Scott Fikse, choral director of Early Music Hawaiʻi, discusses the inspiration behind their upcoming program "From New England to Honolulu," which explores the fusion of New England hymns with Hawaiian music.
Fikse became interested in the origins of this choral style and its origins after hearing the Rose Ensemble’s albums showcasing early Hawaiian choral music. His interest brought him to explore the choral music from the New England colonial period and eventually to the missionaries who brought these unique harmonies to Hawaiʻi.
The concert will showcase traditional New England hymns alongside some of the earliest surviving compositions of Hawaiian hīmeni and mele. Tickets for the March 29 concert at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu are available at earlymusichawaii.org.
