KSH haumāna hit the airwaves to promote "Hā 'upu"

Mar. 8, 2016

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi campus is hosting its 13th annual Hōʻike this Thursday and Friday, March 10 and 11, which will also be the school’s third Hawaiian language opera.

The name of this year’s show is “Hāʻupu”, named after the area on Molokaʻi where the rogue aliʻi Kapepeʻekauila kidnaps Hina, an aliʻi from Hilo, and holds her. Hina’s sons Kana and Nīheu set out to rescue her, though Hina grows fond of Hāʻupu and her capturer.

To promote the show and the reason why events and campus traditions are so important, juniors Pomai Longakit and Daylan Kalaʻi and sophomores Mara-Jade Hiwa Brown and Kaʻeo Cachola, flew over to Oʻahu to make the rounds at the morning news television stations.

The students started out at KITV 4, where they conducted an interview with anchor Mike Cherry, talking about the show.

The students then headed over to Hawaii News Now – Sunrise, where Kalaʻi and Brown performed two songs “He Leo Kū i ka Pō” and “No Hāʻupukele kou mele” on the broadcast.

Longakit and Cachola meanwhile headed over to KHON2 for an appearance on Living808, where they sung “E hō‘ike i kēia aloha” (watch the performance above) and “Ua Pili I Ke Koko”.

At the same time, over on Hawaiʻi Island, junior Makana Waikiki and sophomore Kuʻuhiapo Jeong spoke on air with KAPA FM radio’s Jaz and Kaʻea about the Hāʻupu experience.

Listen to the radio interview

Both students had also interviewed with KWXX’s Pomai and Keʻala the previous Friday, making sure as many folks know about the production and how it will help to raise funds for their performing arts trip to Edinburgh, Scotland this August to perform at the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

To learn more about the opera or the trip in August, visit www.ksbe.edu/kshhoike.

Students Kaʻeo Cachola, Pomai Longakit, Daylan Kalaʻi and MaraJayde Hiwa Brown gather on the set at Hawaii News Now Sunrise.