Sho and Tyler met at the Berklee College of Music when they were randomly paired to be roommates – and instantly, a new collaboration was born. The only two ukulele players at the time, but hailing from vastly different musical backgrounds, Sho’s energy and Tyler’s feel became the basis of a duo that would find themselves performing in and around Boston, and in ukulele festivals in the Mainland US. Now in their third year at Berklee, the ukulele roommates have teamed up once again to play their style in their instrument’s homeland, Hawai’i.

Sho Humphries, the 6th Annual International Ukulele Contest 2017 co-MVP, combines rock-inspired, percussive ukulele playing with uplifting songwriting. Writing often from their frustrations to the world, they performs with a stubborn refusal to give in and deliver hope with an emotion-filled voice. Sho also leads their own band in Boston, and as a member of Catfish in the Sky, they tour the South and have introduced ukulele into bluegrass and old time. Sho also still performs in their hometown, Austin, Texas.

Tyler Donkoh-Halm is a Boston based multi-instrumentalist that specializes in taking the ukulele into genres you’ve never heard it in before! With strong roots in R&B, funk, jazz, neo soul, and more, Tyler fuses countless styles together to fit his percussive and melodic ways of playing every instrument in his arsenal. With a wide array of performances both local and international, each show is unique and unlike the last, always keeping things exciting and the audience on their toes!