Celebrate ‘A Legacy of Hawaiian Song & String’ this weekend with Raiatea Helm

Kaua‘i will play host at the end of this month to an experience that hasn’t been part of the live music scene for more than 100 years.

Travel back to the era of Hawaiian monarchs with a seminal serenade by renowned vocalist and Molokaʻi native Raiatea Helm.

The master of leo kiʻe kiʻe — Hawaiian falsetto — takes the Porter Pavilion stage Feb. 28 at Anaina Hou Community Park in Kīlauea to weave together “A Legacy of Hawaiian Song & String” through mesmerizing mele that withstood the test of time, teaching across generations and forging a firm foundation for the future.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m.

A graduate of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she is the first Hawaiian musical artist fellow for Native Arts & Cultures Foundation and 2021 awardee of the foundation’s SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts program.

Helm’s music career spans 20 years and includes 7 album releases, recorded and performed with legendary musicians such as the likes of Keola Beamer, Aunty Genoa Keawe, Keali’i Reichel, Willie K and Mick Fleetwood.

The two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner is one of Hawai‘i’s premier female vocalists.

Her previous albums “Far Away Heaven,” “Sweet and Lovely,” “Hawaiian Blossom” and “He Leo Huali, A Pure Voice” also are distinguished Nā Hōkū Hanohano winners.

Helm’s masterful most recent album — of the same name as her upcoming concert — is a compilation of songs originating during the Hawaiian monarchy era from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

String bands from the Kingdom of Hawai‘i reached peak popularity worldwide — including invitations to take their unique sounds on tour throughout the United States — while kings and queens still ruled the independent, sovereign archipelago state.

Album collaborator Kilin Reece with Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings noted: “It’s an incredibly vibrant and untold story.”

Helm’s “A Legacy of Hawaiian Song & String, Volume 1” reclaims the narrative of Hawai‘i’s musical past, rediscovering the breadth and depth of its musical heritage before the story became overshadowed by colonial influences.

“Hawaiian music in the early 1900s was a global phenomenon, a driver of wide technological change,” notes internet radio service “Folk Alley.” “If you like the pedal steel in country, the slide guitar in blues or even the electric guitar in rock, you owe a debt to Hawaiians.”

“Legacy” is an emotional touchstone in Hawaiian music that transcends its historical context. Its songs serve as a tribute to the past and promise for the future.

Helm’s pure, crystalline voice and passionate knowledge about Hawaiʻi’s rich history give new life to traditional mele crafted during the Hawaiian monarchy.

She and her accompanying lush string ensemble of guitar, ‘ukulele, steel guitar, bass and fiddles capture the attention of audiences throughout Hawai‘i and around the world, interpreting this Hawaiian repertoire with elegance and her awe-inspiring vocal mastery.

It’s Helm as you’ve never heard her before in an elegant performance that is as much musical celebration as cultural reclamation.

Among the “Legacy” setlist are the first Hawaiian national anthem “He Mele Lahui Hawaii” by Queen Lili’uokalani, as well as “Moani Ke ‘Ala” by Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku and “Lanakila Kawaihau” by Royal Hawaiian Band’s Mekia Kealakai.

“A Legacy of Hawaiian Song & String, Volume 1” swept the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 2024 with 7 wins, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Hawaiian Album of the Year.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing our culture and history through song,” said Helm following the 2024 Hōkū Awards, according to an Aug. 5, 2024, story in The Maui News “The purpose of ‘A Legacy of Hawaiian Song & String’ is to inspire our people here and afar … to be proud of their heritage. It is so rich. Mahalo to all my peers and all who have supported the journey.”

Visit Helm’s website to learn more about this star vocalist and don’t miss this special concert.

Ticket information and more details about the Feb. 28 concert can be found at the Anaina Hou Community Park website.

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.