UH Maui Music Students Showcase Talent

Back row – Trisha Cabral, Stella Newman-Kaupu, Lois Whitney, Joshua Lum, Bill Emmsley, Tom Pollard, Gabe Goebbert, Axel Menezes, Brad Bordessa, Hau'oli Kalama, Jordan Leong, Michael Kuebler, Peter Wing, Kumu Keli'i Tau'a, Kumu George Kahumoku Front row – Kawika Aspili, Adam Bediamol, Wilson Rapozo, Leihua Kalawaia, Makana Kamahele Bahilot)

By Wendy Osher

The next generation of Hawaiian Music performers takes the stage in a musical showcase next week at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

The event is the first showcase for students of the new Institute of Hawaiian Music at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

“This concert is the world premiere of the IHM students, and the first of many we’ll enjoy in the years ahead,” said UHMC music professor, Dr. Robert D. Wehrman.  “The students have been learning together for only one semester and already we can see that our dream to preserve and promote Hawaiian music is alive and well.”

The Kani Ka Pila session takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, in the McCoy Studio Theater.

“I’m really proud of all the hard work the students have put into rehearsing this show,” said IHM coordinator and four-time Grammy winner George Kahumoku, Jr. “They’ve all grown so much as musicians and I’m excited to see them perform Hawaiian music in front of a large audience.”

The show will feature a mix of ‘ukulele, guitar, keyboards, & vocals.  Organizers say the performance is an important step towards the students’ goal of becoming professional musicians and continuing the Hawaiian Music tradition.

The UHMC Institute of Hawaiian Music is a one-of-a-kind, two-year, musical mentorship opportunity dedicated to the perpetuation and preservation of Hawaiian music.  Students are groomed through mentor relationships with professional Hawaiian musicians.

The mentorships provide rare, exclusive opportunities to students to perform within the Hawaiian music industry.

Tickets for the show are on sale now through the MACC Box Office, by phone 242-SHOW (7469), or online via MauiArts.org. General admission is $20; $10 for students and seniors; and free for children 12 years and under.