Gospel Forum: "A Special Evening with Auntie Genoa Keawe"

We are, indeed, honored and blessed to have one of Hawai'i's living treasures open our Gospel Forum series this Sunday, January 20 at 7:30 pm in the McKay Auditorium. "Auntie" Genoa Keawe, known for her signature, sweet falsetto voice, will be our esteemed speaker at this historic devotional.

"Many accolades and awards have come to this celebrated singer of Hawaiian music. In the year 2000, Genoa Keawe was honored with the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts, the National Heritage Fellowship, presented in a Washington D. C. ceremony by the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the recipient of multiple Na Hoku Hanohano awards, the Hawaiian recording industry's equivalent of the 'Grammy'. In 1987 the King Kamehameha Hula Competition was dedicated to her, as was the 1998 Prince Lot Hula Festival.

Auntie Genoa, however, considers her greatest award her continued ability to sing, her 'gift from God'. She says 'it's a gift I asked for... I wanted to be a singer, so I prayed every night, and thank God I still have it.' She does, and shares her very special gift every week in performance with her group at the former Hawaiian Regent Hotel, now the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort." (hawaiianmusicmuseum.org)

At 90 years young, Auntie Genoa is a testament to all of us of her unwavering faith in Ke Akua (our Heavenly Father) and of her love for traditional Hawaiian music. In 2001, she was recognized as a Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Honoree. This Sunday, we will have the opportunity to listen to Auntie Genoa bear her testimony on sharing the gospel while maintaining the Hawaiian culture. We encourage everyone, if possible, to bring a lei for Auntie as a "mahalo" for sharing her mana'o (thoughts) with us.

Light refreshments will be provided in McKay 175 following Auntie Genoa's remarks.

For more info. on Auntie Genoa, please visit
http://www.genoakeawe.com or http://www.hawaiimusicmuseum.org/honorees/2001/genoa_keawe.html)