Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival

2016 Festival Program - February 5-6, 2016

Click here to see the Festival's Event Schedule

The Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival will feature school visitations, a steel guitar workshop, kanikapila, Open Stage sessions, and a ho‘olaule‘a featuring several of Hawai‘i's steel guitar masters.

The festival's educational component provides learning opportunities for local area schools. Classes are invited to participate in workshops and presentations about the Hawaiian steel guitar at the hotel on Friday, February 5, 2016. These educational presentations will be made by teams of festival steel guitar masters and are geared towards reintroducing the Hawaiian steel guitar to the younger generation and to get them interested in the instrument and its importance in Hawaiian music. If your Kaua‘i school is interested in such a presentation, please fill out the contact form to reserve your opportunity.

A Friday evening steel guitar workshop will be followed by a kanikapila, where festival attendees can bring their instruments and play along Hawaiian-style with the steel guitar masters.

Saturday's activities include Open Stage sessions where Hawaiian steel guitarists or bands with a Hawaiian Steel Guitar can present a 30-minute program to festival attendees. If you or your Hawaiian steel guitar band is interested in performing on the open stage, please submit your Open Stage performance request using the contact form.

The festival finale will be a ho‘olaule‘a featuring master steel guitar performers in a program of Hawaiian music and hula. The Saturday evening program will be hosted by emcee Mento Mele Apana.

Steel Guitar Ho‘olaule‘a - Saturday Evening

The Ho‘olaule‘a program will be hosted by radio and television personality Mele Apana. The Ho‘olaule‘a will showcase of the Festival's featured performers. The finale will feature all that evening's Ho‘olaule‘a steel guitarists playing together as a group.

Featured Steel Guitarists

Other Festival Performers

Next Generation Steel Guitar Players

Four "Next Generation" Steel Guitar students of Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music will perform for festival attendees' enjoyment. These steel guitarists age 12 and 17, will play individually during the Open Stage Entertainment and in the main evening program, accompanied by students from local area schools.

Workshops

A "Beginning Hawaiian Steel Guitar" workshop will be presented.

Open Stage Entertainment

Open Stage Performers

Saturday Open stage entertainment will feature guest artists and performers. These 30-minute playing sessions will showcase steel guitarists from all over the world, including some Aloha Music Camp attendees. Shown here, Dave Kolars (DeKalb, IL), Heu‘i Bandmann (Lawai, HI), Moses Kamai (Bristow, VA), Robert "Konabob" Stoffer (Kona, HI), Rhonda Murotake (Los Angeles, CA), and Mark Alan Mendes (San Diego, CA).

The Festival Poster

2016 Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival Poster

The Kaua‘i Steel Guitar Festival poster was designed by Addison Ching and features pictures of the master performers superimposed on a silhouette of a Excel 8-string Frypan steel guitar. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.