For Lance Inouye, the principal guest conductor of the world premiere of the opera “Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree,” the performances this week and next are a chance to return to the Islands where he grew up.
He will lead musicians in the opera performed in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English, which is presented by the Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre. Performances will take place May 1, 3 and 5 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall.
The Punahou School graduate is now based in Portland, Oregon, but started his career in Honolulu, where he participated in school music programs and played percussion for the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony. Now, Inouye is the artistic director and conductor of the Willamette Valley Symphony, the artistic director for The Portland Concert Opera, and the associate professor of music and director of orchestral activities for Lewis & Clark College.
“It's really special for me to be back home and to conduct here,” Inouye told Aloha State Daily.
“Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree” was written by Librettist Victoria Nālani Kneubuhl, with music by Composer Herb Mahelona. Kumu Hula Patrick Keʻaniniʻulaookalani Makuakāne, who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2023, is the director and choreographer.
Inouye headed to the Mainland to earn a doctor of musical arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music and completed post-graduate studies at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory “Rimsky-Korsakov” in Russia. In 2023, he made his debut with HOT as the conductor of "An American Dream.”
“Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree" follows the story of Timoteo Ha‘alilio, who sets out on a mission to secure treaties from the U.S., Great Britain, Belgium and France, which recognize Hawaiʻi as a sovereign nation.
When asked to pick a favorite moment of the opera, Inouye paused. Then, he mentioned a moment when Ha‘alilio and William Richards, a missionary, are about to head out on a big journey.
“It's a big deal,” Inouye said. “They're going to be gone for a long time. The entire royalty comes out. The entire town comes out to wish them farewell. Everybody's singing all at the same time, and it's just such a beautiful moment. It's so powerful. And the music, it just builds and builds and builds, so that's a really great moment.”
He also appreciates the opera’s arias.
“Each of the main characters have has their own solo arias,” he said. “I love all of those, because those are just so beautiful.”
The opera stars baritone Quinn Kelsey and includes a full orchestra, as well as a chorus of about 40 people and a cast of about a dozen individuals.
"Many of us have grown up listening to Hawaiian music, but this is in an operatic setting," Inouye said. "And it is so beautiful because Hawaiian itself is such a beautiful language to hear and to listen to — and when it's sung in opera — it's really beautiful because there's lots of vowels and lots of beautiful sounds that are coming out of the stage."
For those who have not gone to an opera before, Inouye suggests focusing on something universal: storytelling.
“One of the main things I think people should know is that it's just like you're going to see a story that's being told through singing and music,” he said. “In this particular case, there's dance involved. There's hula. A lot of hula in this show because our stage director, Patrick Makuakāne, is quite a prominent kumu hula. He's based in San Francisco, but he's born and raised here in Honolulu.”
Itʻs best to arrive with an open mind to see how the story unfolds, Inouye advised.
“You don't have to be knowledgeable about classical music or any of that stuff,” he said. “You just have to come and enjoy the story. Because it's a beautiful story. And it's a true story about Hawaiian history, which is pretty much unknown. I didn't know about this story. And most people didn't know about it or learn about it growing up, so that's another pretty cool thing to hear."
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
