Hawaii
EVER notice how things come in twos and threes? An item here yesterday dealt with Sunday's Hawaii Youth Symphony concert featuring Korean-born violinist Si-Jing Huang of the Boston Symphony. Now comes word that the next soloist for the Honolulu Symphony's classical season is another Korean violin virtuosa, Chee-Hun. And who is guest conductor? Why, Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, who in his new role is following in the giant footsteps of Arthur Fiedler and John Williams. Chee-Hun last appeared here three years ago as a last-minute substitute for yet another Korean violinist Young Uck Kim. The Chee-Yun concerts will take place April 27 & 28 ...SLOT machines in Kapiolani Park? Surely you jest! Well, no. An actual Las Vegas style slot machine will be on hand at the Honolulu International Bedrace Festival in the park this weekend. One difference between this machine and the ones in Vegas is that with this one you get to pull the handle free, courtesy of Safeway and Pepsi. You may even win a trip to Vegas, Pepsi products for a year etc. You can pull all you want as long as you return to the end of the line after each pull ...
WHAT better place to hold an opening night party after Hawaii Opera Theater's production of Puccini's "Turandot" than at Glenn Chu's Indigo Eurasian Restaurant. Indigo was selected after guest director Joe Bascetta asked that an appropriate place be selected and Indigo came to mind because it shares a European-Asian theme with the Opera, written by an Italian and set in China. Lead singers Jigang Du, Dandan Li and Yan Yan Wang, all from China, took to the food immediately and tenor Du was eyeing a large gong that's part of the Indigo decor, perhaps thinking of the scene in which he announces his intention to woo Princess Turandot by striking a gong three times. He restrained himself at Indigo or we might have had a real wedding on our hands ...
I MENTIONED here recently that it seemed odd when Mayor Jeremy Harris, on his weekly Channel 2 morning news segment, called Honolulu's police force the "best in the country" on the same day the police union, SHOPO, endorsed his opponent, Arnold Morgado, for mayor. Sure enough, the last shoe hadn't yet dropped, and SHOPO has now reversed itself and come out for Harris ... Elmo and Grover of "Sesame Street Live" will give two free shows tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Waikele Center near the Factory Stores. It'll be a preview of their Broadway-style musical playing the Blaisdell Arena April 25 to May 5 ...
LAST year Jesse Rivera made his first public appearance following the release of his first CD at the Iolani Family Fair. His song, "Words Just Don't Come Easy," about his dad, became the most requested tune around Father's Day and the CD sold over 10,000 copies. Tonight and tomorrow Rivera returns to Iolani for another free performance at the Family Fair ... Have a great weekend, whatever you do ...
