Kanoe Miller felt drawn to the spotlight at an early age, fantasizing about becoming a Broadway chorus girl or a ballerina. The young Kanoe began taking hula lessons, and her goal shifted to performing hula in Waikīkī. For more than 40 years, Kanoe has been living that dream. You’ll often find her biggest cheerleader in the audience: her husband John Miller, a former Aloha Airlines pilot. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Kanoe and John tell the story of their love and reflect on the life they’ve built together.
For 24 years, Marilyn Cristofori headed the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance, a statewide nonprofit that champions the arts through advocacy and education. Upon Cristofori’s retirement, the very nonprofit she headed selected her as its 2017 Alfred Preis Honoree for her lifetime support and leadership in the arts. In this conversation, she recounts her experiences as a dancer, a university educator and a nonprofit leader.
Roland Cazimero was just a boy from Kalihi before he became a Hawaiian music legend. He and his younger brother Robert, as The Brothers Cazimero, played an essential role in the evolution of modern Hawaiian music. However, Roland’s success was not without consequences, and he fell victim to many of the temptations that accompany fame. Roland tells how faith, family and the support of his wife, Lauwa‘e, helped him heal.
With only a piano, a conductor and some lights, Henry Akina founded an opera company in Berlin in 1981. Under Henry’s direction, the fledgling Berlin Chamber Opera grew into a successful venture. Now, as Artistic Director of Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre, Henry Akina has presented Hawaii with The Mikado, Madame Butterfly and other visually stunning productions. Whether it’s with a small company in Berlin, or on a grand stage in Hawaii, Akina’s respect for the art of opera remains the same.
This month, Hawaii Arts Alliance is recognizing Henry Akina with its Alfred Preis Honor, for his commitment to arts and arts education in Hawaii. PBS Hawaii congratulates him on this honor.
Only a few working female vocalists in Hawaii have achieved “diva” status. Marlene Sai is one of them. In the first part of a two-part series, Marlene Sai talks about being mentored by her uncle, Andy Cummings – legendary Hawaiian music pioneer and composer of the iconic song “Waikiki.” Sai also talks about being discovered by Don Ho while she was still a junior in high school, and the golden age of Hawaiian music in Waikiki.
What does it mean to be an artist? For Peter Rockford Espiritu, it’s a lifelong journey of creative expression through dance. Peter is founder, choreographer and artistic director of Tau Dance Theater, a dance company that combines ballet, modern dance, hula and Pacific Island traditions into something completely original.
