Vespers at Hānaiakamālama

Matinée presentation:

Hawai‘i’s Queen Emma—Emalani Kalanikaumaka‘amano Kaleleonālani Na‘ea Rooke—is another of those seminal figures in our Islands who provide such rich material for living history performances.  Well educated and a woman of many talents, an ali‘i and the daughter of ali‘i, Emma was queen consort to King Kamehameha IV, Alexander Liholiho.  The Queen’s reign was noted for her humanitarian efforts and for her founding of The Queen’s Hospital, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls.  But her life had its share of sorrows, including the untimely deaths of her young son and her husband. 

In “Vespers,” UH-Hilo Performing Arts graduate Denyse Woo-Ockerman welcomes us into Queen Emma’s home and heart as she looks back on a life rich in family history and the weight of unexpected tragedy.  This remarkable one-woman performance (penned by the renowned Jackie Pualani Johnson) illuminates Emma’s resilience in a time of great transition in the Islands, as she and Liholiho attempted to build, side by side, a better way of life for all Hawaiians.  Join us for this exceptional experience on either of two occasions—Monday evening, September 11, or a matinée on the following Tuesday afternoon, September 12. 

Free to Lyman Museum members; $3 nonmembers. 

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for evening public programs.  Limited seating; first come, first seated.  Additional parking next door at Hilo Union School ON MONDAY EVENING ONLY.