Shows &events
Fulks performs tonight in Waimea
Grammy Award-nominee Robbie Fulks performs this evening at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea.
Nominated for two 2017 Grammy Awards, Best Folk Album, “Upland Stories” and Best American Roots Song, “Alabama at Night,” the Chicago singer/songwriter plays his bluegrass-tinged Americana sound with his marvelous band starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets range in price from $25-$68 and can be purchased online at www.kahilutheatre.org.
Info: Visit www.kahilutheatre.org.
Celebrate International Zouk Day
Big Island Zouk HI will celebrate International Zouk Day 2017 on Saturday with two events in Kailua-Kona.
A beginner Zouk Bootcamp will be offered from 1-3 p.m. at Big Island Session Studio, 74-5543 Kaiwi St. Cost is $20.
A mini mixed-level dance lesson will be offered at 6 p.m. followed by Social Dancing until 9 p.m. at the San Francisco Bay Coffee Bar on Alii Drive. Cost is a $5 donation.
No partner is necessary.
Info: contact Marie Snyder at (609) 577-2349 or visit www.alohazoukhi.weebly.com.
Hoku Paa Trio offers free concert
Hoku Paa Trio will offer a free concert Saturday as part of Queens’ MarketPlace’s monthly mini-concert series.
The trio, comprising Randy Kaaihue, Tani Waipa-Kaneao and Duane Yamada, will play at the Coronation Pavilion from 6-8 p.m.
Playing fun island music, the trio weaves family anecdotes and Hawaiian history into traditional and contemporary tunes.
Info: Call 886-8822.
Hoomalu brings Academy of Hawaiian Arts to Kahilu Theatre
Kumu Hula Mark Kealii Hoomalu and his Academy of Hawaiian Arts brings debut show to Kahilu Theatre on its opening weekend.
Hoomalu has established himself as a visionary artist with immeasurable passion for hula and Hawaiiana. Shows are slated at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets range in price from $25-$68 and can be purchased online at www.kahilutheatre.org.
Info: Visit www.kahilutheatre.org.
Afternoon at Hulihe’e honors Queen Liliuokalani
Queen Liliuokalani will be remembered from 4-5 p.m. Sunday during Afternoon at Hulihee Palace in Kailua Village.
A musical tribute to Hawaii’s most iconic royal musician and composer, Liliuokalani (1838-1917), the end-of-summer free performance will feature the West Hawaii County Band led by Bernaldo Evangelista and a hula performance by Halau Hula Na Pua Ui O Hawaii under the direction of Kumu Hula Etua Lopes.
The palace will be closed to visitors prior to the performance. Attendees of Afternoon at Hulihee should bring a beach mat or chair because seating won’t be provided. Donations will be accepted.
Afternoon at Hulihee is part of a yearlong series that honors Hawaii’s past monarchs and historical figures
Info: 329-1877, 329-9555 or www.daughtersofhawaii.org.
Poets to gather
The North Kohala Public Library Poetry group meets from 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday to write, read, and share a love of poetry.
Info: 889-6655.
Writer’s Group meets Tuesday
A Writer’s Group meets at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the North Kohala Public Library in Kapaau.
Facilitator Eila Algood, a poet and writer, will moderate the meetings to give participants a chance to practice writing, discuss writing skills, share their work, enjoy useful feedback and share the joys and frustrations of the writing life. Writers of all levels are invited.
Bring a pen and paper for writing.
The group meets on the third Tuesday of each month.
Info: 889-6655.
‘Chalk the Walk’ Thursday in Honokaa
Honokaa Public Library hosts “Chalk the Walk” from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Attendees will use chalk to create art fronting the library on Mamane Street. The event is also a part of the Honokaa Peace Week celebration. Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver.
Info: 775-8881.
West Hawaii County Band performs Sept. 22
West Hawaii County Band offers a free concert on Sept. 22 at Hale Halawai in Kailua-Kona.
The band will present “September Memories” at 6:30 p.m.
The West Hawaii County Band is a community band that includes approximately 20 musicians from all walks of life. The band rehearses weekly and performs regular monthly concerts at Hale Halawai.
The repertoire of the band includes march favorites, traditional brass band music, big band tunes and Hawaiian traditional tunes.
Info: Visit www.westhawaiiband.com.
WHEA hosts Kanikapila Jam and Hoolaulea
West Hawaii Explorations Academy Middle School hosts its 2017 Kanikapila Jam and Hoolaulea Festival from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 23 at the campus within the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authroity in Kailua-Kona.
This community event includes live entertainment from Aunty Darlene Ahuna, Kainani Kahaunaele, Aunty Tani and Hokupaa, Keola Grace, Mauka Soul and more. Tickets are $10 (keiki younger than 10 enter free) and include a chance to win door prizes, silent auctions, many vendors and fun cultural activities. There will also be food and other goodies for sale.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the event.
Info/tickets: Visit www.whea.net.
Magician Jason Andrews comes to Aloha Theatre
Join Magician Jason Andrews for an evening of magic and comedy that will have the whole family wondering “how did he do it?” on Sept. 23 at Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu.
Direct from Las Vegas with more than 25 international awards, Andrews has appeared on hit TV shows such as “Masters of Illusion,” “Penn &Teller’s Fool Us,” “The Daily Show,” and National Geographic’s “Brain Games.”
This 90-minute show, which gets underway at 7 p.m. has something for everyone. From amazing sleight of hand and a serving of magical vegetables, to a spine tingling walk across more than 100 shattered glass bottles. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Presented by Foster’s Kitchen, a portion of proceeds will benefit the Hawaii Island Humane Society.
Tickets are $15 for keiki and $20 for adults if purchased in advance. Prices increase by $5 if tickets are bought the day of the show.
Info/tickets: www.apachawaii.org.
Event benefits nonprofit dance company
Nonprofit dance company Prince Dance Theatre is hosting its annual fundraiser “The Carnival of Exotic Mayhem” on Sept. 30 at Honokaa People’s Theatre.
Even bigger than the past two years, “The Carnival of Exotic Mayhem” features crazy costumes, video projections, magic, fire dancers, go-go dancers, aerialists, dance and cabaret performances from members of the company and more. DJ Danny Waddell serves up the best in body rocking dance grooves all night long in a wild and carnival-like setting. The event runs from 7-10 p.m.
Prince Dance Theatre is raising funds to aid in the creation of its newest work “Dark Matter,” a collaborative effort between Prince Dance Theatre Artistic Director Angel Prince and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Astronomer Jean-Charles Cuillandre. “Dark Matter” aims to be both an informative and an entertaining dance theatre piece on the topic of space and dark matter and has an outreach component to it in which the company and astronomer will go into local schools to present the work imaginatively and educationally for students.
The “Carnival of Exotic Mayhem” is an all ages event and attendees are encouraged to dress in carnival gear. Tickets are $25 pre-sale for adults; $30 day of the event. Children 12 and younger are $10.
Prince Dance Theatre was formed in 2006 and has created six full-length performances and most recently performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Info/tickets: Visit www.princedance.org or call 217-3008.
Hanaialii performance benefits HPAF scholarship fund
Amy Hanaialii will take the stage on Oct. 7 at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in South Kohala.
Hanaialii, a five-time Grammy Award nominee and multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner, will get the concert going at 4 p.m. The performance is a fundraisr for music scholarships for the 2018 Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Tickets are $60 for general admission and $95 for VIP seating, which includes a post-concert artist reception.
Info: Call 333-7378 or visit www.hawaiiperformingartsfestival.org.
Ukulele Retreat returns to the Kohala Village Hub
For the third straight year, the Kohala Village Hub in Hawi will be hosting the Hawaii Island Ukulele Retreat, slated Oct. 15-21.
Featured instructors include Brad Bordessa, Kaliko Beamer Trapp, Lady Ipo, along with Kevin Carroll and Gerald Ross from the mainland. Ukulele instruction will cover all skill levels and genres from traditional Hawaiian mele for beginners to swing, jazz, blues and soul for the more advanced.
In addition, there will also be opportunities to learn lap steel guitar and ukulele bass with Kona Bob and Ross, engage in storytelling with Trapp, or take a hula workshop with Ipo. For a full schedule of events, visit www.hawaiiislandukuleleretreat.com.
“I have always felt that the best way to learn music is to surround myself with people who really love playing, and to drink deeply from the pool of love and talent that surrounds me,” said Kona Bob, a local musician who has been on the staff of the retreat since its inception. “In a setting like this, one can’t help but to make exciting new friendships with the teachers, fellow students, and with one’s instrument of choice.”
All attendees must register online. Kamaaina can choose to attend as full-time participants or can register for specific classes and workshops.
Info: Visit www.hawaiiislandukuleleretreat.com.
Announcements
Kamuela Philharmonic offering season subscription program
The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra is offering a season subscription program for its 2017-18 Concert Season, which consists of three concerts at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea.
Season subscribers receive access to the best seats in the theater for each performance at a discounted rate. The season subscription program runs through Oct. 13.
They also receive a free subscription to the Kamuela Philharmonic e-newsletter, invitations to all pre-concert events, invitations to subscriber-only special events not advertised to the general public, and invitations to chamber music recitals in elegant private homes.
Maestro Brian Dollinger will lead the orchestra in programs titled, “Triumph” and “Desire” with works by Paul Dukas, Georges Bizet, Aram Khachaturian, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on Oct. 15; “Rustic Inspirations” featuring performances by the winners of the orchestra’s yearly concerto competition, as well as music by Antonin Dvorák, and Aaron Copland on Jan. 28; and “Remarkable Flair” with Honolulu Symphony concertmaster Iggy Jang performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, opus 64, along with the orchestra, which will also play pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edward Elgar, and Ludwig van Beethoven. All performances begin at 4 p.m.
Subscription packages can be purchased online at www.kamuelaphil.org, by calling the Kahilu Theatre Box Office at 885-6868, or by visiting the Box Office at 67-1186 Lindsey Road in Waimea from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Info: www.kamuelaphil.org.
Artists sought for upcoming Open Studio Tour
Kona Palisades Artists is in preparation for its fourth annual Open Studio Tour currently planned for Nov. 18-19.
There is currently one or two openings for new artists to join the event this year. If you are an artist who lives in the Kona Palisades area and are interested in making an application, or to receive more information, please inquire via email.
Info: Email konapalisadesartists@gmail.com.
Metropolitan Opera HD season continues
Three operas will round out the 2017 Metropolitan Opera HD season to be followed by seven more in 2018. The new season includes an original work as well as five new productions.
On Oct. 7, the grand opera “Norma,” by Bellini will raise the curtain for this season. A dramatic tale set in the days of Rome and the Druids, with the tensions between passionate love and passion for duty, “Norma” features some of Bellini’s loveliest music. Sondra Radvanovsky who brought the opera world to its feet in singing all three Tudor Queens last year should fully master “Norma’s” singing and dramatic challenges.
On Oct. 14, in an entirely different mood, the Metropolitan will offer Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote.” In this tale of the forces of darkness against those of light, Mozart creates one of his most beloved characters, the BirdCatcher Papageno, as well as the Queen of the Night. The diva’s achievement of starry soprano heights illuminates the world of Mozart’s last and perhaps musically greatest opera. Golda Schultz and Kahryn Lewick are featured.
Then, on Nov. 18, the opera “The Avenging Angel” will be premiered. This is based on the Luis Bunel surrealist novel, perhaps an allegory of the Spanish Civil War, of a dinner party gone very bad, not unlike if the comparison is not irreverent, “The Rocky Horror Show.” The cast will be large and the music, by Angel Ades, is likely to expand our experience of contemporary opera.
Turning to the new year, seven great operas await: “Tosca,” by Puccini on Jan. 17, “L’Elisir D’Amore” by Donizetti on Feb. 10, “La Boheme” by Puccini, March 10, “Semiramide” by Rossetti, March 31, “Cosi Fan Tutti” by Mozart, April 14, “Luisa Miller” by Verdi, and April 28, “Cendrillon” by Massenet. Among the featured performers are Bryn Terfel, Pretty Yende, Sonya Yoncheva, Joyce Di Donato, and Placido Domingo.
Most performances begin at 12:45 p.m. at the Stadium 10 Regal Theater in the Makalapua Shopping Center in Kailua-Kona. Admission is $22-$24 for adults. Tickets are available from the box office or through www.fandango.com and www.fathomevents.com. Encore performances are usually offered the following Wednesday evening.
Classes &workshop
Traditional Japanese puppetry workshop offered
The Kailua-Kona Public Library hosts a free workshop on traditional Japanese puppetry from 5-6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with a master Japanese artist, Koryu Nishikawa V, who is a fifth generation master puppeteer of the kuruma ningyo style. This 160-year-old form of puppetry is related to the three-person style of bunraku. However, in kuruma ningyo, a puppet is operated by a single puppeteer who sits on a small wheeled cart. The puppeteer uses his hands and feet to manipulate the puppet’s arms, legs and head, all while rolling about the stage on the cart.
Joining Nishikawa is Tom Lee, originally from Mililani, Oahu, who has appeared in “War Horse on Broadway” and “Madama Butterfly” at the Metropolitan Opera. This workshop also presents the principles behind traditional sannin zukkai (three-person puppetry), the foundation of the bunraku tradition. Participants will have a hands-on opportunity to handle traditional Japanese puppets and draw back the curtain on how these beautiful puppets are brought to life through skillful puppetry technique.
The program is suitable for all ages, however, young children must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver.
This is a production of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Outreach College’s Statewide Cultural Extension Program with additional funding and support provided by the Performing Arts Presenters of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Info: Call 327-4327.
‘Fearless Abstract Painting’ with Samantha daSilva
Big Island artist Samantha daSilva will share her method of painting using rollers rather than brushes, tables instead of easels, lots of paint and water, canvas manipulation and plaster, sand and wood shavings to create ethereal textured abstracts during a workshop on Sept. 30 at Volcano Art Center.
The 10 a.m.-4 p.m. workshop is a basic overview of acrylic paints and mediums, the emotional language of color and so more. No experience is necessary.
Cost is $85 for VAC members and $90 for nonmembers, in addition to a $15 supply fee. There are also materials that students must furnish.
DaSilva is a professional artist, living and working on the Big Island. To view her work and find out more about her teaching philosophy, visit www.samanthadasilva.com.
Info: Visit www.volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.
Wine and watercolors Tuesday in Volcano
Artist Nancy DeLucrezia will teach the “Wonderful World and Water Color,” a workshop covering how to transfer a photo onto watercolor paper as well as all the basic techniques needed to create a painting of a picture on Tuesday at the Volcano Art Center.
Techniques covered will include basic palette setup, color theory and mixing, masking, wet in wet, texturizing and how to create depth, highlights and shadows. During the class, which runs 4-7 p.m., participants will enjoy a sampling of several wines.
Cost is $30 for VAC members and $35 for nonmembers, in addition to a $17 supply fee. The workshop will be held at the center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village.
DeLucrezia majored in art at the State University of New York as a photographer and printmaker and has painted with watercolors for more than 25 years. She has run a Japanese art gallery in New York City, designed public relations campaigns for several arts organizations, and developed a series of drawing and painting classes for children as well as an art therapy curriculum for adults. Before moving to the Big Island she was a member of the Santa Barbara Watercolor Society and Working Artists Ventura where she produced and participated in numerous art and theatrical events.
She also served as director of art programs for Turning point Foundation and taught watercolor painting to adults with special needs.
Info/register: Call 967-8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.
Film screenings
‘The Maltese Faction’ to be shown
Kahilu Theatre hosts a screening of the classic film “The Maltese Faction” at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
The 1941 film, written and directed by John Huston, stars Humphrey Bogart. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.
Info: Visit www.kahilutheatre.org.
Awards &accolades
Strohbehn earns People’s Choice Award
John Strohbehn’s piece “Storm,” made out of Alaskan yellow cedar, earned the seventh biennial Abstract Only! People’s Choice Award.
The multimedia juried exhibit, sponsored by the Hawaii Island Art Alliance and Wailoa Center, was open to the public Aug. 4-30, during which time more than 1,000 people visited the Hilo-based gallery.
Info: www.wailoacenter.com.
Hawaiian mystery/drama wins audience choice award
The Hawaiian mystery/drama “Kuleana” recently added another top prize to its growing list of successes with an “Audience Choice Narrative Feature” award in its second film festival screening at the 23rd annual San Antonio Film Festival.
In “Kuleana,” set on Maui in 1971, a disabled Vietnam vet rediscovers the Hawaiian warrior within to protect his family, defend their land, and clear his father’s name. “Kuleana” held its world premiere screening for an attendance-record 3,100 enthusiastic viewers outdoors at the 2017 Maui Film Festival in June, where it also received an Audience Choice Award.
A rising star in the “Kuleana” all-Hawaii cast, Sonya Balmores, appears this fall as Auran in Marvel’s “Inhumans” co-produced by ABC and IMAX. A first in television, the series debuts in IMAX theaters worldwide followed by a premiere on ABC. The actress from Kauai will also be seen in a guest-starring role in the upcoming season of Dwayne Johnson’s HBO television series “Ballers,” and in Gerard Butler’s action feature “Den of Thieves” alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
Balmores, writer/director Brian Kohne, and key cast and crew willsoon appear at select film festivals, incuding the Hawaii International Film Festival in November.
The provocative new mystery/drama was written and directed by Kohne, produced by Stefan Schaefer, and stars Moronai Kanekoa, Balmores, Kristina Anapau (“True Blood”), Augie T, Marlene Sai, Branscombe Richmond and Mel Cabang. Hawaii’s legendary Willie K provides an original score; the soundtrack boasts recordings by Joni Mitchell, Procol Harum, and Tony Orlando and Dawn, with classic Hawaiian hits of the sixties by Genoa Keawe, Lena Machado, Sunday Manoa, Sons of Hawaii and Marlene Sai.