Outlets of Maui Welcomes the 2019 Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival

February 9, 2019 • Addison Ching • Festivals and Conventions

Bryant Neal, Executive Director of Arts Entertainment for Children Group (Maui), announced that the 2019 Maui Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival will be held on April 12-13, 2019, at the Outlets of Maui. On April 14, the festival moves to the Queen Ka'ahamanu Center in Kahului. Neal also indicated that the entire event will be livestreamed by Huana Productions LLC who previously livestreamed the Waikiki Steel Guitar Week festival programs.

Due to the venue change and a reduction in festival funding, this year's festival is scaled down from prior Maui festivals. School visitations, workshops, and featured artist performers have all been reduced from previous years.

Geri Valdriz at the 2018 Maui Festival. PC-Don Touchi

Expected participants include featured steel guitarists Alan Akaka, Bobby Ingano, Kapono Lopes, Greg Sardinha, and Maui's Geronimo "Geri" Valdriz. Also appearing this year is Konapiliahi Lau from Maui, nephew of legendary steel guitarist David "Feet" Rogers. Bobby Ingano's Friday night program will feature slack key guitarist George Kahumoku.

NextGen youth steel guitarists and musicians Pono Fernandez, Malie Lyman, and Joey and Tai Misailidis from Ke Kula Mele Hawaii School of Hawaiian Music will also perform in the 2019 festival. Kathy Collins will once again be the festival's emcee.

This year's festival will include Friday and Saturday night public kanikapila jam sessions following the nightly programs. A steel guitar exhibit and a steel guitar hands-on experience for festival guests will also be offered.

Additional information about the festival is available on the festival website. Performance schedules will be posted when they are available.

The festival is made possible through funding provided by Hawai'i Tourism through the Community Enrichment Program. Additional supporters include festival producer HIMELE, the Outlets of Maui, the Queen Ka'ahamanu Center, Worldwide Music Ventures, and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaii and by the National Endowment for the Arts.