HIMELE Festival News

April 15, 2023 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

Here is the latest news about HIMELE's Hawaiian steel guitar festivals and related events.

2023 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival

May 5-7, 2023

The list of featured steel guitar players has been revised to eight and now includes Alan Akaka, Bobby Ingano, Kapono Lopes, Mālie Lyman, Sebastian Müller from Germany, Greg Sardinha, Geronimo "Geri" Valdriz, and Joseph Zayac.

Sebastian was previously featured in the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase Spotlight ON! Series. His feature was published in November, 2022.

The event schedule for the festival has been released.

The Open Stage will begin at 9:00 AM on Saturday. Artists include steel guitar students of Heu‘i Bandmann, Vickie Van Fechtmann, Barbara Bones and guest Mary Neudorffer, and Kaua‘i's Jess Montgomery.

The Saturday Ho‘olaule‘a concert at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Coconut Beach Resort in Kapa‘a will be presented in two performance segments and both will be livestreamed on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Showcase's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The first segment will begin at noon and run to about 3:00 PM. This segment will feature steel guitarists Joseph Zayac, Geronimo "Geri" Valdriz, NextGen steel guitarists Makamae Lyu-Napoleon and Isabella Bertelmann, and Kapono Lopes and Alan Akaka.

The second segment will begin at 4:00 PM and feature Greg Sardinha, Germany's Sebastian Muller, Mālie Lyman, NextGen Enosa Lyman, Joey Misailidis and Tai Misailidis, and Bobby Ingano. The second segment will run until about 7:00 PM. The public Kanikapila will run from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM.

The Sunday festival at Kukui Grove Center in Lihue will feature an abbreviated concert lasting about four hours with seven steel guitar players and the NextGen performing. The Sunday festival concert begins at noon and runs until about 3:15 PM.

Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i

May 27, 2023

Due to a scheduling conflict, steel guitarist Joseph Zayac has withdrawn from the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival at Ka Makana Ali‘i. A replacement will be announced when identified.