Sounds of Aloha's blog

A Fond Farewell and Best Wishes to De DeCrow

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on March 9, 2019 - 9:48am

Today marks the departure from Hawaii of a Sounds of Aloha member with one of the longest and most influential legacies in Hawaii's barbershop community. Thurlow "De" DeCrow is moving to the Dallas, Texas area to live near his son Steve. He has been a member of the Sounds of Aloha Chorus for 66 years.

De was a fixture in the chorus baritone section, in various chorus leadership roles, and in a number of quartets, including the especially long-lived and well-known Tiki Tones and Sugarcane Express. SOA member Bill Joor stood on the opposite end of those two quartets, as the tenor, for a combined total of 40 years.

Hawaii's Musical Cupids Strike Again!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on February 18, 2019 - 12:23pm

The Sounds of Aloha's annual Singing Valentines event was a big hit again in 2019, with love songs delivered all over Oahu to appreciative sweethearts! February 13 and 14 saw quartets deployed across the island bearing roses from Watanabe Floral, personalized cards from loved ones, and romantic serenades! 19th Avenue (with substitute bass Adam LeFebvre) spread the word about the event with the help of KHON TV's Wake Up 2day.

SOA Pays Musical Tribute to Belatedly Recognized Heroes

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on February 2, 2019 - 10:06am

America's Filipino heroes of the Second World War are finally getting some overdue recognition nationally, and the Sounds of Aloha Chorus was thrilled to help by raising our voices in celebration at a very special occasion at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu! The chorus provided music for the January 26, 2019 award ceremony honoring Filipino veteran recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian honor.

SOA's Christmas "Gift of Song" is a Gift Well-Received!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on December 9, 2018 - 8:56pm

An enthusiastic audience enjoyed a free concert of holiday favorites on the first Friday night of December 2018 (which this year fell on the seventh) in the beautiful and historic Kawaiaha'o Church! The performance of "A Gift of Song" by the Sounds of Aloha Chorus and its quartets was co-sponsored by the Kawaiaha'o Church Ministry of Music & Arts. We were grateful for this opportunity to share Christmas joy, harmony, and laughs with so many old friends and so many new ones, and it was exciting to do so right across the street from the Honolulu City Lights celebration. The church is a wonderful setting for music any time of year, but even more so when it is beautifully decorated for the holidays!

Overflow Crowd Enjoys "A Night At the Movies!" with SOA!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on October 26, 2018 - 7:53pm

The Sounds of Aloha's latest cabaret dinner show, on October 13, 2018, at St. Pius X Hall in Manoa, treated our patrons to a musical celebration of "A Night at the Movies!" The program featured some of the best songs from the golden age of film until the present day, including several exciting numbers that are new to our repertoire. Those in attendance had a grand time, and as you can see here, our guys really got into it too!

Singing for Our Friends, and Making New Ones, in Makiki!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on September 18, 2018 - 10:58pm

The Sounds of Aloha Chorus had a whole lot of fun performing for our friends at the Honolulu Church of Christ and their guests at their Friends and Family Day on September 16, 2018. The chorus and four of our quartets shared songs from the Great American Songbook, including several terrific new additions to our burgeoning repertoire!

We are so grateful for the church's hospitality in affording us an alternate rehearsal venue on many a Thursday evening this year when our normal site, the Palladium at the Ala Golf Course Clubhouse, was unavailable during repairs. It was great to see so many smiliing faces that afternoon as we expressed our thanks and shared our art form!

Our Biggest Ice Cream Social Yet!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on August 13, 2018 - 9:35am

The warm weather proved perfect for this year's Sounds of Aloha Ice Cream Social, on August 11, 2018, at Ala Moana Beach Park's McCoy Pavillion. In fact, this ended up being our best attended "Sundaes on a Saturday" event yet!

SOA Shares Music With Our Friends at Church

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on August 1, 2018 - 1:05pm

The Sounds of Aloha were pleased to be invited to offer our ho'okupu mele, or gift of song, to our friends at the historic Kawaiaha'o Church at their Sunday worship service on July 28, 2018. The congregation was very gracious, the sanctuary is a delight to sing in, and we are so grateful to the church for generously providing our chorus a rehearsal space recently while repairs were being made to our normal meeting venue, the Ala Golf Course Clubhouse ballroom.

SOA Helps Commemorate Service and Sacrifice, in Song

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on May 28, 2018 - 7:05pm

The Mayor's Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl (Pūowaina) is something truly special in our community, and the Sounds of Aloha love being a part of the tradition.

Return of SOA Cabaret Dinner Pleases Ears and Palates!

Submitted by Sounds of Aloha on May 7, 2018 - 4:58pm

A capacity crowd made short work of heaping helpings of chicken and vegetarian enchiladas, refried beans, Spanish rice, and salad this past weekend at SOA's 2018 Cabaret Dinner! Chef (and Musical Director) Mark Conching outdid himself again on both culinary and artistic fronts. Our Cinco de Mayo feed also featured a chorus and quartet concert showcasing songs from the Great American Songbook, roving tableside entertainment by quartets Funny Bones and Full Measure, and the kind of audience sing-alongs we want to see more of!