Island favorites bring their beautiful music back to the Castle TheaterHAPA—Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau—bring their distinctive brand of innovative contemporary Hawaiian music back to the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., as part of The MACC’s popular Ho‘onanea Series. Stirring chant by Charles Ka‘upu adds to the virtuoso performances of these long-time, island-favorite musicians.
Like the Hawaiian Islands themselves, HAPA’s ground-breaking pan-Polynesian music is an amalgam of influences ranging from ancient genealogical chants to the ballads of Portuguese fishermen and Spanish cowboys, and the inspirational melodies of early missionaries. Add to this the pulse and energy of acoustic folk/rock and various world-music influences, and you have what has been acclaimed as some of the most successful, exciting and beautiful contemporary Hawaiian music by fans and music professionals alike.
Slack key virtuoso Flanagan has described the musical work on Maui, their popular Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning sixth release, as “a soundtrack for 21st century Polynesia, where native art, history and music are pulled together by the powerful force of Maui.” And the Los Angeles Times has claimed that, like Hawai‘i, HAPA’s music is at once “beautiful, fragile, spiritual, powerful.”
As part of this concert engagement in the Castle Theater, Flanagan and Aweau will participate in several events the previous day under the auspices of The MACC’s “Artists in the Community” Program. They will perform for and visit with students at two Maui schools, and with kupuna at a senior center.
The MACC’s Ho‘onanea Series programs are known for their whole-evening entertainment value. Pre-show festivities start at 5:30 p.m. with displays of Hawaiian arts and crafts, as well as a full selection of beverage and food options—dinners, snacks and desserts. Live hula and music will be performed onstage in Founders’ Court, featuring the Kawika Ho‘opi‘i Trio and hula dancers, from 6:15 to 7 p.m. Early arrivals will enjoy a true Hawaiian music experience.
Tickets for the HAPA concert are $10, $28 and $37; half-price for kids 12 and under, and with a 10 percent discount for MACC annual donors. To purchase tickets or for more information, call 242-SHOW (regular box office hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday) or visit anytime online at www.MauiArts.org.