Sky Barnhart

Renowned conductor keeps Maui classical music scene lively.People come to Maui for lots of reasons: to honeymoon, to surf, to relax, to learn about the Hawaiian culture. But if Stuart Chafetz had his way, people would come to Maui for another specific reason: to see a Maui Pops concert.
“Maui has wonderful music of all kinds,” Chafetz said. “But the island is starved for classical music. People really respond whenever we do a concert here. There is a void that needs to be filled, and our goal is to be there for the community.”
Chafetz is music director and conductor of the Maui Pops Orchestra, a nonprofit organization based in Kula, now in its third season of “Light Classics in Paradise.” Maui Pops is styled after the famous Boston Pops Orchestra, which rose to worldwide acclaim under the conductorship of Arthur Fiedler beginning in the 1930s. Fiedler is credited with expanding the reach of classical music beyond the wealthy elite to a broader public by incorporating popular music and well-known favorites.
“We’re aiming for light, fun, family-friendly music that’s appealing to larger audiences,” said Maui Pops boardmember Gary Salenger. “It’s live music that’s not rock, reggae or Hawaiian; it’s classical music that people will recognize.”
“So much of people’s musical diet is subconscious,” Chafetz said. “They’ve heard opera arias or violin concertos or Mozart through various forms of media. It’s always so invigorating when an audience member comes up to me and says, ‘I know that music! I didn’t know it was from that!’”
Since Chafetz took over conductorship of the Maui Pops Orchestra from Jim Durham in 2005, his goal has been to keep Maui residents and visitors making those positive connections—at least as much as his schedule will allow.
It’s a pretty amazing schedule. Chafetz was recently given the prestigious appointment of resident conductor with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for the 2007-08 season. Now he will commute between Milwaukee, Wis.; his home in Chautauqua, N.Y.; his home in Honolulu, where he has been principal timpanist in the Honolulu Symphony since 1989; and his Maui Pops duties here on Maui.
Formerly, as associate conductor for the Louisville Orchestra, he was commuting to Louisville, Ky.; along with frequent guest appearances conducting orchestras such as the Austin Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Chautauqua Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, South Dakota Symphony and Virginia Symphony.
Fortunately, Chafetz has a lot of energy. In fact, his friends call him the Energizer Bunny. “I’m a big coffee drinker and an energetic type of person,” he said. “I just love what I do. I probably drive my wife [conductor Ann Krinitsky] crazy because I’m always thinking about the music.”
Longtime Maui residents will remember the Maui Symphony Orchestra: a classical establishment on the island for approximately 15 years; the last three of which, Chafetz was the conductor. During his leadership of the Maui Symphony, Chafetz was responsible for the island’s first symphonic radio broadcasts on Hawai‘i Public Radio featuring the Masterworks concerts live from Maui. He also hosted a nationally aired PBS special, Hawai‘i: The Old and the New, featuring some of the state’s most talented young performers.
Chafetz is a longtime advocate for young people’s musical education and an avid promoter of Hawai‘i’s talented youth. Once, during a tour with the Honolulu Symphony on the Big Island, he remembered: “The audience was packed with kids, parents and teachers. We asked them, ‘How many of you have ever seen a symphony orchestra?’ No one raised their hands. Here we had 8-, 9-, 10-year-olds hearing this music—this Beethoven, this Mozart—for the first time, live…Maybe they love it, maybe they hate it, but it’s going to directly affect someone!”
To share the importance of classical music, Chafetz has conducted the Hawai‘i Opera Theater’s “Discovery” program and the popular ‘Ohana concert series for young audiences and their families.
“Maui has one of the most supportive and appreciative audiences in the world,” Chafetz said. “When the audience reacts to a tune of music that they love, there’s nothing like it. Maui Pops gives happiness to the community…and we’re just getting going!”
Chafetz will lead the Maui Pops Orchestra in two upcoming performances at The MACC’s Castle Theater: the Halloween Spooktacular on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 3:30 p.m. (with orchestra and audience in costume!); and the Maui Holiday Pops on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 3:30 p.m. For tickets and information, visit www.mauipops.com.