KS Kea‘au Campus Students on NPR

Big Island Now stock photo. Jan. 2017

Kamehameha Schools Hawai’i Hō‘ike A Ha‘i of Kea‘au, will appear on an upcoming episode of “From the Top,” the hit NPR radio program featuring America’s best young classical musicians and hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley.

The show will air nationally the week of Jan. 9 and on KANO 91.1 FM on Jan. 14 at 10 a.m.

The show is also available as a podcast. The episode was taped before a live audience at Lunalilo Concert Hall in Hilo.

Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i Hōʻike A Ha‘i is made up of students from the Kamehameha Schools on the Kea‘au campus. Hō‘ike is an all-school production which tells a story through beautiful and powerful mele (song), oli (chant) and hula (dance).

The first Hō‘ike took place in 2004. Hō‘ike allows KS Hawai‘i students to showcase their talents in fine art, Hawaiian language, chant, solo and choral singing, dance, instrumental performance and drama.

On the show, the students perform Ha’upu, an original Hawaiian language opera by Herb Mahelona.

Also on the broadcast:

• 12-year-old pianist Jairus Joseph-Sioeli Rhoades from Mililani performs Concert Paraphrase on Rigoletto, after Verdi’s opera, by Franz Liszt and Étude in A-flat major, Op. 25, No. 1, by Frédéric Chopin; 17-year-old cellist William Suh from Honolulu, Hawai’i, performs III. Allegro
• 17-year-old cellist William Suh from Honolulu performs III. Allegro passionato from Johannes Brahms’ Cello Sonata no. 2, Op. 99
• 16-year-old clarinetist Jack Li from Vancouver, Canada, performs III. Rondo: Allegro from Carl Maria von Weber’s Grand Duo concertant
• 17-year-old violinist Maria Sanderson of Brown County, Indiana, performs “Summerland” by William Grant Still.

For the past decade, “From the Top” has been the preeminent showcase for America’s best young musicians. Through award-winning NPR and PBS programs, online media, a national tour of live events, and education programs, “From the Top” shares the stories and performances of pre-collegiate musicians with millions each week.

“From the Top” is made possible by support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and institutions as well as public radio stations.

“From the Top” on NPR is produced in association with WGBH Radio Boston and New England Conservatory of Music, its home and education partner.