Living, Breathing, Eating Music: Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s Music Education Program

By Catherine Tarleton

These kids have to spread their wings,” says Genette Freeman, Executive Director of Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (HPAF), an annual summer music immersion program that pairs professional teachers with potential stars. HPAF creates opportunities for Hawai‘i’s young musicians in their own backyard—or concert hall.

“I finally had adults give me concrete information about my voice and what options I should look at as I considered a career in the performing arts,” says Aidan Wharton of Waimea, a four-year HPAF student who graduated from Parker School in 2013 and is now studying Musical Theatre at Penn State. “The training is incredible, and it is remarkable that such an opportunity exists in small-town Waimea,” he explains. I truly would not be where I am today, happily pursuing my dream, if it weren’t for the time I spent and people I met at HPAF.”

For the past 10 years, the month of July has been devoted to song, dance, and music at host campus Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy, where music and acting teachers, voice coaches, choreographers, and encouragers bring out the best in their aspiring performers.

“The summer music festival experience is different from a regular academic setting. HPAF, and similar programs like Aspen and Interlochen, offer more of a musical intensive… “It’s a different way of studying music. It’s what we call called ‘Chautauqua’ back east.”

Popular in the early 20th Century, traveling “Chautauqua groups” brought speakers and performers into communities for education, culture and entertainment. “It’s a way that young students can come and get into an intense program where they are living, breathing, and eating music,” says Genette.

“We raise funds to provide scholarships for local kids and to bring internationally renowned artists to come and teach. Although these teachers usually command a much higher salary than we can pay, they come and make a difference in kids’ lives. They value working with kids.”

Genette adds that the lure of Hawai‘i is a great incentive for visiting teachers, as well. More importantly, the instructors see the need to expose children to classical music, opera, and various genres of performance.

Elizabeth Sekona, a student of Gary Washburn’s at Honoka‘a High School, honed her violin skills with HPAF. Elizabeth says she has been involved since she was 14, all through high school, and last year she helped with the junior program. She had only played classical music before joining the jazz band, where she learned about improvisation. HPAF broadened her horizons even more, and she’s now playing with UH Hilo’s Jazz Orchestra. She says, “It was fun; I made lots of friends, met great teachers, and I learned so much from all of them.”

“This is one important role we want to play in the community,” says Genette. “Music education has been cut from many school curricula—which is absolutely tragic I think.” Genette and her partner and friend, HPAF Artistic Director Val Underwood founded HPAF in 2005. Their mutual love of music, and Hawai‘i, inspired the festival.

A professional concert pianist and teacher with studios in New York, Los Angeles, and London, Val has followed up with HPAF students, taking on the role of mentor for their careers in some cases.

Since HPAF began, many of the students have soared in their musical careers, getting accepted into prestigious music schools and more. “One boy started with me as a violin student at eight or nine, and we realized he had a lovely voice,” says Val, continuing, “We started giving him training, and last year he was given a child’s role in a new opera at the Met [New York Metropolitan Opera]. We are very proud being able to make a significant impact on these kids as teachers and as mentors.”

Other local success stories include Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy graduate Becca Barrett of Waimea, now attending Wagner College in New York in Musical Theatre.

“Aidan’s dad [Bailey Wharton] recommended the festival to me,” says Becca. “I barely read music and had no voice training.” We caught up with Becca in Boston, where she was auditioning for summer stock theatre—not something she imagined doing before her HPAF experience.

“There I was, 15 years old, singing and rehearsing all day—voice lessons, choreography. I thought, if I could do this the rest of my life I would be the happiest person on earth,” says Becca.

“It’s unbelievable that we have this incredible pool of well-known and experienced, professional people come to Waimea who are kind as well as talented,” says Becca. “And the fact that they care enough about students to keep in touch… I’m very grateful.”

Last year, Becca studied abroad in London, which included voice lessons from her friend and teacher, opera star Jennifer McGregor. Becca says were it not for HPAF, she would never have had that connection.

“There’s something really invaluable about professional training,” Becca explains. “If it hadn’t been for HPAF, I don’t think I would have been able to get to New York. I wouldn’t have believed in myself enough to go for it.”

HPAF will bring more than 20 music teachers to the island this year, all of whom will work intensively with students in two divisions: the Strings Program, directed by violinist Iggy Jang and the Vocal Program, led by Val Underwood. Fifteen members of the vocal faculty will guide voice students at three different levels: Pre-Teen Singers (a one-week program for kids 9-13), Young Singers (age 14 to college freshman), and Developing Singers (to age 31).

Students come from all over the country, as auditions are held in major cities—London, Toronto, New York, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. The competition is fairly stiff. Here on Hawai‘i Island, students are encouraged to participate and financial aid is available to qualified applicants. Even in a community where music is plentiful, with ‘ukulele practically part of everyday life, it can be challenging to hear classical music or opera—much less find an opportunity for advanced study.

“For at least three weeks every summer, we’re going to give you good training, and give you so many performing opportunities,” say Genette, who says they started with about 30 students in 2005 and will have about 75 this summer. “That’s just about capacity as far as housing and venues go,” says Genette. “We’re really small, so we’re able to give a lot of personal attention. By the time three weeks are over, students and teachers know each other very well.”

“What’s extraordinary is some of the kids can’t even sing ‘Happy Birthday’ at first,” says Beth Bornstein Dunnington, who directs the Young Singers program. “By the end, they are full-on performing Broadway musical numbers.”

An important part of the education program as well as an effort to raise funds, HPAF faculty, guest artists, and students will present a series of recitals, concerts, and staged productions available to the public throughout the Festival. Beth says it is rewarding to see the Pre-Teen Singers in concert, especially when their family is in attendance.

“It is the most moving show of the Festival,” says Beth. “They really come out of their shells. Not one kid holds back. Every single kid comes out. I’m really proud of it.”

For Pre-Teens, the cost is much less than the regular HPAF tuition. A day at HPAF may start with a one-on-one acting class with Beth, so they can learn how to perform their song, followed by sessions with a voice teacher, a dance movement class, work with the choreography coach, lunch in the cafeteria and show rehearsal. Beth says that many of the kids who go through the Pre-Teen program will apply for Young Singers and continue their training.

“It’s a Julliard-level program, with voice and strings and opera,” says Beth.

Success story Kaikea Mead, 13, of Waimea was one of Beth’s Pre-Teen Singers in 2013.

“Beth taught me how to pose and stand for my song, how to project and be confident in my singing. And how, if I feel something needs to be changed in the song, it’s OK because it’s my song,” says Kaikea. “She was very inspirational and helpful.”

Kaikea continues, “It was really cool, because I got to practice with Phil [Kadet], and he’s a really good piano artist and he taught me about singing and getting the timing down and how to read music…I got to sing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from The Lion King in the show. It was a great experience.”

Kaikea was in the musical Aladdin, playing Jafar. “It was great. It made me love singing, especially getting the feedback from the audience. This dad came up to me with two really cute little girls who wouldn’t leave the theatre until they got a picture with me.”

Kaikea enjoys working with musical productions at Parker School and plans to continue performing.

Gracie Bostock, 12, of Waimea has been an HPAF student for the last three years, starting as a Pre-Teen Singer.

“I had Beth Dunnington as an acting teacher. She was really fun and very supportive of me,” says Gracie. “I was just trying to pursue acting, and with help from her I started singing. She was my inspiration… She helped me discover a whole new part of my voice.” Gracie enjoys all kinds of music, though musical theatre is her favorite, with Rent and If/Then topping the list.

“If/Then is about how the smallest choice in life can impact any path,” says Gracie. “The end of the show is very reflective,” she says. “Being so young, I like to think I go for any decision, but on the other hand, I’ve got to be really careful about the choices I make.”

Reinforcing her choice to pursue a performing career, Gracie and her mother recently took a trip to New York, which of course included some of Broadway’s best.

“I thought, Wow, a thousand people sat in this same seat and watched this show over and over,” says Gracie. “What if a thousand people come to see me?” Break a Leg Gracie, Aidan, Kaikea, Becca, and Hawaii Performing Arts Festival 2015. ❖

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Created in 2005 with a stated mission of forming a world class training program in the beautiful environs of Hawai‘i, HPAF has over the years brought over 450 young artists from around the world to Hawai‘i Island, contributing over $3 million to the local economy. The organization has awarded scholarships to more than 100 young artists from Hawai‘i.

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For more information: 808.333.7378, HawaiiPerformingArtsFestival.org.

Contact photographer Jonathan Rawle: JonathanRawle.com.

Contact writer Catherine Tarleton: catherinetarleton@gmail.com.