When the Last Kaua’i ʻōʻō Sang

Major: Doctoral of Musical Arts (DMA) (year one)

How do you see art connected to nature?
To quote the composer Olivier Messaien, "It's probable that in the artistic hierarchy birds are the greatest musicians existing on our planet." Nature is art. The shining of the sun, and glow of the moon, the virtuosic chirp of birds, the great flow of water, the croak of frogs, and the singing of crickets are all a part of a song, and that song is of the highest beauty. Incorporating the sounds of certain species into music is by no means a new concept; for example, And God Created Great Whales by Alan Hovhaness includes recordings of whales, and Oiseaux exotiques by Olivier Messiaen includes transcribed sounds of birds Messiaen heard while at a park. In my piece, When the Last Kaua’i ʻōʻō Sang, I attempt to utilize this technique to draw attention to biodiversity loss and environmental destruction with the gorgeous mating call of the Kaua’i ʻōʻō.

What inspired you to create your piece?
I truly believe that awareness is a weapon. The ability to draw people's attention to pressing issues creates real and tangible change. I seek to accomplish this through music by highlighting the sounds of nature, illustrating biodiversity loss and extinction. The Kaua’i ʻōʻō, or Moho braccatus, was a species of bird native to Hawai'i that is now extinct. The last birdsong ever heard from this species came from a male Kaua’i ʻōʻō singing a mating call for a female that would never come, as he was the last of the species left on the planet. Upon hearing the story of this bird, I was devastated and sought to create a piece of music in memory of this lost species. In this piece, I incorporated elements of the Kaua’i ʻōʻō birdcalls in many ways, even harmonically, but most importantly, I tried to be as respectful and true to the original sounds of the bird as possible. I incorporated the Kaua’i ʻōʻō melody in my piece so people can enjoy the genuine beauty and magnificence of this birdsong that will never be heard again. May the Kaua’i ʻōʻō rest in peace.

How does engaging in your artistic passion improve your wellbeing?
I cannot see myself as being anything but a musician. And, coming from a musical family, (with my mother, sister, uncle, grandpa, and great grandpa being musicians), music is one of the most meaningful and irreplaceable aspects of my life. It's in my DNA. My love of music - understanding it, analyzing it, creating it, performing it, teaching it, sharing it, and simply sitting back and enjoying it - inspires me to pursue a career in music. Music is my passion and my true love, and being able to pursue this drives me into a profound sense of purpose and flow.