Sounds of Aloha's blog

Sounds of Aloha quartets once again combed out across Oahu's workplaces, restaurants, hotels, and residences on February 13 and 14, 2018, sharing musical messages of love for Valentine's Day. This is one of SOA's most popular events, and we took a lot of satisfaction in how many repeat customers we had this year. What a nice romantic tradition! At the same time it was noticeable this year how much younger our customers and recipients are trending now, as well as how many groups we sang for, including offices, classes, neighbors, families, and hospital patients and retirement home residents. For you long-term planners, here's where to look for next year!

The Sounds of Aloha Chorus capped off its 2017 performance season with a return to an audience with whom we've had a whole lot of fun annually for years now: the members of the Oahu Country Club at their Candlelight Christmas Dinner, hosted by our friend and past collaborator, the always entertaining Shari Lynn. This engagement has become a tradition for us as well as for them, and we're grateful for this opportunity to share music, joy, and laughter with these families.

The Sounds of Aloha Chorus returned to the Hawaii Theatre on October 7, 2017, with its latest original musical comedy, Monsters in Our Neighborhood! Written by bass member/in-house playwright Scot Izuka and musical director Mark Conching, the production told the story of how a scientist, called simply the Doktor, tries to create his own monstrous bass for the upcoming village quartet contest. His scheme goes terribly awry when his assistant Igor makes a mistake in the recipe that results in *gasp!* a tenor! The rejected monster wanders the woods befriending other sppoky creatures, while the Bürgermeister, his cronies, and the townsfolk rise up to the confront the perceived menace.

One of SOA's two sister choruses, Na Leo Lani, helped introduce more women to barbershop harmony in a special Summer Music Program Showcase that culminated in a free concert this past Sunday, July 23, 2017. Guest singers were invited to learn three songs with the chorus over a six-week period and perform together in the concert. Coaching was provided by two international quartet champion singers, Sean Devine of OC Times and Tim Waurick of Vocal Spectrum.

The Sounds of Aloha Chorus deeply appreciates the chance to perform for our fellow Oahu choristers at the Community Chorus Festival, which is hosted each year by the Honolulu Chorale. This year marked the 15th annual festival, and the April 30, 2017, event at Kawaiaha‘o Church just might have been the strongest one yet, with ambitious and moving performances by all the participants.