For those looking to have themselves a merry little Christmas, the upcoming “A Hawaiian Christmas” concert featuring four-time Grammy award-winning artist Kalani Pe‘a will try to bring-in the holiday season with a little bit of aloha.
PRAx will host Kalani Pe‘a at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in Detrick Hall for the “A Hawaiian Christmas” show. Student tickets for the concert are $5, and those for community members range in price from $30- $40.
The concert is set to feature a blend of both Western and Hawaiian music. According to Pe’a in an email, the event will feature his full-piece band, which includes other Grammy-winning musicians and award-winning hula performers.
Pe’a said that the music played will include several of his original Hawaiian songs and “holiday standards done in the ‘Kalani Pe’a’ style.”
“Merging Hawaiian music with holiday music has truly opened more doors to much more theatres across the nation,” Pe’a said. “Who doesn’t love holiday music! It truly resonates with all walks of life.”
Pe’a describes his music as being “Hawaiian contemporary and soul music.” He said that his music style takes inspiration from other musical styles, with “Hawaiian always being the foundation.”
Pe’a said that his Hawaiian Christmas shows — which have been performed across the U.S. — originally arose from a desire to promote his Christmas album “Purple Hawaiian Christmas,” which includes covers of songs such as “Little Drummer Boy,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and his original song, “Wrapped in a Bow.”
Starting at 6 p.m., before the show, there will be a Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultural fair with various OSU and community organizations. The fair is also set to include dancers from the organization Weaving Fala, based out of Lebanon, Oregon.
Pe’a expressed that he is excited to perform in the Pacific Northwest and that he looks forward to the cool weather and Dutch Bros coffee.
Pe’a also emphasized that attendees will come away with a positive experience going into the Christmas season.
“It’s hard to get people in the holiday mood but we promise you after this concert it is guaranteed to get you in the spirit,” Pe’a’ said.
More information about the upcoming concert and how to purchase tickets can be found on PRAx’s website.
