Years ago, my husband Carl told me repeatedly about a special concert for which he and his mother bought tickets. I don’t remember the details of it, nor who was performing, but apparently visiting European royalty were going to be in attendance, and my mother-in-law, Inga-lill, bought a special dress for the occasion and had her hair done. In fact, I have a picture somewhere — of her all dressed up, ready to go. Then, as Carl said, they happened to check the tickets and discovered, to their horror, that the concert had happened the night before! They had totally missed the concert because of a mixup with the date! Truly gut-wrenching, right?!

I was reminded to this story yesterday, as a friend asked me if I was going to the next Hawaii Symphony Orchestra concert, which happens to be on May 10th. I am a season ticket-holder for the Symphony concerts, but opt out of those which occur on Thursday nights, which is choir rehearsal night. I checked a folder on my desk for my batch of season tickets, and I was horrified to see a ticket for April 19, which was called “Hokule‘a, 50 years.”

You see, just the afternoon before, my friend Yoko Kokuni Kessner, sent me a notice for this concert which featured the Oahu Choral Society and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra:

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hōkūleʻa’s maiden voyage to Tahiti, the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra joins forces with conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, the Oʻahu Choral Society and the Polynesian Voyaging Society to present, for the first time, Michael-Thomas Foumai’s complete choral symphony, Raise Hawaiki.

Inspired by the legendary voyages of Hōkūleʻa and the powerful words of Eddie Aikau and Nainoa Thompson, experience the trials and triumphs of Polynesian voyaging with captivating visual projections of historical photos alongside video from the current Moananuiākea voyage. 

This momentous evening opens with a powerful oli, offered by original and next‑generation Hōkūleʻa crewmembers – setting the tone through ancestral voice, lived experience, and the strength of an enduring legacy.  Guided by narration from acclaimed actor Moses Goods, the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra presents a sweeping, immersive work brought to life with stunning visual projections.

Together, music, story, and image trace the trials, triumphs, and unbroken spirit of Polynesian voyaging, honoring Hōkūleʻa not only as a historical moment, but as a movement that reshaped cultural memory and continues to navigate the future.

I told Yoko that ordinarily I spend Sunday afternoons on FaceTime with my grandson, so I’d just have to see how the afternoon went. As it turned out, Andrés and I FaceTimed early in the afternoon, so I went ahead and got on the website to buy a ticket. To my surprise, there were only a few empty seats, so I purchased one of the few left and went to the concert. Even though I used Yoko’s discount code to save myself about $20 on the ticket, it still wasn’t cheap.

The concert was fantastic! Michael-Thomas Foumai’s incredible composition was nearly two hours in length, but especially, there were videos and still artwork which was displayed on the walls of the concert hall, creating a giant theatre. It was a very emotional experience, with Nainoa Thompson as the guest of honor, the president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and first of Hawaiian ancestry to use traditional Polynesian navigational methods.

The work had been premiered a few years before by the University of Hawaii, which you can see in the short video below. The music is at once colorful and dramatic, and extremely accessible to a wide audience.

The entire audience leaped to their feet at the end of the concert for a well-deserved standing ovation. Even I stood, which is rare!

So what was so gut-wrenching about the whole experience?

I found my season ticket among the rest of my Hawaii Symphony tickets — meaning, I had already purchased a ticket for the concert, and in a much better location! I mistakenly thought this concert was not part of the regular season, but I didn’t confirm that for a fact. Grrrr!

Oh well — maybe I could call it a donation to the Hawaii Symphony, a worthy cause in any event!