Before Jace Kaholokula Saplan takes the stage Monday night at First United Protestant Church in Hilo with his Honolulu-based Na Wai Chamber Choir, the group’s founder and artistic director should remember to put a handkerchief or some tissue in his jacket pocket.
“This will be a thousand times more special, performing for people you grew up with, that helped mold you physically. I will probably be shedding tears,” said Saplan, born and raised in Waiakea Uka, about this harmonious homecoming. “It’s such a gift to have the opportunity to give back to those who have given so much to me.”
The Na Wai Chamber Choir is a professional women’s vocal ensemble that celebrates the works of women, preserves and propagates Native Hawaiian music, and champions repertoire for treble voices. Its singers come from Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui and across the United States.
The choir’s music honors the traditions, sacred places, mythology and legacies of Hawaii Island and features works by Hawaii Island composers, indigenous wahine songwriters and up-and-coming Native Hawaiian choral arrangers.
“Sharing the music of composers from Hawaii Island, I’m very excited,” Saplan said after a rehearsal this week at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Kapahulu on Oahu. He said the women are sounding “pa‘a, very refined.”
Soft-spoken, articulate and humble, Saplan’s choir and his musical knowledge and talents are gifts he was destined to share with the world.
A 2008 graduate of Kamehameha Schools Hawaii, Saplan just earned a doctorate of musical arts in choral conducting in May from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in Florida. The title of his dissertation was “Na Mele o ka Lahui Hawai‘i: The Choral Music of Queen Lili‘uokalani.” The university said Saplan is the first Native Hawaiian to earn a doctorate in choral conducting.
Saplan earned a master of music degree in choral conducting from the University of Oregon in 2014, his bachelor of arts in music from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2012, and traveled throughout the country and abroad perfecting his craft.
“Conducting is the synthesis of all things in music, my musical training in voice, piano, saxophone, oboe and ukulele — conducting is an opportunity to realize this eclectic background in a tangible way,” he said.
“What’s amazing to me about Jace is his passion and determination,” said Robyn Davis, assistant director of admission at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. “He gives everything he is to all that he does, pouring 100 percent of his self into it, whether it’s a paper, a concert or a friendship.
“He is the hardest worker I know, and he is always looking for new and creative ways to view the world around him. His deep and abiding love for Hawaii lends depth and nuance to all of his work, and provides deeper insight into the way he sees life. He is the only person I know who would earn a masters degree while simultaneously working toward a doctorate and excel in both.”
Professionally, Saplan was conductor of the Florida International University Master Chorale and taught courses in choral conducting and pedagogy for the 2016-17 academic year at FIU. He also worked as chorus master for Hawaii Opera Theater, the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus and the University of Oregon Opera Program.
In August, the 27-year-old Saplan joins the faculty of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., as the director of choral activities and an assistant professor of music.
But from July 17-19, it’s all about the Na Wai Chamber Choir’s “Moku O Keawe Tour” and performing for his Big Island ohana, including his parents, John and Marilyn Saplan.
Saplan brought the choir to the Big Island in 2007, shortly after it was formed, but the vibe for this three-concert visit is an octave higher.
“We’ve come full circle, all kind of grown up and settled into groups and training,” he said of the choir, which sings in Hawaiian and other languages, including English, Visayan and Samoan.
“We’re creating a sonic intersection of music, ‘ei ka wakihiko,’ showcasing contemporary Native Hawaiian composers. We’ll be giving (the audience) a holistic view where Hawaiian music has rooted itself and where it’s going.”
As he has done throughout his musical journey, Saplan always travels with the spirit of aloha and Hawaiian song in his heart.
“The concert glee classroom at Kamehameha Schools,” Saplan fondly remembers. “Mr. Michael Springer (now retired choral instructor) really got me started down this path. He gave me the first opportunity to serve as conductor, and because of that opportunity, I am where I am today.”
Email Richard Couch at rcouch@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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Hawaii 5.0
Jace Saplan’s top 5 Hawaiian songs:
1. “Poli‘ahu,” a love song about one of the four goddesses of snow.
2. “Waika,” taken from the ancient chant “Hole Waimea,” a name song for Kamehameha I.
3. “The Queen’s Jubilee,” written by Queen Lili‘uokalani to honor the 50-year anniversary of the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria.
4. “Hole Waimea,” a mele about Kipu‘upu‘u warriors.
5. “Lepe ‘ula‘ula,” about life in Waimea.
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Online
www.nawaichamberchoir.com
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‘Moku O Keawe Tour’
Na Wai Chamber Choir will perform three concerts next week on Hawaii Island. The following are the times and dates. Admission is free, donations are encouraged.
• 7:30 p.m. Monday, First United Protestant Church, Hilo.
• 7 p.m. Tuesday, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Visitors Center, “After Dark in the Park” series.
• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Kailua-Kona.
