Fans of Hawaii's music in all its varied forms will gather along with many of Hawaii's top musicians at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu and at various Waikiki venues for four days, May 27-30, 2010, for the first annual Nā Hōkū O Hawai`i Music Festival.
The four-day music festival develops and augments a living knowledge of Hawaiian music, arts, and crafts through daily workshops, panels, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances of the highest quality and authenticity. Each evening entertainment will stretch for two miles in the hotels, restaurants, lounges and shopping centers throughout Honolulu and Waikiki where over 100 artists will perform live across 25 venues.
The culmination of the festival will be the 33rd edition of the premier Hawaii music industry awards ceremony, the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, which will take place in the Kalakaua Ballroom of the Hawaii Convention Center and broadcast live in high definition on Hawaii TV station KGMB. For those who can't attend the event or watch in Hawaii, the awards ceremony will also be streamed live on the world wide web.
The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards honor the achievements of excellence in the recording arts. Only entries created, produced, and/or engineered; recorded by a local resident artist, musician, or technician, released during the eligible year; and primarily distributed in Hawaii are eligible for the awards. Non-resident entries qualify only in the genre categories, Hawaiian, Contemporary, Anthology, Christmas, etc.
As Ku'uipo Kumukahi, president of the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts states, "The Festival is aligned with our mission in promoting our recording industry, Hawaii's entertainment industry, and the music of Hawaii."
Highlights of the festival include:
- Thursday, May 27 - Opening night cocktail party with welcome remarks from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts (HARA), government officials and presenting sponsors. The purpose is to officially welcome participants and foster interaction between visitors and residents while promoting events throughout the week.
- Friday through Sunday morning, May 28-30 - Cultural demonstrations, workshops, panels and breakout sessions are scheduled throughout the day at the Hawaii Convention Center and music each evening throughout satellite stages across Waikiki. Saturday will also feature the the Lifetime Achievement Awards Luncheon.
- Sunday evening, May 30 - The Festival concludes with the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, the biggest annual entertainment event in Hawaii. The evening will begin with the live HD broadcast of the Red Carpet arrivals and will lead into the live HD broadcast of the 33th Annual Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. A star-studded after party will follow the awards ceremony.
The Nā Hōkū O Hawai`i Music Festival maintains an excellent website with details on all of the activities and events which will take place over the four-day festival. I will be on Oahu covering the 2010 festival and will be bringing you reports throughout the weekend.
The Nā Hōkū O Hawai`i Music Festival is presented by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) in partnership with 4 Miles LLC, a Honolulu company consisting of three partners, Ruben Carrillo, owner of Liquid Planet Studios; Dirk Fukushima, owner of Hawaii Stars; and Dawn Kaniaupio, owner of Aiphamedia Corporation. Together they have more than 75 years of combined experience in television production. Their passion for their work has resulted in award-winning programs that are relevant in content and committed to the community.
