Where Hawaii’s youth make exceptional music together
Summer Programs Turn Up Heat on Music Learning
Summer is a favorite part of the year for us at HYS, as it is a time when many of our alumni return and reconnect with us to share their wonderful musicianship and teaching abilities with our upand-coming youth. This summer was no exception! Fifteen of our esteemed alumni taught nearly 150 students in our Summer Strings and Pacific Music Institute programs.
Comprised of two classes (Beginning and Intermediate), Summer Strings—which met daily for five weeks—helped novice string students build skills and practice techniques that will last them their musical lives. The program was held at the Atherton YMCA, where HYS alumnus Tony Yee is Executive Director. Conductor Chad Uyehara, who also conducts HYS’s top two Academy string orchestras, remarked on the importance of these summer classes. “Not only are we cultivating basic skills like how to play the instrument, but we also learn how to play in a group, follow the conductor; how to listen to each other, and how to be aware of the ensemble and ourselves.” Uyehara was impressed with the students’ hard work. “Within five weeks, everyone made a vast improvement!”
Uyehara was assisted by multiple HYS alums throughout the program. Cellist Stefanie Lawton stepped in for a week as guest instructor; Keli Matsuura served as teaching assistant; and siblings Asia Doike and Aris Doike introduced Beginning Strings kids to the violin and cello, respectively.
Justdown the street, the 25th edition of our Pacific Music Institute saw its highest enrollment in recent years, with over 100 students ages 14-18 intensively studying music. The Institute was held mostly at the UH Manoa Music Dept., with the PMI Finale Concert at Pearl City Cultural Center.
Alumni
Joan Doike (violin), Jennifer Miyahira-Townsend (cello), Lynn Muramaru (flute), Lynne Nakaura (clarinet), Michael Yoshimi (clarinet), Curtis Noborikawa (clarinet), Susan Ochi-Onishi (oboe), Derek Fujio (oboe), Chris Fujiwara (oboe), Richard Hotoke (saxophone), KeAnuenue Hayashi (trombone), Eric Kop (horn), and Ira Wong (percussion) all served as clinicians on their respective instruments. They were joined by Hawaii Symphony musicians Helen Liu (violin), Colin Belisle (viola), John Gallagher (bass), and Ken Hafner (trumpet). Conductors Henry Miyamura, Grant Okamura, Elton Masaki, and Ira Wong led the Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, String Orchestra, and Jazz Band, respectively. ♫
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Where Hawaii’s youth make exceptional music together
Summer Scenes: Highlights from the 25th Pacific Music Institute
always an exhilrating experience, for youth and faculty alike. This nine-day is filled with everything from large ensembles (like Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band) to chamber groups, instrumental sectionals to group masterclasses—and this year, a very special conducting class led by Maestro Henry Miyamura himself!
MAHALO TO OUR WONDERFUL 2012-13 TEAM!
Back Row, L to R: Les Murata, Randy Wong, Richard Fong, Gary Hirokane, Susan Hirokane, Gary Todoki, Chad Uyehara, Ivan Morita, Henry Miyamura, David Yee, Meredith Prescott, Tom Shigeta, Janet Morita, Jill Shishido, Don Hasegawa, Ann Doike, Renee Hasegawa, Jimmy Yee, Derrick Yamane Middle Row: Wanda Murata, Elizabeth Coraggio, Charlotte Fukumoto, Joan Doike, Susan Ochi-Onishi, Hannah Watanabe, Helen Fong, Joy Waikoloa, Mel Uchida. Front Row:Cody Onishi, Wayne Fanning, Lance Uchida, Mark Nakamura, Ruth Komatsu. Not pictured: Gerry Kushiyama and Elton Masaki.
Alumni Chamber Music at the Hawaii State Art Museum
Kudos Korner
HYS alum Lance Inouye (YSO, Percussion, ‘89) was recently appointed as Director of Orchestral Activities at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Lance’s career has included positions with the Sarasota Youth Opera, the St. Petersburg State Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and Aspen Opera Theatre. Learn more about Lance at his website, lanceinouye.com. Congrats, Lance! ♫
Who Will Be in Alumni Spotlight Next?
Alumni clarinetists Lynne Nakaura and Todd China pose for a picture at HYS’s Alumni Reception.
Do you have, or know of, an interesting HYS Alumni story we can report on? Email our Executive Director Randy Wong ‘99 at Randy@HiYouthSymphony.org to let us know, or share a memory to our HYS Alumni Network page on Facebook!
Melanie Yamada ‘00, Chris Ventura ‘90, Rafael Pajarillo, Ryan Ng ‘99, and Garrett Martin
Samantha Neudorf, ‘10 Katharine Lee ‘10, Kori Matsuura ‘05, Monica Luat ‘11
Sean Rodan ‘13, Emile Oshima ‘13, Jesse Woo ‘13, Oliver Jia-Richards ‘14, Michael Han ‘13
He Makana O Na Mele: The Gift of Music • October 20, 2013
Concert Preview: ‘The Golden Ages of Waikiki’ with Jimmy Borges & The WAITIKI 7
OnOctober 20, 2013, HYS will open its 49th season with a very special editon of our annual Na Mele fundraiser. This year’s theme, The Golden Ages of Waikiki, pays tribute to the magical era in Waikiki’s golden history of entertainment through the musical talents of Jimmy Borges and the world-renown exotica band The WAITIKI 7. “The theme for this concert is very important to us,” explains HYS Music Director Henry Miyamura, “because it gives our students a really rare opportunity to experience this music, that was once a big part of Hawaii.” Drummer and HYS alumnus Abe Lagrimas Jr., who co-founded the group with Randy Wong, agrees: “When Randy and I grew up, we hardly knew anything about exotica music. It wasn’t until we were studying music in Boston, of all places, that we learned about exotica’s kama‘aina roots.”
Legendary singer Jimmy Borges will be headlining the concert, and singing famous arrangements of hits like “Blue Hawaii” (as done by Frank Sinatra) and “Nature Boy” (as recorded by Nat King Cole). “One thing that’s special about this concert are the arrangements themselves,” Wong said. “One of the scores is being loaned to us by the Nelson Riddle Collection from the University of Arizona Music Archives. If it weren’t for them, we would have had to transcribed the music straight off the record. This way, our YSI kids get to play the music as Riddle really intended—a very special treat.”
What’s ExOtica?
Essentially an early world music hybrid, Exotica came to life when Martin Denny, a Hollywood pianist and arranger, began performing Hawaiian and hapa-haole songs with his lushly instrumental combo of vibraphone, piano, upright bass, and drums. The group had a regular gig at the Hawaiian Village’s outdoor Shell Bar, and (as the story goes) a young man by the name of Augie Colon suggested Denny add Latin percussion like bongos, congas, and guiro. From the moment that Colon began playing with the group, Denny knew a new sound was being born.
One evening, as the band was starting “Quiet Village” (a tune written by Les Baxter, Denny’s Hollywood mentor), Colon began croaking, imitating the frogs in the lily ponds nearby. Not to be outdone, the other musicians in the band responded with bird calls and monkey howls. The crowd went wild, and the animal sounds were an instant hit. Denny eventually wrote more songs to utilize his band’s jungle fever, even scoring and re-recording certain songs to maximize their appeal.
The rest, as they say, is history. Martin Denny’s group found instant success. His vibraphonist Arthur Lyman succeeded in forming his own group, and overall, a new chapter in Hawaiian music was born.
Sheetmusic and scores aren’t the only historical artifacts being used in the concert, however. Martin Denny’s Estate has generously loaned HYS some of the late musician’s exotic percussion instruments for the concert. WAITIKI 7 percussionist and bird-caller Lopaka Colon, son of Augie Colon, explains further: “Martin Denny collected instruments from around the world and found ways to incorporate them in his music. Nowadays we would call him a ‘world’ musician. But back in the Fifties, that genre didn’t exist, and his band was essentially creating their own Pacific Rim sound.” In addition to Denny’s collection will be some of Augie’s own instruments. Perhaps most interesting: Boobams—pitched bamboo tubes, covered on one end by a membrane, and played with fingers or mallets. ♫
The Martin Denny group, circa 1959
Two popular exotica albums, by Martin Denny & Arthur Lyman, respectively
Where Hawaii’s youth make exceptional music together
Summer Scenes: Highlights from the 25th Pacific Music Institute
always an exhilrating experience, for youth and faculty alike. This nine-day is filled with everything from large ensembles (like Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band) to chamber groups, instrumental sectionals to group masterclasses—and this year, a very special conducting class led by Maestro Henry Miyamura himself!
Youth Symphony Association
1110 University Ave., #200 Honolulu, HI 96826-1598 (808) 941-9706 • www.HiYouthSymphony.org
Music is our livelihood!
silent
Do you like to paint, knit, make ceramics, jewelry, or other crafts? Put your artistic talents to work and help HYS! Sales at our Silent Auction & Country Store at our Na Mele fundraiser contribute valuable funds to our budget. Proceeds go directly towards our program costs and help to keep our tuition affordable for all.
Donations of non-perishable items are being accepted at the HYS office now through Oct. 16. We will also be collecting baked goods, jams, jellies, and other food items, as the event gets closer.
Please call us at 941-9706 with any questions. Thank you!
