Liliʻu is a new opera celebrating the legacy of the last Queen of Hawaiʻi. The large-scale traveling group is 22 people:

• 8 voices (Roomful of Teeth—hand percussion and piano performed by vocalists) whose characters all have flower names

• 5 instrumentalists (flute/alto flute, string quartet)

• and performed with 5 dancers.

• Additional support for the project in the touring company of 4 additional people includes the director, the composer, a sound engineer, and a tour manager for Roomful of Teeth.

A group of artists including a tattoo artist (and two assistants) and a language specialist and traditional Hawaiian singer (Kahanuola Solatorio) have been working with us as part of the extended community engagement around the work. This would bring the group up to 26, but these folks would likely be able to join just covering airfare and lodging, with fees for the classes covered through other funding, and individual appointments with the tattoo artists between them and local participants.

We imagine the set being built either in collaboration with a local aboriginal artist and/or as part of workshops leading up to the opera on lei making, to source these elements from community members that then see the garlands onstage as part of the world of the set.

Additional Related Material