30th Annual Maui Classical Music Festival

By Kristin Hashimoto

Maui Music Festival

It’s not just a string thing. Violas, cello, violin and double bass play with piano, flute, and gorgeously voiced arias, at the 30th annual Maui Classical Music Festival taking place from April 29, through May 6.

Dvorak, Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini, Roussel and more, will be on island in spirit, as their major works are expertly interpreted by nine world-renowned musicians.

On April 29, Amadeus – The Magical Life and Music of Mozart, will be narrated by television and radio personality, Howard Dicuses. All nine musicians will perform at Makawao Union Church from 7:00 p.m. Pianist Katherine Collier, violinist Arnaud Sussmann, cellist David Requiro, violinist Emanuel Borok, soprano Mary Bonhag, flutist Lorna McGhee, David Harding and Yizhak Schotten on viola,  and cellist Evan Premo, will each play a part in the night’s retelling of Mozart’s life. Collier and Schotten are also music directors for the Maui Classical Music Festival.

Katherine Collier - Pianist and Music Director

On May 1, Sacred Hearts Mission Church in Kapalua will host the Showcase Concert, beginning at 4:00 p.m. All nine musicians will perform their favorite encore pieces. The night will end with “Romanian Rhapsody” from composer George Enescu.

On May 2, Kealawa’i Congregational Church in Makena will have a sunset soiree that begins at 7:00 p.m., with “The Four B’s, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bernstein.” On May 4, Wananalua Congregational Church in Hana will hold a community concert beginning at 7:00 p.m. On May 6, the musicians return to Kealawa’i Congregational Church to conclude a week of musicality with a decadent “Dvorak and Diverse Delights” program.

Three decades ago, this classical music festival began as the Kapalua Music Festival. After the deaths of founders, Colin and Margaret Cameron, the name changed to its current moniker and evolved into a non-profit organization. Since its inception, 380 musicians from the United States and 16 foreign countries have participated in this yearly event.

Yizhak Schotten-Viola, Music Director Image courtesy of Maui Classical Music Festival

For more information about the programs, musicians, and the festival, visit www.mauiclassicalmusicfestival.org, or call, 878-2312. Student ticket prices are just $10 and adult tickets are $25. They can be ordered online, through the mauiclassicalmusicfestival.org website. The Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and the Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation support the Maui Classical Music Festival.