Evening Concert

After 30 years of performing around the world, the Miró Quartet will finally make its Hawaiʻi debut with two concerts. Cellist Joshua Gindele, one of the founding members, spoke to Evening Concert host Craig DeSilva about how the quartet has evolved over the past three decades.

Michael-Thomas Foumai of the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra previewed two concerts this week that are sure to spread some holiday cheer. The Hapa Holiday Extravaganza will feature Natalie Ai Kamauu along with dancing, storytelling, Santa, and more. Home Alone in Concert will feature a screening of the beloved holiday movie classic with the HSO performing the film score composed by John Williams. Listen to Foumai's conversation with Craig DeSilva on Evening Concert. And find out why he didn’t enjoy sitting on Santa’s lap as a toddler.

Japanese anime is all the craze in Hawaiʻi. Anime audiences love both the visuals and the music score composed by Joe Hisaishi. Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra will perform music from films by Studio Ghibli, one of Japan’s leading animation studios. HSO’s Michael-Thomas Foumai, who’ll be conducting the concert, and Totoro, one of the stars of the film My Neighbor Totoro, gave a sneak peek on Evening Concert.

Dian Hermes of Waiʻalae Elementary Public Charter School seems to have the musical touch. As the Hawaiʻi representative for the Met Opera’s HD Live in Schools program, Hermes immerses her students in opera to make it more accessible.

Hawaiʻi Public Radio has launched another series of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra broadcasts. John Kalani Zak, host and producer of the HSO broadcasts, gave a preview on Evening Concert with host Craig DeSilva. You can hear the concert broadcasts on Mondays at 8 p.m. following Evening Concert on HPR-2.

Erica Glenn has her game on. She’s preparing her student choir at Brigham Young University Hawaiʻi to perform in the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra’s Game On! concerts. Glenn spoke to Evening Concert host Craig DeSilva about how the concert provides her student singers with an opportunity to showcase their singing and acting talents.

You don’t have to play video games to enjoy gaming music. Evening Concert host Craig DeSilva talks to gaming music composer and conductor Andy Brick about this immersive musical experience that has taken off in concert halls worldwide. Brick arrived in Hawaiʻi this week from his home in New York City to conduct the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra’s Game On! concerts this weekend at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

From Shostakovich’s 5th to Assassin’s Creed and even Jabba the Hut. There’s a lot going on with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra this month. HSO composer-in-residence Michael-Thomas Foumai stopped by Evening Concert to update us on HSO’s Beethoven Festival: Side-by-Side concert with the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, Game On!, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert.

His piano teacher didn’t think he could do it. But Clayton Stephenson proved her wrong, becoming the first black pianist to become a finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. He stopped by Hawaiʻi Public Radio to talk to Evening Concert host Craig DeSilva.

American violinist Nathan Meltzer won the 2023 Concert Artist Guild Competition. He’s the youngest ever to win the Windsor Festival Competition. He is also the protégé of Midori’s Partners in Performance program, a nonprofit that promotes classical music in rural areas of the country.