Events
Bishop Museum Celebrates the Return of the Moonlight Mele Concert Series
# Bishop Museum Celebrates the Return of the Moonlight Mele Concert Series
The Friday night concerts, to be held on the Museum's Great Lawn on July 14 and Aug. 11, will be headlined by Kapena and Mākaha Sons.
*Honolulu, Hawaiʻi* — Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, in partnership with Ha Ka Entertainment, celebrates the return of a beloved concert series to its Great Lawn: Moonlight Mele will be held on Friday, July 14 and Friday, Aug. 11, and will be headlined by multi-Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winners Kapena and Mākaha Sons, respectively.
"I have fond memories of attending past Moonlight Mele concerts at Bishop Museum," shared Brandon Bunag, Bishop Museum vice president of public programs and interim director of education. "For me, and I'm sure for many others, it was a magical experience, enjoying live music by the Brothers Cazimero or Cyril Pahinui on the Great Lawn, under starry skies and in the fresh air of Kaiwiʻula, with the backdrop of Hawaiian Hall and all the history and culture it embodies surrounding us. Now the concerts are returning to the Museum, and we're inviting local ʻohana and visitors to come join us and experience the magic of this storytelling through music."
Past Moonlight Mele concerts at Bishop Museum drew inspiration from the then newly-restored Hawaiian Hall and its second level, "Wao Kanaka," representing the Hawaiian realm where people live and work. The return of Moonlight Mele to the Museum this summer is reflective of the Museum's ongoing mission, honoring and uplifting both past and present stories of Hawaiʻi.
"Bishop Museum's mission is the preservation and perpetuation of the history and culture of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, to include both traditional and contemporary perspectives," said Bunag. "Our recent exhibitions, such as POW! WOW! The First Decade: From Hawaiʻi to the World, and Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry, featured modern interpretations and voices that honor tradition. Similarly, Moonlight Mele's return to Hawaiʻi's Museum offers the opportunity to share both traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music in a setting where these stories especially resonate, and are elevated."
The Friday, July 14 Moonlight Mele concert will be headlined by Kapena and will also feature Walea, Kulāiwi, and Maunalua.
The Mākaha Sons will headline the Friday, Aug. 11 Moonlight Mele concert, with additional performers announced soon.
"The Moonlight Mele concerts will truly be 'chicken skin' experiences for our guests, and all of us with the Bishop Museum ʻOhana invite our community and visitors to join us in these historic events," said Bunag.
Updated lineups and additional details for both concerts, including pre-sale and General Admission pricing, can be found at BishopMuseum.org and via the Museum's social media channels, @BishopMuseum.
Invitation to Media
Media are invited to schedule pre-event interviews and/or live performances with select Moonlight Mele artists as well as Bishop Museum's Brandon Bunag. For details and scheduling, please contact Lance Aquino at Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations via the contact information above.
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.