Pacific roots artist Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole will bring Hawaiian music to the stage on Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weis Center Atrium. This is a free performance and tickets are not required.
A riveting performer, Kaumakaiwa creates some of the most original work to emerge in contemporary Hawaiian music, drawing from ancestral memory and hula practice as chant transforms to melody. Kaumakaiwa seamlessly melds Hawaiian culture and modern sensibilities in deeply powerful music.
Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole has been on stage since she could walk. A charismatic dancer and singer, with an impressive vocal range from tenor chant to Hawaiian falsetto singing, she is a five-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano (Hawaiian “Grammy”) Award-winner with 3 solo CDs to her name. She is the great grandchild of Edith Kanaka’ole, who was one of the seminal figures of the Hawaiian Renaissance which helped bring Hawaiian culture back into the central life of the Islands. Since birth, Kaumakaiwa has dedicated her life to her illustrious family’s practice and passion – hula (Hālau O Kekuhi) and Hawaiian culture.
A modern transgender Hawaiian (mahu wahine), she is a vibrant keeper of culture, an authentic innovator and fun, as she engages indigenous thought to address today’s issues through music, chant and sharing of spirit. With plenty of humor, she provides wry commentary and stories to give context to her songs.
Award-winning musician and producer Shawn Pimental accompanies on guitar and backup vocals.
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to www.bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.