UH Community Colleges and Hakuoh University present:
Hawai‘i Handbell Farewell Concert
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the internationally-recognized Hakuoh University Handbell Choir will be on O‘ahu from March 8-12, 2023, for its 29th Goodwill Tour of Hawai‘i, offering free public concerts. Led by acclaimed Director Hirotaka Arai, who founded the choir in 1988, the 15 student handbell ringers will perform its “farewell” free public concert at Central Union Church on Thursday, March 9, at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Enjoy their beautiful music as they perform a range of songs from classical to contemporary Broadway tunes to Hawai‘i Aloha.
Admission is FREE!
As Director Arai plans to retire from his long and illustrious career, 2023 will be the final handbell choir concert in Hawai‘i. The annual Handbell Choir Concert, co-sponsored by Hakuoh University and the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges [UHCC], is one of the many cooperative activities undertaken by these institutions. These free concerts for the community and children have been held annually since 1990. The concerts were paused for three years from 2020-2022 due to COVID-19. UHCC began coordinating the concerts in 2007 to the present at Windward Community College’s Paliku Theatre and at Leeward Community College’s Leeward Theatre. During this period, concerts were also held at Central Union Church as a community service.