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Hilton Hawaiian Village Arts Celebration

Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa is offering kama'aina a cultural getaway over the April 30 weekend as artists and crafters mingle with poets, actors, dancers, and musicians to transform Waikiki's only destination resort into the Hilton Arts Celebration.

Hilton Hawaiian Village will celebrate Hawaii Arts Season with an array of free public performances April 30 through May 2 including poetry readings and story-telling, ballet and modern dance, and jazz and classical music, as well as an art fair with more than 40 local artisans selling their works.

In addition to year-round activities and attractions like the Bishop Museum Collection at the Hawaii Arts and Cultural Center in Kalia Tower, the Friday evening King's Jubilee music and dance celebration, and cultural activities such as lei-making and hula lessons, visitors can also take a self-guided tour of the Village's extensive art collection, which recently won a 2004 Kahili Award from the Hawaii Tourism Authority for preservation of Hawaiian culture and includes original works by some of Hawaii's most renowned artists, including Roy Tabora and Hiroshi Tagami.

Cultural performances are scheduled throughout the weekend at the Village's Shell Bar, Tapa Bar and Village Green. Among the scheduled events and performers are:
• Art fair on the Village's Lagoon Green, will feature artisans from the Pacific Handcrafters Guild and other fine local artists whose wares range from original paintings and sculptures to carvings and Hawaiian crafts. A special gallery of works by artists with the Hawaii Watercolor Society will also be open in the ground floor of the Village's Diamond Head Tower.
• Hawaii Slam Team: cutting-edge performance poetry from local poets
• X-Music featuring Steve Rosenthall: A jazz-art performance featuring an avant-garde quartet supported by percussionist Rosenthall, who builds his own instruments that are as much sculpture as melody-makers.
• Hawaii Opera Theater: Arias and art songs, both solo and duet, performed by male and female vocalists. Hawaii Opera Theatre has been delighting audiences of all ages for decades. With sensational grand opera productions, award-winning education programs and delightful presentations that bring opera to everyone, HOT is a shining star in Hawaii's performance arts community.
• Galliard String Quartet: The Galliard String Quartet, considered Hawaii's premier string quartet, performs programs including the works of such favorite composers as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Music of the masters is the Galliard's forte, but the group is also known for renditions of Songs of Liliuokalani as performed on their CD of the same name. Their repertoire also includes Strauss waltzes, romantic interludes, light classics, Hawaiian music, popular music and more.
• Honolulu Theater for Youth: One-man performances to entertain pre-schoolers from Hawai'i's only professional nonprofit theatre. Since 1955, HTY has produced theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young people, families, and educators in the state of Hawaii.
• Ballet Hawaii: A series of ballet vignettes from Hawaii's own ballet troupe
University of Hawaii Dance Ensemble: Renowned throughout Hawaii for their performances at schools, hospitals, senior centers and community centers, the ensemble's presentations are approximately 40-45 minutes in length and present a wide variety of dance forms including Hula, Javanese, Bharata Natyam Indian, modern dance, tap, and swing. The dancers are graduate and undergraduate dance students at University of Hawaii Manoa.
• Choreographic Productions: Christina Berwin presents an original modern dance work using sculptural settings with actors and dancers.
• Honolulu Brass: An ensemble from Chamber Music Hawaii, The Honolulu Brass is the premier brass quintet in the state of Hawaii. The group performs a wide repertoire in various venues throughout the state.
• Spring Winds: An ensemble from Chamber Music Hawaii, The Spring Wind Quintet, recognized as one of the country's leading woodwind quintets, has been a major force in the development of chamber music in Hawaii. Many new works have been composed and arranged especially for the Spring Wind Quintet. The group has an extensive and varied repertoire earning several national grants and offers educational programs for all ages.
• Story teller James McCarthy: The performance artist weaves stories for all ages, accompanied only by guitar
• Tales from Jeff Gere: The master storyteller blends talents as painter, puppeteer, mime, teacher, and director into a performance style that has electrified audiences of every age throughout Hawaii and the mainland for two decades. Mr. Gere's physical energy, wide range of voices, morphing elastic face and clear characterizations make his performances unforgettable.
• Kumu Kahua Theater: Scenes from Hawaii's premier local theater troupe. All the plays presented by this ensemble are written and performed by local playwrights and actors. A superb example of international theater, local-style.
• Arabian Nights: A combination of theater, art, music and dance that has sold out shows for months on Honolulu's downtown art scene.
The music for this performance is made possible in part by funds supplied by the Music Performance Fund, a public service organization created under agreements with the American Federation of Musicians. The grant for this performance was obtained with the cooperation of the Musicians' Association of Hawaii.

Schedule of Events

Art fair on the Lagoon Green
Friday, April 30 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Sunday, May 2, 9 a.m. to noon

Shell Bar Stage - For Keiki
Friday, April 30:
Noon ­ 1 p.m. Honolulu Theater For Youth
Saturday, May 1:
3 - 4 p.m. Children stories by James McCarthy
Sunday, May 2:
Noon ­ 1 p.m. Honolulu Theater For Youth

Village Green

Friday, April 30:
4 ­ 5 p.m. X-Music
5 ­ 6 p.m. UH Dance Ensemble
Saturday, May 1:
4 ­ 5 p.m. Ballet Hawaii
5 ­ 6 p.m. Choreographic Productions
6 ­ 7 p.m. Honolulu Brass Quintet
7 ­ 8 p.m. UH Dance Ensemble
8 - 9 p.m. Arabian Nights

Sunday, May 2:
3 ­ 4 p.m. Ballet Hawaii
4 ­ 5 p.m. Kumu Kahua
5 ­ 6 p.m. X-Music
6 ­ 7 p.m. UH Dance Ensemble
7 ­ 8 p.m. Choreographic Productions
8 - 9 p.m. Arabian Nights

Tapa Bar

Friday, April 30:
Noon­1 p.m. Galliard String Quartet
1 ­ 2 p.m. Hawaii Slam Team
2 ­ 3 p.m. Hawaii Opera Theatre
Saturday, May 1:
11 a.m.­Noon Spring Winds
Noon ­ 1 p.m. James McCarthy story telling
2 ­ 3 p.m. Galliard String Quartet
3 ­ 4 p.m. Storytelling from Jeff Gere
Sunday, May 2:
11 a.m.­Noon Honolulu Brass Quintet
Noon ­ 1 p.m. Poetry Hawaii Slam Team
1 ­ 2 p.m. Spring Winds
2 ­ 3 p.m. Hawaii Opera Theatre

For more information, visit www.hiltonhawaii.com/artsseason/.

Edited by Dave Shultz

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