Hawaii Performing Arts Festival Celebrates Season 18 With AS ONE, ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD, HAIR, and More

The season runs through July 24.

By: Jun. 30, 2022
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Hawaii Performing Arts Festival Celebrates Season 18 With AS ONE, ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD, HAIR, and More

Since the summer of 2005, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (HPAF) has continued to bring world-class music to Hawai'i Island.

Over the past 18 years, HPAF has garnered an international reputation as a premiere training and performance program for aspiring young artists worldwide, many of whom have gone onto significant careers as singers, conductors, directors, orchestral musicians, and teachers. Alumni have recently appeared on Broadway, National Tours, The Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and beyond. Each season, HPAF assembles an exceptional roster of faculty artists who provide instruction and appear in a series of public concerts for the Big Island community.

From June 26 through July 24, HPAF will return for its first full season since 2019. The 2022 Festival, "A Season of Self-Discovery," includes a diverse offering of chamber music concerts and fully-staged musical theatre and operatic productions featuring Hair, Orpheus in the Underworld, and As One. All performances are presented at various venues across the island including Kahilu Theatre, Palace Theatre, and more. On June 30, HPAF celebrates the rich culture of Hawai'i in a transcendent season opener at Fairmont Orchid, featuring performances by Hawane Rios, Blayne Asing, Kaulu Amaral with Pomai Brown & Friends, and Hālau Ka'eaikahelelani. All proceeds from this evening will support the HPAF Scholarship Fund for local high school students.

A strong commitment to music education and access is a key area of focus for HPAF, according to executive director Justin John Moniz. "Since last July, my team and I have worked tirelessly to engage the most diverse faculty and participant roster in the history of the Festival. In addition, we awarded nearly $110,000 in scholarships and financial aid to 85% of our participants, shattering all previous records. Finally, we have programmed groundbreaking repertoire that will challenge societal norms and afford us the opportunity to use our art form as a vehicle for discussion and social impact."

This season also begins a new partnership with Kahilu Theatre where HPAF will spend a significant portion of the summer "in residence" for their fully-staged productions. The residency will allow the organization to further expand its quality of offerings and work more carefully to bring music education and cultural experiences to the local community in one of the most cherished Island venues. With a mission similar to that of HPAF, Kahilu Theatre is a not-for-profit community arts and education center dedicated to serving the diverse Hawai'i Island community.

HPAF is also thrilled to launch its Hawaiian Cultural Initiative. Thanks to the generous support of the State of Hawai'i and Hawaii Tourism Authority, HPAF will offer a series of classes aimed to strengthen faculty, staff, and students' engagement and understanding of the rich culture of Hawai'i. Led by local faculty members, this summer's curriculum will include kukui and Lāiʻī lei making, the history of Hawai'i, Hawaiian language, and hula instruction. It is the aim of this initiative to provide a greater sense of community and appreciation for the native land and its people.

HPAF's commitment to music education reaches far beyond the training of its participants. This season, a number of the Festival's developing singers will bring a special performance of arias, songs, and duets to the Waikoloa Summer Camp for K-8 students. The goal of this experience is to introduce culturally, geographically, and economically disadvantaged students to the world opera and musical theatre performance. In addition, HPAF's new "Behind the Curtain Series," will welcome audience members before the Sunday matinee performances of As One, Orpheus in the Underworld, and Hair. These pre-performance discussions will offer an opportunity for attendees to engage with HPAF artists on thematic material and the process of moving a story from the page to the stage.

A full calendar of events and tickets for all events are available by visiting https://hawaiiperformingartsfestival.org/. Tickets for Kahilu Theatre events may be purchased at https://kahilutheatre.org/ or via phone at (808) 885-6868.


 


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