On May 1, 3, and 5, Quinn Kelsey returns to his home opera company, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, for Herb Mahelona and Victoria Nālani Kneubuhl’s Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree. Sung predominantly in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Kamalehua is the first Hawaiian-language opera to depict Hawaiian history through ʻōiwi worldview, music, ceremony, and dramatic storytelling.
Kelsey stars as Timoteo Ha‘alilio, the real-life Royal Secretary to King Kamehameha III, who was sent on a mission to secure signed treaties from international governments recognizing the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. The opera follows Ha‘alilio on his difficult journey across land and sea and illustrates the sophistication and establishment of the Hawaiian government, as well as the risk of political upheaval at the hands of the Western world.
Kelsey is joined by soprano Tasha Hokuao Koontz as Hana Hooper Ha’alilio, as well as a local chorus led by Nola A. Kapualehuaopaneʻewa Nāhulu and the masterful artistry of a hālau hula.
