Wille K Joins Orchestra for Free Community Concert

By Wendy Osher

Nearly 100 talented young musicians take the stage with Willie K as the Hawaii Youth Symphony (HYS) returns to Maui to perform in a FREE concert on Monday, February 21, 2011, at 7 p.m. at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater.

Hawaii Youth Symphony with Willie K, photo MACC.

Music Director Henry Miyamur leads the 90-member symphonic orchestra, comprised of secondary school students from 22 schools on Oahu and the Big Island.   Seven students of the Maui Youth Philharmonic Orchestra join their neighbor island counterparts for the concert.  Maui entertainer, Willie K, will perform both classic and newly-released works with the orchestra.

There is no charge for attending this one-time only concert. Seating is available on a first come/first served basis.  Doors open at 6:30 pm. For more information, call HYS at 808-941-9706 or the MACC at 808-242-SHOW.

On Tuesday, February 22, Youth Symphony I returns to the Castle Theater to offer two free Listen & Learn concerts for Maui school children.  These 45-minute educational concerts introduce students to orchestral music, families of instruments and proper concert behavior. The concerts include sing-a-longs and opportunities for students to conduct the orchestra. These concerts are filled to capacity at this time. The Listen & Learn concert series is presented with the endorsement of the Hawaii State Department of Education.

The Hawaii Youth Symphony annually serves more than 700 students, ages 5-18, from over 100 schools across the state.  An average of 23 performances are produced each year, including the free Listen & Learn educational concerts for 14,000 school children. HYS distributes up to $30,000 in financial aid annually for registration fees, instrument rentals and private lessons.