Multiple N? H?k? Hanohano Award-winning composer and musician Kuana Torres Kahele is this year’s featured artist in Hawai?i Public Radio’s annual benefit event at the Palik? Theatre on Sunday, August 7. For the first time, Kahele will be offering two, back-to-back concerts, showcasing his entire existing Music for the Hawaiian Islands CD series.
“This is the biggest musical fundraiser we’ve ever held,” said HPR President and General Manager José A. Fajardo, “but who could say ?no? to Kuana’s generous gift of the world premiere of this unique double-bill? We’re certain that Kuana’s show of support for the station will be matched by our community’s. And what a great time we’re all going to have during this daylong celebration of Hawai?i and its public radio station!”
Kahele’s original compositions, tributes to each island, often documenting place names, and even certain winds and rains, were created specifically for hula. At HPR’s Palik? concerts, his songs will be interpreted by two acclaimed hula halau. For the afternoon concert, dedicated to the new music he has created for Hawai?i Island and Ni?ihau, Kahele has invited dancers from Ka Hula O Kealamailani under the direction of Kumu Hula and Miss Aloha Hula TeHani Pimental. The evening concert, with music for Maui and Kaua?i, will be accompanied by Merrie Monarch winners the k?ne (men) of H?lau N? Mamo O Pu?uanahulu under Kumu Hula Sonny Ching and L?paka Igarta-De Vera.
Tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/Kuana (case sensitive) and must be purchased for each individual concert:
- Afternoon (2:00 p.m.) – Music of Hawai?i Island and Ni?ihau
- Evening (6:00 p.m.) – Music of Maui and Kaua?i
Patrons are welcome to attend both concerts to experience the four-island "tour," but must purchase tickets to each show separately. A group discount rate is available for the purchase of six or more seats for the same show using promo code "KUANAGROUP" (case sensitive). The Palik? Theatre is located on the Windward Community College campus, 45-720 Kea?ahala Road in K?ne?ohe.
Between the two shows, a Hawaiian plate dinner from local restaurant Highway Inn will be available for pick up in front of the theatre between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m. The dinner includes pua?a kalua (kalua pig), chicken long rice, lomi salmon, poi, hapa rice, sweet potato, a green salad, and haupia. The meal option must be ordered at the time of online ticket purchase.
To further honor Kahele’s contributions as a cultural practitioner, HPR has also invited Jamie Kaohulani Adams Detwiler to demonstrate the art of lei-making between concerts. Detwiler was the City and County’s 2010 Lei Queen and comes from a long line of master lei makers.
About Kuana Torres Kahele
Kuana has been involved in the music and hula scene of HIlo since he was 6 years old. He trained as a kane dancer under legendary Hilo kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho until the age of 13. He was discovered to have exceptional musical abilities and was pulled from the hula line and added as a permanent halau musician. Kuana’s photographic musical memory allowed the kumu to compose songs and have them recited later, as needed. It became a Hawaiian music "boot camp" of sorts, training him in the classics of Hawaiian music and prepping him for what was to come as a professional musician.
In 1995, at 17, he and fellow Hilo native and falsetto musician Kehau Tamure laid the foundation for what emerged as one of the most popular Hawaiian music groups to date, N? Palapalai. They released Makani ‘Olu’olu in 2002 to meteoric success and raves from critics. Kuana’s original, "Ke Anu O Waimea" is still the most popular hula song in Japan to this day. N? Palapalai has continued to maintain its popularity 20 years and six albums later.
In 2011, he released his long-awaited solo debut, Kaunaloa. It won every major award at that year’s N? H?k? Hanohano Awards including Album of the Year and Song of the Year. He was applauded for his songwriting abilities and contribution to Hawaiian music. His release was a welcome breath of fresh air in both style and content allowing for the creation of new hula from kumu all over the world. Subsequent blockbuster releases included his Hilo for the Holidays Christmas release, which later won Christmas Album of the Year, and 2013’s self-titled Kahele.
In 2012, he was asked to teach hula to a small group of Ni?ihauan women, based on mele he had written for the island. It has since blossomed into monthly visits for hula with Kuana teaching an official organized Ni?ihau halau, Na Lei Lanakila O Ni?ihau. He has had a long-standing relationship with the Ni?ihau ?ohana and has worked hard to raise visibility and revenue to their Lei Pupu or shell lei. He takes lei for sale on many of his trips, bringing 100% back to the lei maker. His passion and support have furthered the art and benefited countless families in need of assistance.
Kuana currently maintains his own Hawaiian Music & Culture School in Japan. He teaches in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka with over 200 combined students. He offers courses in voice, haku mele, mele hula, fresh lei making, ?ukulele, and guitar. He is one of the most popular entertainers performing in Hawai?i and Japan. He performs and teaches cultural workshops all over the world.
In April 2014, he launched the first volume in a six-CD series entitled, Music for the Hawaiian Islands. Each CD pays tribute to an individual island with original music from Kuana, written specifically for hula. His poetic lyrics illustrate the beauty of Hawai?i, while documenting everything from important place names to island winds and specific rains. The legacy left by this collection will continue to prove its value for years to come with the addition of more than 100 new songs for hula by the project's completion in the second half of 2016.
Vol. 1 HAWAI?I KEAWE (Hawai?i Island)
Vol. 2 KAHELELANI (Ni?ihau)
Vol. 3 PI?ILANI (Maui)
Vol. 4 MANOOKALANIP? (Kaua?i)
Vol. 5 MOLOKA?I NUI A HINA/LANA?IKAULA (Moloka?i/Lana?i)
Vol. 6 (O’ahu)
