Voices of Aloha, UH Mānoa’s touring choir, returned from their biennium trip abroad this summer with performances along the East Coast of Canada and continental United States. An ensemble of ambassadors, Voices of Aloha (VoA) exists to bring their song to international audiences and to provide UH Mānoa’s top students an elite artistic experience.
In 2016, UH Mānoa sent students far beyond the Hawaiian islands with performances by the bands or choirs in New York, Montréal, San Francisco, and Boston, to name a few. Music education student and VoA alto Megann Salā expressed her excitement, “This year’s VoA tour was amazing! I could never have imagined how much we’d grow during the preparations and two-week trip. Plus, I’ll never forget singing in some of those churches… they were amazing!”
The most recent Voices of Aloha program, entitled For You, A Lei, centered around a series of musical vignettes, each of which musically describes life in Hawai‘i. In the program, Governor Ige welcomed audience members: “As you listen to today’s performances, enjoy this musical portrait of Hawai‘i’s history and its people. Their songs tell our story through many languages, many styles, and many forms.”
Dr. Miguel Felipe, director of choral activities and associate professor of music, was excited to share the VoA’s success: “The Voices of Aloha is an enormous source of pride for our University and state. I love the way it engages a wide range of students, brings out the very best, and provides an experience they could never get otherwise. I know this trip will remain a fond memory in their UH experience!” Department chair Prof. Laurence Paxton noted, “Tours like the VoA’s Philippines tour in 2014 and Montréal to Manhattan tour in 2016 are the very best of what we provide our students at Mānoa. They set a very high bar for our community and continue to share the amazing talents of our student body with the world!”
Post by John Paul Brabant
Photo by Aaron Gould
2016 Voices of Aloha Itinerary
- Aloha Concert on UH Mānoa Campus, Friday, June 3
- Fly to Montréal!, Saturday, June 4
- Workshop for College Prep International students, Montréal, Quebec, Monday, June 6
- Concert at Basilique Notre-Dame in Montréal, Monday, June 6
- Concert at Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in Montréal, Tuesday, June 7
- Concert at First Baptist Church in Burlington, Vermont, Wednesday, June 8
- Concert at State Street Church, Portland, Maine, Thursday, June 9
- Concert at First Parish Church, Gorham, Maine, Friday, June 10
- Concert at First Church in Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Saturday, June 11
- Interdenominational Worship Broadcast on WBUR at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday, Jun 12
- Workshop for Stoughton High School students, Stoughton, Massachusetts, Monday, June 13
- Concert at Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, New York, Tuesday, June 14
- Concert in Rikers Island Correctional Facility, New York, Wednesday, June 15
- Concert at Our Saviour New York, New York, Thursday, June 16
- Fly to Honolulu, Friday, June 17