Arts & Culture

Friday, June 30. First Lieutenant Ehren Watada of Honolulu, 28 years old, has been making national news since becoming the first U.S. commissioned officer to publicly oppose the war in Iraq and refuse deployment with his unit. Currently he is confined to his base at Fort Lewis, Washington. On this 4th of July weekend, HPR’s Noe Tanigawa takes a look at his case as Americans consider their own insurgents of the past and the definition of patriotism today. Runs 3:40.

Thursday, June 29. M. Evelina Galang (GAH-lahng) is an award winning author, a teacher at the University of Miami, and a key contributor to contemporary Filipino- American culture. She is in Honolulu for the Filipino-American National Historical Society Conference and to present her work to the public tonight in the UH Manoa Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture series. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa offers a preview. Runs 3:59.

Monday, June 26. Today the Honolulu Symphony is announcing its choice as Executive Director to lead the organization through immediate financial straits and into the establishment of a stable organization. Filling the post of Music Director/Conductor is one pressing concern. Most recently, Thomas Gulick led the restructuring of Orange County California’s Ballet Pacifica; prior to that, he was head of development and marketing for the San Francisco Opera and Vice President of Marketing for the Detroit Symphony. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with Mr. Gulick about the task ahead. Runs 4:01.

Friday, June 23. The Koa Gallery’s annual summer session, “Center Your Creativity”, offers opportunities for novices and serious practitioners alike to connect with their inner muse. This past week, three dancers who met during intense New York City careers conducted workshops and shared their ideas about where dance is going and how it will get there. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports. Miho Morinoue (moh-ree-noh-oo-eh), Lynn Barre (barry), and Jodie Gates will offer classes next week at the West Hawai’I Dance Theater on the Big Island, check the WHDT website for more information. Their performance at the Donkey Mill Art Center in Kona next Wednesday is reportedly sold out. Runs 3:16.

Thursday, June 22. Hawai’i’s longest running juried exhibition, Artists of Hawai’i, has its opening preview tonight at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. This year, out of over 800 works, 79 were chosen by the juror, Edmund Capon (kay-pon), Director of Australia’s Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney’s most important public gallery. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with Mr. Capon about his selections. Runs 3:47.

Friday, June 16. The 100th anniversary of Filipino arrival in Hawai’i is prompting examination of a rich immigration and acculturation experience. For a fresh perspective, The Contemporary Museum is presenting a stimulating sampling of young American-Filipino artists assembled by Koan (koh-ahn) Jeff Baysa, Director and Curator of International Programming for MOCA Beijing. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa ventures into their world. Runs: 2:37.

Thursday, June 15. It’s kitten season, so June is Love-a-Cat month at O’ahu’s Hawaiian Humane Society. An estimated 120 thousand cats are safely housed with human families, but this time of year, an average of 70 a day are turned in to the Humane Society, where most are put up for adoption. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa offers this visit with several available felines. Runs: 3:25.

Tuesday, June 13. Podcasting is the delivery of multi-media files, typically audio or video, over the internet for playback on portable media players, such as players or ipods. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa spoke with Bob Lew, an independent technology consultant and bastion of the Hawai’i podcasting community about how this technology could affect you. Runs: 3:23.

Friday, June 9. This Sunday, June 11th is Kamehameha Day in Hawai’i. Yesterday, HPR began a look at the life of Kamehameha, the first Chief to unify the Hawaiian Islands under one rule. Noe Tanigawa continues the story today with Fred Cachola, honored by Kamehameha Schools for his contributions to the Hawaiian community. He is also a native of Kohala, the birthplace of Kamehameha. Runs: 4:14.

Thursday, June 8. Kamehameha Day, June 11th, will be celebrated through the weekend into the state holiday Monday. The annual Floral Parade on O’ahu, with its colorful horseback contingents representing each Hawaiian Island, will leave ‘Iolani Palace at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, and end at Kapi’olani park. Celebrations are also planned on the Big Island, particularly in Kohala, Kamehameha’s birthplace. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports. Runs: 4:14.