The Kona Harp Ensemble will hold its Spring Peace Concert Saturday at Hawaiian Queen Coffee Garden in Kailua-Kona.
The ensemble features three harpists, vocals, synthesizer, flutes, and percussion who will play music to celebrate spring during the event, which gets underway at 6 p.m. at the garden located off Henry Street. Among the selections are Vivaldi’s “Spring” arranged for three harps in D by Mo Snell, Michio Miyagi’s Haru No Umi (Ocean Spring), Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Rakim, a Persian love song recorded by Dead Can Dance for two harps, synth and tabla drums.
Among the harpists to perform are Bernice Roberto, Motter Snell and Irminsul.
Roberto is a professional harpist, music teacher and private instructor who began studying harp with Francis Duffy of the Pittsburgh symphony. She is also a composer, songwriter and vocalist and performs regularly at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hilton Waikoloa Village and Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay.
Snell is a professional harpist and has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and Seattle Opera. She was the principal harpist with the Bellevue (Wash.) Philharmonic Orchestra for eight years and Tacoma (Wash.) Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Music, Snell has been president of the Musicians Association of Seattle since 2001.
Irminsul is a Celtic harpist, pianist and composer. He has traveled with all sorts of acts from heavy metal to neoCeltic and has written music for piano, strings, woodwinds, mixed ensembles and orchestras.
On flutes is Manuel Roberto, a master of the wooden and bamboo bass flutes including the Bansuri, Shakuhachi and Native American flutes. He has studied with some of the greatest musicians in the world including GS Sachdev, Zakir Hussain and Pandit Jasraj and has composed music for theater and television, as well.
Also on flutes, as well as other woodwinds, is Jean Pierre Thoma, a world-traveled musician and educator. He performs on flute, saxophone and clarinet. Besides completing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, he has performed in Europe, Japan, India and Africa. He currently teaches at the Pacific Academy of Music in Hilo.
Cost is $15. To purchase tickets, call 329-3733 or visit konaspring.brownpapertickets.com
A similar concert will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo. The Hilo event will cost $15 for Imiloa members and $20 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets to the Hilo event, call 969-9703.
