January 31, 2020:
Kona Choral Society “Peace Like a River” concert. In celebration of Black History Month, the Kona Choral Society presents the fourth annual “Peace Like a River: A Celebration of African-American Gospel and Spirituals.” The concert takes place at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua Kona on Friday, January 31, 7:00-8:30pm. The concert features soloists Binti Bailey and Dan Garrett, conductor and KCS artistic director Susan McCreary Duprey, accompanist Gloria Juan, percussionist Sharon Cannon, and includes an audience sing-along. Admission is by donation and no tickets are required. A freewill offering will be taken to offset the costs of the performance. Find out more at: konachoralsociety.org.

January 26, 2020:
SKEA Art Exhibition. The public is invited to join SOKO artists at the Society for Kona’s Education and Arts annual membership meeting for great food, live music, hula, and to connect with the artists. A variety of art, including painting, ceramics, photography, sculpture, mosaics, home decor accessories, and more, will be available for purchase. Sunday, January 26, from 2 – 5 p.m. at SKEA, 84-5191 Mamalahoa Hwy., Honaunau, between the 106 and 105 mile marker. sokoartists.com

January 26, 2020:
KPO Presents Innocent Beginnings. The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra (KPO) continues its 2019-20 MasterWorks Concert Season with Innocent Beginnings at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on Sunday, January 26, 2020, at 2:00 PM. The concert features performances by the winners of KPO’s annual Madeline Schatz-Harris Youth Concerto Competition. This year’s winners-Miro Hu, Sevastyan Swan, Alexander Canicosa-Miles-will be accompanied by the full Orchestra and perform their competition winning solos.
Innocent Beginnings program:
Beethoven – Overture to Fidelio, op. 72c
Kabalevsky – Concerto in G Minor for Cello, op. 49, mvt. I
Vivaldi – Spring, op. 8, no. 1 Elgar – Concerto in E Minor for Cello, op. 85
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, op. 13, Winter Daydreams
Tickets for Innocent Beginnings are $54 / $44 / $32 / $20 and may be purchased online at kamuelaphil.org, or through the Kahilu Theatre Box Office by calling 808.885.6868, or visiting in person at 67-1186 Lindsey Road, Kamuela, HI 96743, Tuesday–Friday, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra’s presentation of Innocent Beginnings is made possible with support by The Dorrance Family Foundation.

January 19, 2020:
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Kahilu Theatre welcomes the return of world-renown dance company, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet on Sunday, January 17, 2020 at 2 pm. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s bold vision – top global choreographers, distinctive groundbreaking repertoire, and virtuoso dancers – has fostered a jewel of a dance company in the American West. The company’s pioneering spirit arises from a dual set of home cities: Aspen, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, and Santa Fe, gracing the Southwestern plateau. Shaping the cultural landscape of these communities – and influencing the dance field at large – is a contemporary ballet company entering its third decade of undiminished creative drive. For their Hawaii Tour ASFB will perform three outstanding pieces from their global repertoire. First, Where We Left Off choreographed by Nicolo Fonte who has been a guest choreographer for the ASFB since 1999. This piece is an unveiled reference to the decade-long relationship between the company and Fonte as the dance focuses on overcoming anxieties to ultimately find trust in a beautiful partnership. The second piece Silent Ghost, choreographed by Alejandro Cerrudo, captivates the heart with its solemn beauty. This sensuous duet weaves through enigmatic emotions and will leave those who watch with the ache of lovesickness. The third piece is 1st Flash by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. This energetic piece amalgamates the contemporary spirit while maintaining a sense of drama and elegance. http://kahilutheatre.org/Home

January 18, 2020:
Author Reading – Liz Prato. Liz will read from her new book, Volcanoes, Palm Trees, & Privilege: Essays on Hawaii, in which Hawaiian history, pop culture, and contemporary affairs are woven with personal narrative in fifteen essays that examine how the touristic ideal of Hawaii came to be. The book is a highly readable hybrid of the in-depth exploration of narrative journalism combined with the through-line of memoir. The book is an excellent introduction to Hawaiian culture for the visitor or new resident.

January 17, 2020:
Hawaiian Style Band. Kahilu Theatre is proud to announce the legendary Hawaiian Style Band with Wade Cambern and Brian Kessler, and Sistah Robi Kahakalau will perform at the Kahilu Theatre on Friday, January 17, 202 at 7 PM. In the early ’90s, Hawaiian Style Band, led by Bryan Kessler and Wade Cambern, redefined contemporary Hawaiian music. They offered a fresh musical perspective on local culture with original compositions about living Hawaiian style-about island romance, talking story, ‘ohana, and sovereignty. Their interpretation of Hawaiian language songs re-acquainted music fans with these important compositions. Performing their hits Bryan, Wade, and Robi have teamed up with bassist; Alex Morrison, keyboardist; Michael Grande and drummer; Shawn Pimental to bring the unique sound of the Hawaiian Style Band to audiences both locally and internationally. kahilutheatre.org

January 14, 2020:
Camerata RCO is a unique ensemble comprised of members of Amsterdam’s renown Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and will perform at the Kahilu Theatre Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 7 PM.
Formed by members of the famed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO), these prestigious colleagues founded Camerata RCO to perform chamber music in multiple formations from duets to small chamber orchestra. This independent group has a strong desire to explore smaller more intimate pieces with a special focus on the Classical and Romantic repertoire for winds and strings. On this tour we will witness the musical expertise of Marc Daniel van Biemen on violin, Santa Vizine on viola, Louis Rodde on cello, Hein Wiedijk on clarinet, Katy Wooley on horn, and Thomas Beijer on piano. These musicians thrill audiences around the globe with their technical superiority and flair of panache and for their Hawaii tour will perform intimate arrangements of Mozart’s “Kegelstatt Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano”, Brahms’ “Horn Trio Opus 40”, and Ernst von Dohnányi’s “Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano”.
As part of the Kahilu Theatre Overture Program, all students age 8-18 are free to this performance when accompanied by a ticket holding adult. Tickets are $50/25 and can be purchased at kahilutheatre.org, (808) 885-6868 or at the Kahilu Theatre Box Office located at 67-1186 Lindsey Road, Kamuela HI, 97643.

January 13, 2020 – January 18, 2020:
Mitsubishi Electric PGA Championship At Hualalai. The Mitsubishi Electric Championship offers fans the chance to see the best players on PGA TOUR Champions with a strong field of qualifiers, featuring official tournament champions from the 2018 and 2019 seasons, World Golf Hall of Fame members, winners of PGA TOUR Champions majors since 2015 and eight additional invited players each with 15 or more career victories, including one major.
Aloha Friday is a weekly occurrence on The Big Island and this year fans are encouraged to participate in the location tradition on Friday of tournament week (Jan. 17) by wearing Hawaiian patterned clothing. Those taking part in this new tournament tradition will be joining players, staff and volunteers as they welcome in the weekend.
For spectators attending the tournament, upon entering the Hualalai Resort, follow the Spectator Parking signs to the official parking facility where parking is free to all attendees. An air-conditioned mini bus will transport riders directly to the Admission Gate and are also available for return transportation to vehicles. Busses will run from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Ticket Pricing
To purchase tickets, please call (808) 325-3700. Good Any-Day and weekly grounds tickets will also be available for purchase at the gate.

January 11, 2020 – January 24, 2020:
Collective Synergy 2020 Art Exhibit – Made in Hawaii. “Collective Synergy 2020”, an exhibition by South Kona Artists Collective – SOKO, will feature the diverse art of this group of local professional artists. The public is invited to join the artists for the opening reception on Saturday, January 11, 5-7 p.m. at Pictures Plus in Kona.
Inspired by the natural beauty of Hawaii, SOKO artists will be showing a wide range of art, including painting, photography, woven and natural fiber art, woodcut prints, jewelry, woodworking, mosaics and sculpture. All art will be available for purchase. SOKO is a group of professional artists who come together to expand their creative vision and generate events that support artists and delight art lovers.
The exhibition is from Saturday, January 11 through Friday, January 24 at Pictures Plus, 75-1006 Henry Street, Kailua-Kona, and will be open 9:30 – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday. For more information about the artists and the SOKO Artists Studio Tour in February, visit sokoartists.com

December 28, 2019:
Wailea Village Mochi Pounding (22nd Annual). Akiko’s over the years has become synonymous with MOCHI POUNDING. This will be our 22nd year. Started with 23 people, mostly neighbors, and now it has become a popular community and public event. This past year we had between 600-700 folks visit our wee village to participate in mochi pounding and other activities. Come and join the fun on Saturday, Dec. 28th, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. making traditional rice cakes the “old-fashioned” way. Everyone takes their turn at pounding the delicious sticky rice for good luck. Fire building starts at 7 a.m. to steam the rice. Hearty local style lunch for $5. New years crafts, food vendors, fortune telling, massage, I Ching readings, floral arrangements, plantation stories, Okinawan taiko drumming, Hawaiian entertainment & more. Great cultural mix of everything that makes Hawaii so special. www.akikosbnb.com