THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY AND SLACK-KEY GUITAR VIRTUOSO MAKANA UNITE TO CELEBRATE THE MUSIC OF HAWAIʻI ON JULY 12

SELECTIONS WILL INCLUDE WORKS BY NEIL MCKAY, MICHAEL-THOMAS FOUMAI, DANIEL HOUGLUM, TERESA MCCREARY AND MORE — TICKETS ON SALE NOW

 Photo Credit: Paul Grace

Seattle, WA — On July 12, internationally-acclaimed slack-key guitarist Makana joins the Seattle Symphony as a featured guest for the Hawaiian Summer Holiday concert at Benaroya Hall. The program will bring the sounds of Hawaiʻi to Seattle, taking audiences through a journey of styles, from ancient to contemporary, in one of the most melodic genres of music. Guest conductor Sarah Hicks returns to Seattle to lead the orchestra in the program, which also features special performances by hula dancer Ka`ula Kamahele and traditional percussionists Kīʻapu Wolfe and Lāola Kusakabe. 

Called “the greatest living player” of slack-key (Esquire), Makana is an expert of this rare guitar legacy and a gifted composer who dances seamlessly between authentic tradition and exhilarating evolutions of slack-key style. Makana's fingerwork and haunting vocal quality is on full display as he performs music ranging from reanimations of songs from 19th century Hawaiʻi to his own original compositions from Grammy-nominated records to works by acclaimed Hawaiian composers. The program begins with Neil McKay’s Na Mele Overture before moving into audience favorites like Michael-Thomas Foumai’s Contemporary Hawaiian Greats Medley and Daniel Houglum’s orchestral arrangement of Makana’s Deep in an Ancient Hawaiian Forest, among others, before ending with the revered Hawaiian anthem, Hawai’i Aloha. 

Ticket Information 

For more information on tickets for Hawaiian Summer Holiday with Makana and the Seattle Symphony, please visit seattlesymphony.org or contact the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office. The Seattle Symphony Ticket Office is located in Benaroya Hall, at Third Avenue and Union Street. The Ticket Office can be reached by phone at 206.215.4747 during the following times: Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m..

SARAH HICKS | CONDUCTOR 

Sarah Hicks's versatile and vibrant musicianship has secured her place as an in-demand conductor across an array of genres, and as an educator, arranger, producer, writer and speaker committed to creating connections through music. Her career has seen collaborations with diverse artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitiri Hvorostovsky to Rufus Wainwright, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson; during the summer of 2011, she toured with Sting as conductor of his Symphonicities Tour. Her passion for cross-genre partnerships led to a 2019 album with rap artist Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra, with whom she holds a titled position. 

MAKANA | GUITAR & VOCALS

Makana is a singer, composer and master of the Hawaiian slack key guitar tradition. Esquire magazine refers to him as “the greatest living player” and The New York Times calls him “dazzling.” As a child, he learned directly from the legends of the art form, including Bobby Moderow, Raymond Kaleoalohapoinaʻoleohelemanu Kāne and Sonny Chillingworth. Slack key is a style dating back to the mid-1800s in which the guitar strings are “slacked” into beautiful chordal tunings. In these tunings — handed down through generations — the player performs alternating bass patterns, complex rhythms and lead melodies simultaneously to create a sound that mimics “three guitars in one,” evoking a lush acoustic soundscape that summons the dramatic imagery of Hawaiʻi. 

KA‘ULA KAMAHELE | HULA DANCER 

Kaʻula Kamahele was born and raised in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawaiʻi, where she studied hula under the direction of the legendary late Kumu Hula Johnny Lum Ho of Hālau o ka Ua Kanilehua. She has traveled extensively as a performer, sharing her love of hula and representing her hālau as their Merrie Monarch Miss Aloha Hula 1980, the highest honor of a solo wahine (female) dancer. 

SEATTLE SYMPHONY 

The Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 27 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony+ streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world. 

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HAWAIIAN SUMMER HOLIDAY WITH MAKANA AND THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Wednesday, July 12 at 7:30 pm 

Sarah Hicks conductor
Makana guitar & vocals
Ka`ula Kamahele hula dancer
Kīʻapu Wolfe traditional percussionist
Lāola Kusakabe traditional percussionist
Halau Hula O Napualani
Seattle Symphony