Grammy award-winning musician to kick off Kona Historical Society’s lecture series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The 2020 Hanohano ‘O Kona: Wahi Pana Lecture Series announced
Kona Historical Society is launching its new Hanohano ‘O Kona: Wahi Pana Lecture Series with Daniel Ho, a Grammy award-winning Hawaiian music virtuoso, who made waves with his Hawaiian version of “Nothing Compares to You,” featured in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
This lecture, Hawaiian Music and American Voices: A Performance and Discussion with Daniel Ho, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7. The kanikapila venue is the Kalukalu Pasture, below Kona Historical Society’s headquarters in Kealakekua, where the Society’s Portuguese Stone Oven Bread Baking Program occurs. Seating will be provided, but attendees may bring their own blanket and chair to sit on.
“We are so excited to welcome Daniel Ho to our pasture in partnership with the Smithsonian Institute to kick off our Hanohano `O Kona Lecture Series for 2020. Daniel is an incredible ambassador of Hawaiian music, and we look forward to hearing some of what he has learned of Hawaiian music’s place in the field of American music as a producer and performer,” said Kona Historical Society Executive Director Dance Aoki. “So much of the history we celebrate in Kona is perpetuated through beloved songs that tell stories of our wahi pana, our legendary places, the fragrant flowers and trees that live here and the people that make their home here. The Hanohano `O Kona Lecture Series gives our community the opportunity to engage in a lively discussion about our history and culture, and creates the space for an educational, entertaining experience.”
Kona Historical Society collaborated with the Smithsonian Institute and the Association of American Voices to bring this special event to Hawaii Island. Kona Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and Smithsonian Affiliate that has spent the past four decades collecting, preserving and sharing the history of Kona Districts and their rich cultural heritage within Hawaii. The Association of American Voices has been conducting cross-cultural engagement with audiences in more than 140 nations worldwide since 1993.
Seventeen U.S. bands representing the diversity of American music were chosen through competitive auditions to embark on two-week international tours in 2019-2020 as part of the American Music Abroad international cultural exchange. American Music Abroad, created in 1957, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, implemented by the Association of American Voices. American Music Abroad fosters cross-cultural connections while showcasing Americas rich and diverse musical traditions to a global audience. During their tours, bands collaborate with local musicians, hold workshops and classes, and perform at community events.
“Through this program, we are celebrating the Smithsonian Year of Music Project,” said Association of American Voices Deputy Director Jacob Volkmar. “One of the markets we wanted to highlight was Hawaii. Kona Historical Society was a natural fit to celebrate the Year of Music and Daniel Ho.”
Daniel Ho has worked over the years as a musician, producer, singer/songwriter, arranger, composer, engineer, and record company owner. The most compelling of these roles has been as a six-time GRAMMY Award winning producer, featured slack key guitarist, and artist in the "Best Hawaiian Music Album” category. He also received GRAMMY nominations as an artist in the “Best Pop Instrumental Album” and “Best World Music Album” categories.
A Honolulu native, Daniel’s first instruments at age 8 were organ and ukulele, followed by classical guitar, bass, and drums. He spent his teenage years orchestrating big band arrangements. Daniel moved to Los Angeles, Calif., to study composing and film scoring at the Grove School of Music. He began his professional career as the leader, keyboardist, composer, and producer for the contemporary jazz group Kilauea, which had released six chart-topping albums by 1997. In 1998, Daniel launched his independent record label, Daniel Ho Creations. To date, Daniel Ho Creations has released over 100 acoustic and Hawaiian-themed albums. Daniel has received numerous Hawaiian music industry accolades including three Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards and 15 Hawaii Music Awards. He is also the recipient of six Taiwanese Golden Melody Awards for his work in world music.
“A Honolulu native, Daniel Ho is a six-time Grammy award winner, and 14-time Grammy award nominee. Daniel is a musician, composer, and producer specializing in innovative approaches to Slack-key guitar, ukulele, and Hawaiian music,” Volkmar said. “Not to be missed, Daniel performs original songs in English and Hawaiian. Notable credits include singing Prince's ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in Hawaiian for the feature film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and his widely covered ukulele instrumental anthem, ‘Pineapple Mango (The Breakfast Song).’"
Joining Ho for this special performance are:
Kealiʻi Ceballos, an acclaimed hula journeyman who attributes his deep love and appreciation for hula to his parents. He has studied with renowned kumu such as Cecilia Cissylani Ceballos, Nona Beamer, George Naʻope, Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, and Robert Uluwehi Cazimero. In 1991, he founded the award-winning Hālau Hula Kealiʻi o Nālani, and has since taught over 2,000 dancers in the Los Angeles area. He teaches at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, is faculty at Santa Monica College, and travels to Japan, Taiwan, and Mexico to work with hula students under his direction. An equally talented vocalist and ballroom dancer, he’s consulted and choreographed for major motion pictures.
Randy Drake, an accomplished drum set and percussion performer. He has performed with Dan Siegel, Bill Watrous, John Novello, Pat Kelley, and Gregg Karukas. He has worked as a Teaching Associate and Assistant for Music and Popular Culture in North America, World Music, and for the Feminist Studies course Women, Society, and Culture. He has also presented papers at events such as the 2013 and 2012 conferences of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), the 2011 Southern California and Hawaii Chapter of SEM, and the Critical Sexualities Graduate Symposia at University of California, Santa Barbara. He possesses a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology with a Doctoral Emphasis Program in Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a B.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, and a M.M. in Jazz Studies from California State University, Long Beach.
Steve Billman, a core member of the jazz/fusion band Continuum. Originally from Orange County, California, Steve took up bass at age 13. He attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship and also graduated from Musician's Institute. He studied with jazz greats such as Jeff Berlin, Bob Magnusson, Herb Mickman, Ray Brown, and Spud Murphy. He has been a long-time instructor at the Los Angeles College of Music in Pasadena. He also played bass on the 2009 Grammy Award winning album, ‘ikena by Tia Carrere and Ho.
Lydia Miyashiro-Ho, who has been business manager, tour manager, co-producer, and Ho’s partner in life since 2003. She accompanies Ho on stage, singing background vocals and dancing with Hālau Hula Kealiʻi o Nālani. She also assists in Ho’s workshops for beginning level ʻukulele players.
In 2020, Kona Historical Society is launching Hanohano ‘O Kona: Wahi Pana Lecture Series, which consists of a series of events for three months in the spring that bring together distinguished speakers and award-winning musicians to share stories of Hawaii’s important landmarks, neighborhoods and ahupua‘a in venues associated with these places. This series is an offshoot of Kona Historical Society’s original Hanohano ‘O Kona Lectures Series, which began nearly a decade ago and grown in popularity, sometimes resulting in full-capacity at venues. This new program helps create unique, even more memorable opportunities that allow attendees to gain a deeper understanding of Hawaii’s unique local culture and history while being immersed in locations that help give a greater sense of place. Funding from Hanohano ‘O Kona: Wahi Pana Lecture Series was generously provided by Hawaii Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Program.
“The Hawaii Tourism Authority has empowered us through this incredible grant to amplify three lectures within the Hanohano `O Kona schedule that will focus on wahi pana, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to do so. We are planning to celebrate each of these legendary places by inviting our community to learn more about them, and to enjoy the atmosphere of these places, through each educational presentation,” Aoki said. “We will be traveling throughout the North and South Kona Districts to share this program with our community and with visitors to Hawaii, and to make this program accessible to as many people as we can. The energy of this new program is certainly overflowing throughout this year’s calendar and we are so excited for the lectures that will be presented throughout the year. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority, Daniel Ho, the Smithsonian Institute and the American Voices Program for helping us kick off an incredible year.”
To view the full lecture series schedule, go to www.konahistorical.org. For more information, call Kona Historical Society at 808-323-3222. To get the latest updates regarding Kona Historical Society programs, historic sites and special events, “LIKE” Kona Historical Society on Facebook.