PO‘IPU — The public is invited to a concert at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center. Michael Dunbar, the video editor/media manager for Fountain Valley Academy, said people will have an opportunity to hear the
PO‘IPU — The public is invited to a concert at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center.
Michael Dunbar, the video editor/media manager for Fountain Valley Academy, said people will have an opportunity to hear the quality work being done by the school’s chorus and orchestra.
“It’s free,” he said. “But at one point, we will solicit donations to help the Kaua‘i High School music program who were so gracious in lending us instruments.”
Dunbar said the British Columbia, Canada-based boarding high school will also have previous editions of DVDs featuring the school’s music on sale, and proceeds from those sales will also benefit the Kaua‘i High School program.
Fountain Valley Academy has 83 students in grades 10 through 12 and all of the students participate either in the school’s choir, band, or both, Dunbar said.
“We have a choir director and a band director,” the video editor said. “We also have about four or five of us who work on the video production.”
The music, interspersed with discussions on life and how the students have been affected by the Christian way of life, is done against backdrops of beautiful nature.
“Two years ago, we did a DVD in the Arches National Park in Utah and along the coastline of California,” Dunbar said. “Hawai‘i was on the list of places we wanted to do a video.”
The group arrived in Hawai‘i earlier in March and spent a day on O‘ahu, but could not find what they were looking for. That experience brought them to Kaua‘i on March 14.
After touring the island, they got down to work producing their latest video.
“We have about a hundred people with us,” Dunbar said. “We’ll be here until April 4 when the first group leaves. The seniors will be here working on discussions for an extra week, everyone going home on April 11.”
On March 19, the Canadian students did a concert at Waimea Plantation Cottages benefiting students on Ni‘ihau.
“I cannot say enough about the effort put forth by Stephanie Iona,” Dunbar said. “We ended up with about a hundred people showing up and enjoying the show from chairs set out by the Waimea Plantation staff around the yard.”
During their trips producing the music video, Dunbar said the group has been the recipient of local hospitality, and the free concert is to share their appreciation for the graciousness.
“We are very grateful to the Kaua‘i Film Commission, the Grove Farm Company and the other big hosts who have allowed us to film on their properties,” Dunbar said.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
