8-string army at the Sonoma Regional Library

Ukuleles are all the rage, banjos may have had their day, but mandolins might be the next big thing in stringed instruments.

On Saturday, Jan. 27, the Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble will make their case with a performance at the Sonoma Valley Regional Library.

The Gravenstein Mandolin Ensemble is the only mandolin orchestra in the North Bay, consisting of mandolins and their stringed cousins. Under the musical direction of Gus Garelick, the ensemble’s eclectic repertoire includes music from George Frederick Handel to Scott Joplin, with musical excursions to Brazil, Italy, Ireland and Brooklyn along the way.

The act features mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, octave mandolins, plus guitar, bass and violin and has two Sonoma Valley residents in the mix, Jan Hansen on mandocello and Bob Baeyen on mandolin and octave mandolin.

“The Ensemble played at the Sonoma Valley Library in early 2016 and was just fantastic!” says library manager, Lisa Musgrove. “One doesn’t see a mandolin orchestra every day, and we are pleased to provide this fun and entertaining musical experience.”

They have performed at the San Francisco Mandolin Festival, the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, the Petaluma Center for the Arts, First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma Concert Series, Lake County Arts Center, and the annual convention of the Classical Mandolin Society of America. They have recorded one CD, Mandolin Mandala, which will be for sale after the program.

The program is free, and runs from 2 – 3 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 27, at the Sonoma Valley Library, 755 W. Napa St., Sonoma.