WEST HAWAII TODAY | BIG ISLAND ENTERTAINMENT SCENE FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 | 9 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT tickets will be sold at the door if they are not sold out. Info: www.volcanoartcenter.org. Kona Ukulele Festival this weekend The 2017 Kona Ukulele Festival, presented by Kaulua’e Foundation and Halau Kala’akeakauikawekiu, is slated Saturday at Old Kona Airport Beach Park. Learn new skills and songs during the workshops that start at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day, then perform and play with the artists in the evening. All proceeds to benefit the Kaulua’e Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Participating artists include Lale Kam, Bula Akamu and Kainani Kahaunaele. Cost is $42 per workshop and $12 for dinner. Info: https://goo.gl/BJ1yop. Fukushima Kids Hawaii events benefit organization’s efforts Kona-based group Fukushima Kids Hawaii will present cultural fundraising events in Kona and Hilo this Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and caused damage in Hawaii. The group has been inviting Fukushima children to Big Island for learning and healing since 2013, and the proceeds of events will be used for this summer’s program. On Saturday, is “Prayer for Fukushima” from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hawaiian Queen Coffee Garden with a dance by Nasu Shizuno. Opening the event is Kumu Keala Ching with Yumi Kikuchi as emcee. Kikuchi will also play flute joined by pianist Annu Shionoya and vocalist Kau’ilani Trainer performing Puccini, Mozart, Verdi, Debussy and more. For the first time, Hilo-based Women’s Chorus Group “Harmony on Tap,” led by Jeri Gertz, will join the effort for the Hilo event, which is slated from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at the East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo. The concert will feature vocalists Kau’ilani Trainer, Lisa Tagtor and Marius Stranger with “Harmony on Tap,” Annu Shionoya on piano and Yumi Kikuchi on flute. They will perform selected opera arias, art songs and jazz pop by Puccini, Handel, Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, Gluck, Debussy, Schubert and others. This summer’s group of children will be the seventh invited from Japan by FKH, a project of Aloha Keiki, 501(c)(3) based in Honolulu. The group is expecting to host its 100th person this year. Info: www.fukushimakidshawaii.com. KS Hawaii Hoike tells stories of 2 19th century alii Kamehameha Schools Hawaii campus will present the school’s 14th annual Hoike on Thursday and Friday, March 17, at Koaia Gymnasium in Keaau. For this year’s production, KS Hawaii will present Ka Iu O Hoku, a historical fiction work based on two plays by the late Clarence Waipa, a retired music teacher from St. Joseph School and former choir director of Hilo Seventh-day Adventist Church, First United Protestant Church, Kamehameha Schools Alumni Chorus of Hilo and Sing Out Hilo. Ka Iu O Hoku involves two 19th century alii related not only through blood, but through the common fate of being both heirs to throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom but never able to reign. The first act is taken from Waipa’s play “Almost a King,” Kay’s guardian, Canon Pennefather, who all play a part in the mystery. When Jackie gets hysterical and shoots Simon in the leg, an audacious conspiracy is revealed, everything is questioned, and eventually the criminals are caught. The cast is led by Hayley Pereira and Stephen Bond as Kay and Simon Mostyn, with Stephanie Becher as Jacqueline, and Ray Ryan as Canon Pennefather. Supporting characters are Lezleigh Bignami as Aunt Helen, Erin Smith as Christina, Mark Rawlings as Smith, Barbara Johnson as Louise and Steve Peyton as Dr. Bessner. Also appearing in the show are Lowden Borgens, Carol Denecker and Roch Jones. Performaces are March 17 through April 2 and are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays at Kilauea Theater. Tickets prices are $15 for general admission, $12 seniors and students and $10 for children younger than age 12. They are available at Kilauea General Store, Keaau Natural Foods, the Most Irresistible Shop and at the door. Info: 982-7344, email kden73@aol.com. Hawaiian Cultural Center of Hamakua fetes 1-year anniversary with festival The Hawaiian Cultural Center of Hamakua celebrates its one-year anniversary with cultural programs and classes on March 18 in Honokaa. The E Ola Mau I Ka Pono Festival is set ROCK OUT with the original rebel! PRESENTS FEBRUARY 10 TO MARCH 12, 2017 FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS AT 7:30 PM SUNDAYS AT 2:30 PM (808) 322-9924 ALOHATHEATRE.COM and examines the life of William Pitt Leleiohoku II, brother to Kalakaua and Liliuokalani, during his early 20s. His story showcases his romantic side through song and hula as he courts a young Margaret Rice, a non-Hawaiian. His hanai mother, Princess Ruth Keelikolani, and his royal sister, Lydia (later known as Liliuokalani) both try to offer him advice on becoming a king and navigating his politically challenging romance. But Leleiohokus joie de vivre and optimistic attitude will not be dampened by royal convention. The second act, taken from Waipa’s play “Kaiulani,” covers the life of the princess as seen through the eyes of close friend and confidant Robert Louis Stevenson. Her story paints a picture of the queen-to-be from her beginnings as a precocious child to a young woman who confronts the American government to restore her kingdom. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the production starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for floor seats and $10 for bleacher seats and are available at https://connect. pauahi.org/2017-ksh-hoike or the High School Administration Office from 3 to 4 p.m. from today and March 13-15. Tickets will also be available at the door Kahilu Theatre continues Steinway Series Mark Valenti showcases Kahilu Theatre’s Model D Steinway Concert Grand piano during the next installment of the theater’s Kahilu Steinway Series on March 17. The program for the evening will include Karol Szymanowski Four Mazurkas, op. 50, Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata no.31 in A flat major, op. 110, Claude Debussy Three Etudes, Johannes Brahms Three Pieces, and Sergei Prokofieff Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, op. 83. Valenti received his master’s degree in music Northwestern University and his bachelor’s degree in music from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. He has studied with such notable teachers as Benjamin Whitten, Zoltan Kocsis, and Mary Sauer.In addition to giving solo recitals in cities throughout the U.S., Valenti has performed in France, Belgium, Hungary, and Luxembourg as well as for former First Lady Barbara Bush in Washington, D.C. He also performed in recital live on WFMT classical radio and has worked extensively in the jazz field including performances with Gregory Hines, Frank Foster and Al Grey. He’s also appeared on TV with Joe Sudler’s Swing Machine and singer/actor Christopher Durham. The Kahilu Steinway Series is a series of performances showcasing Kahilu Theatre’s Model D Steinway Concert Grand piano at accessible ticket prices. Entry is free for ages 18 and under. Doors open at 5 p.m. on March 17 for the 6 p.m. performance. Tickets range in price from $8 to $28 and are available for purchase online at www.kahilutheatre.org, by calling (808) 885-6868, or at the theater box office at 67-1186 Lindsey Road in Waimea from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. Info: www.kahilutheatre.org. KDEN’s ‘Murder on the Nile’ opens March 17 Kilauea Drama and Entertainment Network’s third Agatha Christie murder mystery, “Murder on the Nile,” opens March 17. The story takes place on a paddleboat steamer going down the Nile between Shellal and Wadi Halfa. Simon Mostyn and his rich, beautiful wife Kay are on their honeymoon. Simon’s former love, Jacqueline has been following them throughout their journey. There are a “bevy of memorable characters,” including Continued on page 10 ➠ ➠ Continued from page 3 Valenti
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