tours throughout the West Coast of the US and abroad, and has been a performer and instructor at UKEtoberfest, Menucha's Ukulele Band Camp, and the Port Townsend Ukulele Festival. She co-produced the We Heart Ukulele Festival & Fundraiser in Chico, CA, in 2012 and 2013, raising funds for music education in local schools.
Still Shorter, but a little more serious:
Raised by warm beaches (Hawaii), desert valleys (California), remote mountains (Idaho), and busy streets (New York City), Mandalyn has a traveller’s perspective that is reflected in her songwriting. Like her upbringing, her catalog covers the full range of Americana - from neo-traditional folk and wistful celtic ballads to tub thumping, foot tapping barn dance sing-alongs. A ‘9th and 2nd’ generation American with roots in Scotland, Prussia, Spain and the Philippines, the stories she tells connect us back to our past, ground us in the present, and celebrate our future.