The Sovereign String Band

A Night of Sovereign Strings-Celebrating the Musical Legacy of Mekia Kealakai 

Join an all star cast of Hawai’i’s leading string and vocal virtuosi as they pay tribute to the musical legacy of legendary Royal Hawaiian Band leader, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Mekia Kealakai. Illuminating the vibrant and cosmopolitan musical community of the 19th century Hawaiian kingdom, this concert traces the life and influence of Mekia Kealakai through his own words and compositions, from collaborations with the monarchs of the Kalākaua dynasty to the songs of his great protege, the immortal Lena Machado. With historical anecdotes from the extensive research of the Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings, this concert presents the culmination and homecoming of the collaborative work with the C.F. Martin Guitar Company to research and recreate the 1915 “Kealakai” model Martin acoustic guitar. Designed for and in collaboration with Mekia Kealakai in 1915, this guitar is the direct ancestor to the most iconic steel string acoustic guitar in the world the Martin “Dreadnought”- the acoustic guitar of choice by musicians the world over from Bob Marley to the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Gabby and Cyril Pahinui, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.

With readings in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i and English gathered from the many letters and articles written home by Mekia and his bandmates as they circled the globe at the end of the 19th century and into the dawn of the 20th, teaching countless devotees of Hawaiian music to sing and strum. This historic concert traces the Hawaiian hand in shaping not only the instruments that would come to define the modern global soundscape, but also the fundamental origins of our modern string driven musical consciousness.

Join Hawai'i’s virtuosi as they re-imagine the string ensemble styles of the Hawaiian kingdom in duos, trios, quartettes and full orchestral arrangements featuring Violin, Cello, Ukulele, Guitar, Autoharp, Double Bass, Flute and Taropatch fiddle. With performances by Maestro Aaron Mahi, Raiatea Helm, Keauhou, Jeff Peterson, Ian O’Sullivan, Puka and Adam Asing, Jeff AuHoy, Maika’i Nash with members of the Orvis Opera Studio, Lance Suzuki, Duane Padilla, Fumiko Wellington, and Anna Callner. This acoustic concert will be performed with some of the most legendary vintage and contemporary acoustic instruments, with historical narration by Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings founder Kilin Reece joined by leading scholars in Hawaiian and Pacific music history.