Aina Haina Public Library

Date and Time: Saturday, April 26, 2008, 12:30-1:30 pm

Honolulu jazz trio, the Ko’olau Winds, will perform jazz standards from the 1930s to the present.

The members, Tony Yee saxophones, Matt Snow trombone, and Benjamin Peters saxophones, began to perform Jazz together at their alma mater Punahou School. Each of them studied and worked on the mainland and returned to the islands within the last few years. As friends and musical colleagues, Tony, Matt and Ben created this compact ensemble to bring back to Hawaii what they’ve learned while away and to share all they’ve loved about jazz music since they first heard strains that swung.

Tony Yee has worked for and recorded music at the Berkley Collage of Music in Massachusetts. He performs with all 4 voices of the saxophone family. He is currently Director of Student Activities at the TransPacific Hawaii College in Aina Haina. There Mr. Yee assists international students in ESL programs and AA degrees for entrance into four-year university programs. He is also soon to be a proud dad.

Matt Snow double-majored in music and environmental engineering at MIT in Massachusetts and has performed classical, jazz and rock music on the mainland and in Hawaii. Not only is Mr. Snow both a trombone player and bassist, but he will be opening a rehearsal studio here in Honolulu, located the Chinatown district - called “The Snowdio” this May. For more information, contact him at: snowdioproductions@gmail.com

Benjamin Peters performed and recorded jazz and classical music in Chicago for many years. As well as saxophone and guitar, he is an oboist, affiliated with the Honolulu Symphony, and has soloed with the orchestra and given recitals in the islands and in Chicago. He has also performed in Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Peters also teaches music history at Hawaii Pacific University and oboe instruction at Punahou School.

Date and Time: Friday, April 4, 3:00-3:45 p.m.

The Muses, a Celtic musical group, consists of Tanya Brody, Matthew Gurnsey and new band member Annie Mariner. Each plays a plethora of exotic instruments ranging from bohdran & concertina to harp & hammered dulcimer; psaltery, pennywhistles, flute and zils, to name just a few. They add new life to old songs as well as adding original material to the Celtic repertoire. Since the moment they chose to blend their voices in song, they began captivating the hearts of every audience all throughout the United States and Canada, weddings and pubs to concerts and main-stages at Scottish Games and Celtic Festivals. The Muses perform with a ferocity and a strength of heart that embodies the music they all love so dearly.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii Outreach College’s Statewide Cultural Extension Program. Suitable for ages 5 and up.

Program schedules are subject to change. Please contact the library at least 10 business days in advance if you need a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations.

Date and Time: March 27, 2008, 10:30-11:15 am

Maui’s Kite tells the story of how the Hawaiian Kite was invented. Maui makes the kite, then calls the winds to help him fly it. Too little wind, the kite won’t go up. Too much wind, the kite blows away! Only the right amount of wind will allow the kite to soar. Designed specifically for our youngest audiences, this show is a participatory journey, filled with adventure. Honolulu Theatre for Youth actors Cynthia See and Junior Tesoro work with puppets, music and many playful winds, even teaching simple hula moves and Hawaiian words, to tickle the imaginations of even the smallest of theatergoers. This free 45-minute program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Hawaii. Suggested for ages 3 - 5.

Program schedules are subject to change. Please contact the library at least 10 business days in advance if you need a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations.

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 18 at 6:00-7:30 p.m.

University of Hawaii Professor Noel Jacob Kent will conduct an informational presentation that is based on his latest book which deals with the domestic and international problems and challenges facing the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. In this new work, tentatively titled, Remembering 1965: Watershed Year for America, the objective is to look at a critical year in which the civil rights revolution reached its apex, the Johnson Administration embarked both on a major war in Vietnam and the building of a Great Society, and the youth upsurge in the U.S. came into full view. All of these have profound implications for our nation in 2008. The presentation includes pieces of films from 1965 and CDs to recall some examples of the popular music from that era. Professor Kent is a longtime member of the UH Manoa faculty and community activist. He has written Hawaii Islands under the Influence and also America in 1900 and is currently researching the impact of the l960s on the United States. This 90-minute program is suitable for adults.

Please contact the library at least 10 business days in advance if you need a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations.

Date and Time: Saturday, March 15 at 10:30 a.m.

“Preparing for SAT” is a seminar conducted by Karen Figueroa, a professional SAT instructor and founder of Solutions Test Prep. This one and a half hour program is recommended for all sophomores, juniors and their parents, or anyone who needs to start planning and preparing for the SATs.

Karen Figueroa is an experienced instructor and speaker and has successfully conducted SSAT, SAT, and GRE classes since 1994 in Central Florida. She conducts informational sessions for the local public and private schools in her area.

Date and Time: Saturday, March 8, 2008; 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Hugo Higa of Aesthetic Vision Center has been offering free seminars that focus on the top three aging eye issues for the elderly. They are macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. These three conditions are the top causes of blindness in the elderly. More Hawaii families are becoming caretakers of aging relatives, or aging themselves, and the loss of vision can be traumatic. It affects one’s independence, and increases dependence on family and/or home healthcare assistants. Dr. Higa will also address blepharoplasty, surgery for droopy eyelids which affects many seniors such that they have to hold their eyes open with their hand to drive, watch TV or read. This one-hour informational program is recommended for adults.

Please contact the library at least 10 business days in advance if you need a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations.