LIHU‘E — “Seasons of Love” will fill the spacious Kaua‘i Philippine Cultural Center on Saturday and Sunday, when the Kaua‘i Chorale, under the direction of its new Artistic Director Joe Moore of Aliomanu, hosts its spring concerts.
The concerts will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, and will include selections from “The Sounds of Music,” “Cabaret” and other familiar tunes, including a revue of a dozen titles from The Beatles.
“Because we didn’t want to buy a whole lot of music, so we just went into the archives of what we had,” said Moore. “Since I was doing it on the fly because we didn’t know if the former Artistic Director S. Morris Wise, was coming back, or not, we just had to do something quick.”
Wise, according to Moore, had returned to the mainland to care for his elderly parents. In the interim, Moore was named the group’s president and artistic director.
“‘Artistic director’ is just another name for conductor. When I was told I would be the new president and Artistic Director, Wow! How am I going to do this? But I was excited because that was something I wanted to do for a long time,” Moore said.
I mean, that is what I went to school for — to be a choral director. It’s been 30 something years, maybe more than that, since I’ve done this so It was, ‘Oh my gosh, yeah, I can do it, yeah, I can, I can remember how to conduct. I can get back into it.’”
Moore currently teaches choir at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in ‘Ele‘ele and Saint Paul Church in Kekaha. He also does storytelling in a free program at the Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i Public Charter School.
“I’m like over the edge excited,” Moore said. “This has been much more fun than I thought it was going to be. I decided to just to have fun with this. I love it. Everyone is easy to work with, Ben Nause, an Island School music teacher, is easy to work with. I’m excited.”
The Kaua‘i Chorale hosts rehearsals on Mondays starting at 7 p.m. at Lihu‘e Parish Hall. The group is an all-volunteer, no-audition group open to anyone.
Tickets to the concert are $20 at the door and students are admitted free. Tickets are also available online at www.kauaichorale.org.
•••
The Garden Island
