Waikiki Beach Walk and Outrigger are celebrating the heritage of the Hawaiian steel guitar with a series of Sunday evening performances throughout the month of July. The first and longest show (5 PM - 8 PM) is called Stars of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar. It includes Alan Akaka & the Islanders with Na Keiki a Ke Kula Mele, Bobby Ingano, Casey Olsen & the Hiram Olsen Trio, Greg Sardinha, and special guest Kiyoshi “Lion” Kobayashi from Japan. The full monthly schedule follows:
- July 3 - Stars of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar (5 - 8 PM)
- July 10- Henry Kaleialoha Allen (5 - 6 PM)
- July 17- Eddie Palama (5 - 6 PM)
- July 24- Greg Sardinha (5 - 6 PM)
- July 31- Na Keiki Kika Kila – The combined schools of steel guitar masters Alan Akaka and Greg Sardinha. (5 - 6 PM)
The festival is sponsored by Waikiki Beach Walk and Outrigger Enterprises Group as part of Outrigger’s ongoing Na Mele No Na Pua Music Heritage Program. This is the second year of what everyone hopes will become a long-standing annual tradition.
"All of us in the steel guitar community are excited to be back at Waikiki Beach Walk for the 2nd Annual Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival," said renowned steel guitarist Alan Akaka. "There was such tremendous interest in the steel guitar festival last year that this year we just had to expand it to a full month so more people and more musicians could participate." Akaka, who studied under Jerry Byrd, is a music teacher and director of Ke Kula Mele Hawaii.
I am lucky to have watched this Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival last year. Watching these artists perform their music made my vacation there in Hawaii more memorable.
ReplyDeletelayana koh lanta
This is the best place to have this kind of festival. I think it's fun.
ReplyDelete-Margaret River Accommodation & Guide