December 5, 2023
7:30 p.m.
Kalani Pe‘a’s Hawaiian Christmas show is a celebration of the warmth and special “aloha” of the Holiday Season, sharing much-loved songs from both western and Hawaiian roots. A three-time Grammy winner (3 CD releases, 3 Grammys!), Kalani is a charismatic performer with a gorgeous voice, powerful presence, and captivating style not-to-be-missed. The first Hawaiian performer presented at Lincoln Center's American Songbook (it sold-out), he was recognized by his Hawai‘i peers most recently at the Na Hoku Hanohano (Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”) Awards, winning honors for both Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year. His 4 Na Hoku wins include Christmas Single of the Year in 2021.
Self-described as “Hawaiian contemporary soul”, Kalani’s dynamism and charm, vocal brilliance, and range of songs from Hawaiian to R&B has brought him to the forefront of Hawaiian music for both traditionalists and a new generation. In 2022, Kalani released his first Christmas album for the holiday season.
As we prepare to welcome the community to experience the wonder at The Noorda, I’d like to thank you for making it all possible.
The performing arts inspire us to engage with others, discover new ways of thinking and feeling, and provides us with hope—in short, we believe the arts transform you. As an exciting hub for the arts in Utah County, we produce hundreds of performances by talented students, faculty, and world-renowned visiting artists. We invite everyone to join in connecting through the arts.
As part of UVU’s inaugural EverGREEN fundraising campaign, I invite you to make a gift to UVU’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts today.
Your gift impacts not only students, but everyone who comes to The Noorda by ensuring programming and exciting artistic creation continues.
Please make a gift today by clicking below. Thank you!
Kalani Peʻa sings everything from classical, musical, ballads, R&B, soul to traditional and original Hawaiian music, displaying his wide-ranging talents as a songwriter and music composer. His talent for lyrics and Hawaiian language fluency is on display in his original Hawaiian songs alongside his affectionate bilingual arrangements of R&B favorites.
It started at age four when Peʻa was diagnosed with a speech impediment; his mother introduced him to singing and music to help him pronounce his words. His father who comes from a musical family and his mother encouraged him to take vocal lessons and choir, and by age 8, Peʻa was winning numerous talent competitions, including in men’s classical and musical divisions while receiving his degree from Colorado Mesa University in Mass Communications. “From speech therapy to a college graduate in communications,” laughs Peʻa’s father, “Kalani can’t stop talking and singing”.
His debut album brought him to Dave Tucciarone, a 13-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-Winning Engineer and Producer in Honolulu, leading to the 2017 Grammy® win and first Na Hoku Award. This successful collaboration continued with Kalani’s second CD, No ‘Ane‘i [We Belong Here] and 3rd CD Kau Ka Pe‘a , both earning him Grammy Awards. He was featured in the Grammy Opening Premiere Concert in 2022. His 3rd release also won him 2 Nā Hōkū awards, including the honor of Male Vocalist of the Year. Says award-winning Hawaiian vocalist Darlene Ahuna,
“His voice will take you to the heavens. His passion for music will have you rockin’ in your seat.“
A fluent Hawaiian speaker, Peʻa started his career as an educator, publishing five Hawaiian language children’s stories. He taught at Kamehameha Schools in Kona, then Maui, teaching Hawaiian culture (science focus), and creating curriculum. When his Grammy wins opened the door for his performing and touring career, he was honored by the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives with an official proclamation: “It is vital that Native Hawaiian culture and the arts be perpetuated for future generations: Kalani Pe’a is a torchbearer and we recognize his accolades, accomplishments, and continued work on behalf of Native Hawaiians.”
Kalani Pe‘a’s Hawaiian Christmas show is a celebration of the warmth and special “aloha” of the Holiday Season, sharing much-loved songs from both western and Hawaiian roots. Self-described as “Hawaiian contemporary soul”, Kalani’s dynamic and charming stage presence, vocal brilliance, and range of songs from Hawaiian to R&B has brought him to the forefront of Hawaiian music for both traditionalists and a new generation.
Utah Valley University acknowledges that we gather on land sacred to all Indigenous people who came before us in this vast crossroads region. The University is committed to working in partnership—as enacted through education and community activities—with Utah’s Native Nations comprising: the San Juan Southern Paiute, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Uintah & Ouray Reservation of the Northern Ute, Skull Valley Goshute, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation, Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute-White Mesa Community, and urban Indian communities. We recognize these Native Nations and their continued connections with traditional homelands, mountains, rivers, and lakes as well as their sovereign relationships with state and federal governments. We honor their collective memory and continued physical and spiritual presence. We revere their resilience and example in preserving their connections to the Creator and to all their relations, now and in the future.
With this statement comes responsibility and accountability. We resolve to follow
up with actionable items to make the School of the Arts at UVU and The Noorda Center
for the Performing Arts an inclusive, equitable, and just space for all. There is
much work to be done, and we are committed to putting these words into practice.
Artwork by Shane Walking Eagle (Sisseton Dakota).
Our mission is to produce and present artistic excellence, which would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We thank them and express our deep gratitude to all patrons, supporters, and friends of The Noorda.
The arts possess the unparalleled power to inspire, educate, liberate, and transform. They elevate moments, mark milestones, soften edges, and generate profound meaning. Experience the beauty and wonder of the arts with us this season at The Noorda and begin at once to live!
Courtney R. Davis, J.D., M.A.
Dean, School of the Arts
