Family and friends gathered around Edna Farden Bekeart to celebrate the selection of her song "Come to Kapalua" to be a part of the Kapalua Bay Hotel's Ho'okipa program.
Kapalua Bay Hotel
sings new tuneThe hotel adopts a local composer’s
song for its cultural program
The Kapalua Bay Hotel now has its own song.
"Come to Kapalua," written three years ago by 86-year-old Hawaiian composer Edna Farden Bekeart, the youngest daughter of the famed Farden musical family of Lahaina, was adopted as the hotel song and will be incorporated into the hotel's Ho'okipa cultural program.
Bekeart said she wrote the music and lyrics, inspired by childhood memories of the area where the Kapalua Bay Hotel now sits. The song tells about the sunny days, starry nights and romance at Kapalua.
"It's an island-style love song," Bekeart said. "I wanted to capture the old sense of place where I used to go as a child and teenager."
The hotel staff had heard about the song and got Bekeart's permission to adopt it. The song will be used in the resort's ongoing program of Hawaiian music, special events and wedding ceremonies on the property.
"Come to Kapalua" was officially introduced during a celebration last month on the hotel grounds, attended by hotel guests, staff and Farden family members statewide, including the Puamana musical trio of Bekeart's nieces.
The Ho'okipa program at the Kapalua Bay Hotel infuses the language, values and culture of Hawaii into several aspects of the hotel's operations. Ho'okipa is the Hawaiian concept of hospitality.
The program includes cultural education and training for employees; interactive cultural programs for guests; incorporation of the Hawaiian experience into the hotel environment; preservation of the area's natural beauty; and participation in community projects and events supporting Hawaiian culture and arts.
The hotel's Ho'okipa program was honored with a Kahili Award this year in the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau's annual "Keep It Hawaii" awards.
