Behind the different faces and backgrounds lay a shared passion for singing and a deep love for Hawaiian music. These are the things that have brought us together; these are the things that enrich our lives and nourish our souls.

It all began when I started teaching the Hawaiian Ensemble class as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Hawai'i. Through this class I have had pleasure to work with many talented students and promising musicians. Moreover, I always find a handful of gifted students with enthusiasm busting at the seams, waiting and ready for the next step. To help them take that step and realize their potential, I challenge them to stretch beyond my classroom to accompany hula classes, sing at university events, and perform the occasional gig-around-town. Last summer, I decided the next exciting step for them -- and me -- was to enter Ka Himeni Ana, an acoustic traditional Hawaiian music competition.

I chose four outstanding performers: Rosanna Perch, Mamina Koga, Justin Ka`upu, and Sophronia Smith. Though impressed by the talents and skills each brought to the group, my true appreciation of their unique contributions emerged through the hours of rehearsal and the strong friendships we forged. We went through several songs to see which spoke to us artistically and best captured our personality as a group and we eventually decided on the flirtatious "E Nani E" and the heart-felt "Aloha No."

We entered the competition never dreaming that we would be awarded 1st place and a recording contract. Thanks to that fateful night, however, we are excited to present our first album. Each person chose two songs to record and share with you here in addition to our two winning songs from Ka Himeni Ana. These are the special songs that touched our hearts and warmed our hours together. In this album we pay homage to older styles and approaches of Hawaiian music while infusing them with new and different musical techniques. We hope that listening to these songs will bring back fond memories and allow you to explore new sounds, poetry, and avenues of musical expression.

Chadwick Pang, Musical Director