For the first time, Maui entries and nominees for the N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Awards will be featured in an all-day, free hoʻolauleʻa on Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Great Lawn of the . This event is part of the statewide celebration of Hawaiian music.
The hoʻolauleʻa will include performances by the students of the (IHM), Pono Murray, Matagi, Ahumanu, Grammy and N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Award winner George Kahumoku and Anthony Pfluke, Mondok¨¡ne, Halemanu Villarimo and Tarvin Makia, Cane Fire, Melinda Carrol with Lehua Simon, Mikeala Bega and Bentley Kalaway, Pat Simmons, Jr., N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Award winners Kanekoa, Damien Paiva and Goldawn Won.
More than half of the performers are also finalists for a N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Award this year. Winners will be announced at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Convention Center on May 19.
In addition to the live performances, IHM will host three workshops. The first will feature IHM director and Â鶹´«Ã½ Academy of Recording Arts governor Keola Donaghy, who will discuss both the Grammy and N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Awards, the benefits of membership in both organizations and how to enter music releases into the awards.
The second will feature multiple N¨¡ H¨k¨± Hanohano Award-winning songwriter, producer, performer and engineer Kenneth Makuak¨¡ne, who will discuss songwriting, and guide participants through writing their own song.
In the third workshop, participants will learn how to create p¨±niu—a coconut shell drum used in hula. The workshop will be conducted by Kaponoʻai Molitau. There is a $10 fee for each workshop and a $50 material fee for the p¨±niu-making workshop.
The hoʻolauleʻa is sponsored by IHM, Â鶹´«Ã½ Academy of Recording Arts and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Tourism Authority.
The hoʻolauleʻa will have food and drinks available for purchase. Parking and entrance to the event are free. For more information or to reserve a seat in one of the workshops, please contact Keola Donaghy at donaghy@hawaii.edu or (808) 984-3570.
—By Kit Furukawa