Big Island Events: Kohala in Concert at Kilauea Volcano

Kohala in Concert at Kilauea Volcano

The beloved Big Island acoustic guitar trio Kohala is slated to play a rare concert at the KMC Theater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The Kilauea Volcano performance takes place on Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Volcano Art Center.

“Kohala’s music--an acoustic blend of contemporary Hawaiian, folk, and jazz--reflects the beauty of the landscape and culture found in the Kohala region on the Big Island, where two of the acoustic guitar trio live,” notes VAC education coordinator Julie Mitchell, who is organizing the concert.

Kohala’s lead guitarist, GRAMMY® Award winning Charles Michael Brotman, is a classical guitarist who began playing contemporary jazz after completing graduate studies in music. Rupert Tripp Jr. and Charlie Recaido grew up in Hawai‘i playing island music on steel string guitars using a finger picking style. The combination of the trio’s diverse musical influences creates their own distinct sound.

Kohala has released eight CDs since 1998 and has toured extensively throughout Hawai‘i, Japan, and the continental United States. As the trio evolves, their structure stays basically the same: Brotman plays the melody line on nylon strings in his classical style, and Recaido and Tripp create a unique chordal texture with their exquisite finger-style acoustic guitar playing on steel strings.

Brotman won the first GRAMMY® Award ever given for Hawaiian music (Best Hawaiian Music Album), and he produced the GRAMMY® Award winning CD “Slack key Guitar Volume 2.” Both he and Recaido performed on the CD, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s World Music Chart.

“As Honolulu Advertiser’s Wayne Harada has said, ‘Kohala has the master’s touch.’ We invite residents and visitors to join us for this exciting evening of superlative guitar music by the masters,” says Mitchell.


Advance tickets for Kohala are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors (65 & up) or children (12 & under). Tickets are available at CD Wizard, The Most Irresistible Shop, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Kilauea General Store, Volcano Art Center Gallery, and VAC’s Niaulani Campus. To buy tickets with a credit card, or purchase group rate tickets (for parties of 10 or more), contact VAC at 967-8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.

At the door, tickets are $2 more.

The day after the concert, the trio teaches the special guest workshop “Kohala Guitar Techniques” on Sunday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at VAC’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village(on Old Volcano Road at the corner of Kalanikoa). In this workshop, participants meet the members of Kohala, learn how they compose and arrange their music, and get an introduction to slack key guitar.

“Kohala members teach some of their music and dissect a few songs, showing how the compositions evolved from simple sketches to complete arrangements,” Mitchell states.

Each of the trio shares his particular forte: Rupert Tripp Jr., finger-style and rhythm;Charlie Recaido, bossa-nova chord and rhythm styles; Charles Michael Brotman, classical guitar technique in Kohala’s music and in slack key guitar. Handouts include scores and/or chord charts and tablature.

Guitarists of all levels welcome, with own instrument. Workshop tuition is $35, and substantial educational subsidies are available for financially needy students.