Saturday, April 24, 2010

News from Nā Hōkū O Hawaiʻi Music Festival

More than 75 workshops will be offered as part of the first annual Nā Hōkū Hawaiʻi Music Festival scheduled May 27 – 30 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Experts in their respective fields present workshops ranging from Digidesign with Pro Tools to Manufacturers by Taylor Guitars and Hula & Music with Kealiʻi Reichel to Making a CD with Kenneth Makuakāne. Notable out-of-town presenters including David Pack, Cas Haley, Yuna Ito, Taylor Guitars, Roland Keyboards, and Digidesign complement sessions by Hawaiʻi’s top artists, slack key masters, kumu hula, and music industry experts.

“The workshops provide an extraordinary opportunity for the music industry and fans locally, nationally and internationally,” said Dawn Kaniaupio. “Artists will have access to the latest information to expand and improve their careers while music fans meet artists and music industry leaders in an up close-and-personal-setting.”

Out-of-town presenters as of April 5th include:

• Composition: David Pack - Solo Performer, former Front man for Ambrosia, and Grammy-winning Producer David Pack has won international acclaim both for his solo work - with his current CD: "The Secret Of Movin' On"- and his stellar turn as front man for progressive rock/pop group Ambrosia. He is also renowned as a Grammy winning producer for superstars including Wynonna, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin and Kenny Loggins, and as a music director/producer of global stage events including both of President Clinton's inaugurals. His collected works as a performer and producer have sold over 40 million units worldwide.

• Reggae: Cas Haley - In 2007 Cas Haley was a contestant on the U.S. reality television show Americans Got Talent. Cas amazed the audience in his first performance singing Stingʻs Walking on the Moon, a capella. AGT wasn't his first 'gig', but it did introduce us to Cas. He seems humble, gracious, and talented. Cas released his first album in February 2008. Available through iTunes download, the album became #1 on the iTunes Reggae Charts! Released a month later as a Best Buy exclusive, the album reached #5 in total sales ... and in its first week! Come here how Cas is collaborating with Hawaiʻi artists and how Reggae is just one of many genres he has been described as having fans from.

• Vocal Trainer: Robert Lunte - 
Singing isn't all in your head, it is an athletic endeavor that requires the preparation and coordination of your entire body. And while the ha'i (vocal break) in Hawaiian falsetto singing is a beautiful vocal device, there is a beautiful and powerful part of your voice behind it that you can also learn to use. You will learn how to warm-up and train as a vocal athlete, and connect your singing voice from its lowest range to its highest for all styles of singing.

• Yuna Ito: Born September 20, 1983. Born in LA, raised in Hawaiʻi, graduate of McKinley High School. In 2005, she starred as "Reila" in the film "NANA" which is based on this really popular manga(comic) and debuted with the song called "Endless Story" which was a theme song to this movie. This song became a record hit, and in the same year, she received multiple awards. In May 2006, she released a song called "Precious" which was a theme song to another movie called "Limit of Love" and this became another huge hit. In December 2006, she starred in the movie "Nana 2" which was a sequel to "Nana" and sang a theme song again. In January 2007, she released her debut full length album called "Heart" which went on number one on Oricon Chart (which is equivalent of Billboard Chart in Japan) and in spring 2007, she did the first solo concert which was sold out everywhere. Shortly after, she released collaboration tracks with artists such as "Micro" who is a former Def Tech, Kotaro Oshio, a famous acoustic guitarist and Celine Dion. Her second album came out on February 20th called "Wish" and she did the guest appearance for Celine Dion's Japan tour in March. She also was a campaign model for Gap 2009 Winter campaign along with Mira Jovovich, Ashanti and she is about to release another album soon.

• Manufacturer Workshop: Taylor Guitars - The Taylor Guitars line covers a broad spectrum of guitar styles and tonal flavors. Their performance-ready acoustic/electrics, traditional acoustics and nylon-string models offer many different combinations of body shapes, tonewoods and appointments. Their electric models range from the Taylor SolidBody to the incredibly versatile hybrid T5. And if your dream guitar is a beautiful custom Taylor, the Build to Order program won¹t let you down. Come hear from National rep David Kaye what’s in store from Taylor Guitars. Also available in the Manufacturers room throughout the festival will be a Taylor Refresh & Restring Clinic.

• Digidesign: From the largest recording facilities to the smallest bedroom studios, Pro Tools® is the most popular sound creation and production system in the world. Featuring professional hardware and award-winning software that work together with your computer, Pro Tools lets you easily accomplish everything from composing music and recording to editing and mixing sound for broadcast and post production, all within a single environment.

The Pro Tools 101: Introduction to Pro Tools covers basic Pro Tools principles, giving you everything you need to complete a Pro Tools project, from initial set up to final mix down. This course focuses on Pro Tools 8 software and covers a multitude of new functions and feature enhancements. Whether your project involves recording of live instruments, MIDI sequencing of software synthesizers, or audio editing or region looping, this course will give you the basic skills to succeed. Sessions will be conducted by National Rep Andy Cook and will cover 15 hours during the festival a session will be conducting every hour.



The Workshop Schedule and registration are available at: www.nahokufestival.com/subpage.php?page=workshop

The four-day Nā Hōkū O Hawaiʻi Music Festival Schedule of Events: www.nahokufestival.com/subpage.php?page=workshops


Join the Nā Hōkū O Hawaiʻi Music Festival Community and get up-to-the-minute updates on artistsʻ participation, travel packages and registration for the workshops at http://www.nahokufestival.com/

Mother's Day DINNER in Waikiki

Mother's Day DINNER in Waikiki

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Long unseen treasures on view at the Honolulu Academy of Arts

There's always something to pique your interest at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.  Set aside a morning or afternoon to leisurely stroll through the galleries to enjoy what's on display and end with a snack or lunch at the Cafe.  Here's what's featured now.

Through May 9, 2010
Graphic Cabinet 5: Private and Public Devotion in Medieval Europe
The Honolulu Academy of Arts has a modest yet rich selection of medieval illuminated manuscripts and stained glass and presented is a series of focused exhibitions showcasing highlights from the Academy’s vast and significant collection of work on paper.

Through May 2, 2010
From Whistler to Warhol: Modernism on Paper
Gallery 28: Henry R. Luce Gallery
In an unprecedented move, the Academy presents a major exhibition of 100 masterworks from their modernist holdings, including a number of unpublished and rarely exhibited examples, as well as a selection of important recent acquisitions.

Beginning with the American painter-printmaker James McNeill Whistler, the exhibition traces the history of modernism on paper to show how this medium proved supremely adaptable to the avant-garde spirit of experimentation. On view will be works by Whistler, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Odilon Redon, Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Emile Nolde, Käthe Kollwitz, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, John Marin, Joseph Stella, Edward Hopper, John Sloan, Raphael Soyer, Thomas Hart Benton, Tatanya Grossman, June Wayne, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella.

Through June 27, 2010
Masterpieces from the Richard Lane Collection
Gallery 14
This exhibition presents more than 30 masterpieces of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese painting and a group of Japanese woodblock prints from the Academy’s recently acquired Richard Lane Collection. Included in the show will be one of the earliest paintings so far discovered in the Lane Collection—a Chinese hanging scroll in ink on silk of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, painted by a Chan (Zen) monk in ca. 1280 A.D. (Yuan dynasty).

May 20 to October 10, 2010
Men in Lace
Gallery 22
The Academy’s incredible textile collection includes more than 300 pieces of European lace, starting with three 16th-century Italian laces. In the 18th century, the demand for very fine lace increased enormously, especially in France. Lace was the perfect accessory in this period of frivolous, rich, precious, and refined living. Sought by kings and courtiers, the aristocracy and the clergy, lace became a symbol of wealth and was omnipresent in the lives of affluent families.

May 20–September 12, 2010
HAA Graphic Cabinet 6: William Blake’s Illustrations to the Book of Job
Gallery 9
This exhibition will present William Blake’s important series of 22 engravings, Illustrations to the Book of Job. A poet, painter, and printmaker of extraordinary vision, Blake is renowned for the mystical complexity and political subtlety of his work, as well as for the intricate relationships he consistently establishes between the images he creates and the texts on which they are based.




Honolulu Academy of Arts

www.honoluluacademy.org
900 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 532-8700

Monday, April 5, 2010

Hikes into Waimea Valley for all fitness levels




Good news for hikers of all ability … Waimea Valley, located on O‘ahu across from Waimea Bay, introduced Saturday Valley hikes earlier this year.  Hikes range from easy to moderate family hikes to strenuous 5-hour hikes (only on the last Saturday of the month).
                                                                                        
The hikes explore stunning views atop ridges, streams, the Waimea Waterfall with guides helping hikers identify native and exotic plants, native fish, rare endemic aquatic moth pupa and the Valley’s indigenous birds.

Children (for all hikes) 15 years of age or younger must be accompanied by an adult.

To participate in the Family Hikes children must be 7 years of age or older.  Family Hikes cost $10 per person plus the cost of admission (ranges from $5 - $13) to the Valley.  Space is limited to 20 participants and reservations are required.

To participate in the strenuous hikes, the last Saturday of each month, children must be at least 12 years of age.  Strenuous hikes cost $15 per person plus the cost of admission (ranges from $5 - $13).  A minimum of 5 participants are required for the hike to take place.  Please make your reservations no later than the Friday before the Saturday hike.

Registration is at 8:30 am at the Waimea Valley Visitor Center.  Hikes start promptly at 9:00 am and end at 12:30 pm (short hikes only).  Participants should bring a snack, insect repellent, sunscreen and water.  Closed-toe, non-slip hiking shoes are required-without exception.

For more information visit www.waimeavalley.net or call (808) 638-7766.