‘AHAmele, the music ensemble of the Oakland-area-based Academy of Hawaiian Arts, will perform at 11 a.m. Aug. 14 at the Mo‘oheau Bandstand, as part of the Hilo Hula Tuesdays program.
‘AHAmele, under the direction of Hilo native Kainani Hartnett, is a 20-plus member musical ensemble dedicated to learning and performing Hawaiian music.
Members play ukulele, guitar, bass, ipu and sometimes other traditional Hawaiian instruments.
They are known for their vocal harmonies and unique arrangements of classic Hawaiian mele.
Established in 2004, ‘AHAmele began performing in 2005 and does so regularly at music festivals, community events, local performance venues and private functions.
The group’s Mo‘oheau performance will provide a one-hour musical tour of well known songs related to Hilo and Hawaii Island, and will also feature hula performed by some of the members of the music ensemble who, in addition to studying and performing with ‘AHAmele, are also students of the academy’s hula halau.
Hilo Hula Tuesdays, the Mo‘oheau Bandstand’s weekly program, runs from 11 a.m.-noon every Tuesday. There is no admission charge for this event and all are welcome.