Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra is collaborating with the University of Hawaiʻi to present “Symphony of Hawaiʻi Seas” a free concert open to the public that features moʻolelo, music and animations themed around the ocean. The concert is a collaboration between HSO and the University of Hawaiʻi’s Sea Grant College Program as well as its Department of Music.
The one-hour concert features ocean animations, symphonic music and hula. The free evening performance is open to the public and will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall. In addition to the evening performance, students in fourth grade through high school will also get a chance to see performances during the school day. Those concerts are also free.
The concert features HSO performing ocean-themed original music from local composers Michael-Thomas Foumai, Herb Mahelona, Takuma Itoh, Logyn Okuda and Justin Park. This music is paired with animations by Kari Noe, Janae Taclas, Dillon Valenzuela, Jewel Racasa, Sam St. John, Edward Ayano, Napua Rice, Huy Nguyen and Kieren McKee. There will also be a song composed by Rosie Alegado and Aimee Sato with a hula performance created under the direction of Kumu Hula Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani and Taupōuri Tangarō.
“The ʻSymphony of the Hawai‘i Seas’ exemplifies the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to serving our community through innovative, culturally resonant programming,” said Amy Iwano, the president and chief executive officer of HSO. “We’re using music along with other arts to tell stories that deepen our connection to the ocean and inspire collective stewardship of Hawai'i's natural resources. This free ʻohana concert is a powerful reminder of how the arts can unite us in caring for Hawai‘i’s future, and we're pleased to share this important message with keiki and kupuna alike.”
The animations explore the stories of native sea life and ʻaumākua. Following the evening concert, there will be a 30-minute panel discussion with the project’s animators.
"Each hand that touched this work reached through the depths of memory, knowledge, dreams, and love for the ocean, and in doing so depicted just a few ways we strengthen our relationship with ʻāina,” said Kalilinoe Detwiler, the project’s storyteller and animations coordinator and a Ph.D. candidate in UH’s Department of English. “The symphony pushes and pulls in many directions: from seascape to landscape, from memory to material, from past to future, from inherited to learned knowledge, from caring for sea life to being cared for. The relationship is reciprocal. We enter the relationship by taking action – through art, through research, through the movement of our bodies and voices in ways that align with our waters."
Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program works with UH’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology as well as the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administratoin to identify environmental management issues in Hawaiʻi and provide scientific research that addresses these challenges, according to its website.
“With support from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Provost’s Strategic Investment Initiative, the ʻSymphony of the Hawaiʻi Seas’ demonstrates what is possible when animators, storytellers, cultural practitioners, composers, musicians, environmental stewards and scientists unite,” said Beth Lenz, the assistant director for strategic communications and engagement for Hawaiʻi Sea Grant. “This collective effort honors our connection to the ocean — past, present, and future — and invites everyone to experience Hawaiʻi’s marine ecosystems in a way that inspires us all to mālama i ke kai (care for the ocean).”
Previously, HSO held similar concerts celebrating native species, including “Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds,” and “Symphony of the Hawaiʻi Forests." This is the third installment in that series.
While the concert is free, attendees must reserve tickets. To get tickets or for more information go to: myhso.org.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
