Hawaiʻi State Archives to Host Free Hawaiian Music Concert

HONOLULU - The Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) Director and Comptroller Keith Regan, Hawaiʻi State Archives Administrator Adam Jansen, PhD, and the University of Hawaiʻi Better Tomorrow Speaker Series invite the public to a free concert on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Mae Zenke Orvis Auditorium, 2411 Dole St.

Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winning group Walea, with guests artists Kuʻuipo Kumukahi, Alan Akaka and Bobby Ingano, ʻĀlewa and Isaac Woodward will headline "E Onipaʻa I Ka ʻImi Naʻauao (Be Steadfast in the Seeking of Knowledge)," honoring the music of beloved Queen Lydia Liliʻuokalani and Na Lani ʻEhā (The Heavenly Four),

Hawaiʻi State Archives (a division of DAGS) and the University of Hawaiʻi Better Tomorrow Speaker Series are cohosting this event. This will be the first musical guest in the Speaker Series.

The trio of Walea will be playing three kingdom-era instruments that the Archives owns: an upright bass, an ʻukulele and a Martin guitar.

The upright bass was made in 1848 during the reign of King Kamehameha III.

The ʻukulele was handmade in the 1890s during the reign of King David Kalākaua. The legendary Manuel Nunes, one of the first 'ukulele luthiers in the world, crafted it.

And the Martin guitar was built in 1891 during the era of Queen Liliuʻokalani.

The estimated worth of these rare musical instruments exceeds $50,000, but Jansen says the real value lies in their connection to a time gone by in Hawaiʻi's history. "We hope to transport the audience to the monarchy-era. All the performers are Hawaiian, using instruments constructed during that time, playing music composed during that time," he says.

In between each artist's performance, Jansen and highly regarded Oʻahu luthier historian Kilin Reece will educate the audience by sharing information about the music that was played, the instruments used and the political climate of that time.

The artists will be performing surrounded by a selection of artifacts, including letters and original, handwritten music of Queen Liliʻuokalani's curated from Her Majesty's personal manuscript collection that she deposited in the State Archives. After the concert, the audience will be invited onto the stage to view the archives and the instruments.

The auditorium seats 400 people, and seating is by reservation only. Tickets are now all reserved, but you can still watch it free on live stream at Facebook: Hawaiʻi State Archives.

For those who are going in person, parking is free in the Lower Campus Parking Structure nearby.