It may be a new year, but it seems like we’re singing the same old song when it comes to the uncertainty of local in-person performances.
With an increase in statewide coronavirus infections due to the spread of the omicron variant, the Kahilu Theatre has decided to postpone in-person live performances for the time being. Still, it will continue to offer livestream shows via its reliable fallback, Kahilu TV.
The tough decision was made last Tuesday, and the following day, executive director Sara Nealy said via email, “Our return will depend on the course of the pandemic and County restrictions. We’re not closed nor dark, just playing it safe until the Omicron surge decreases. We will be adjusting our website and other places online and issuing refunds to people who purchased tickets to canceled and postponed shows. We are beginning that process this week.”
Grammy Award-nominated Hawaiian singer/songwriter Kimié Miner, who was scheduled to perform this Saturday, will play the venue on March 5. The next edition of Song Circle has been moved to March 11, and John Cruz returns to the Kahilu on May 28.
“We hope to resume in-person concerts in February, but who knows at this point,” noted Kahilu’s artistic director Chuck Gessert.
This month, the only shows offered at the Waimea venue will be pianist Alpin Hong and the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra. Both are livestream-only concerts.
Hong’s performance is Jan. 14 at 4 p.m., and he will also be doing an educational outreach program for local schools and classrooms across the world exclusively on Kahilu TV.
The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra will perform “MasterWorks II: Refreshed Jubilance” on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Further details will be released at a later date.
If Hawaii County case numbers drop, the first in-person live show at the Kahilu will take place on Feb. 4, with a dance party by local musician Rachael Scott.
The theater will be open to the public for a juried exhibition of Hawaii State artists called “Brilliance of Now.” It will open Wednesday and run through March 4. Everyone entering Kahilu Theatre’s Simperman and Hamakua Galleries must adhere to the theater’s current COVID safety policy.
Steve Roby is the editor of Big Island Music Magazine.
