Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 9, 1 September 2011 — Musical youth rising [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Musical youth rising

By Joe Kūhiō Lewis OHA Youth Coordinator This month we are honored to recognize three outstanding and vibrant young 'ōpio. These talented siblings: Timi, Emily and Quinn Abrigo, devote themselves to sharing and preserving Hawaiian music and culture. The trio, who live in Waialua, O'ahu, are all-around musical talents, versed in kl hō'alu (slack key guitar), leo ki'eki'e (falsetto), 'ukulele, pakini bass and Hawaiian steel guitar. Asked who inspires them, they credit the greats of Hawaiian music: Genoa Keawe, Ronald Kanahele, Gabby Pahinui, Dennis Pavao, Lena Machado, Myra English and Sonny Chillingworth, to name a few. Timi Abrigo, 16, is emerging as an accomplished kl hō'alu and Hawaiian steel guitarist. In his spare time, Timi offers weekly 'ukulele, kī hō'alu and kika kila (steel guitar) classes. He only asks for donations, whieh sometimes eome in the form of a papaya. In addition to community service, Timi is a waterman at heart. "I love everything that has to do

with the oeean," he said. "Fishing, diving, throwing net." Emily Abrigo at age 13 is an amazing leo ki'eki'e singer and thrives on the 'ukulele. "I love to see the smile on people's faces when I sing," she said. "Sometimes the kūpuna smile so mueh they cry. That's when I know I did a goodjob." Quinn Abrigo, at age 9, is the youngest of the group and is already taking conunand of the rhythm with the pakini bass. A bit of a rascal, Quinn says, referring to slack key guitar master Ledward Kaapana, "When Unele Led tells me I did good, that's motivation to learn a new song. The tips are good too." Duke Domingo, a supporter and fan of the Abrigo 'Ohana says: "What amazes me is not only their talent, but their desire to perpetuate traditional Hawaiian music. It's refreshing to see youth passionate about music." The Abrigo 'Ohana performs at Waimea Valley and countless other venues, festivals and fundraising events to support the community, all free of charge. "They are very giving and have lots of aloha," explains Derek Higa, another fan. "We always intend to play music because we love it so mueh, and we do that together as a family, whieh makes it even better," said Timi. "We want to take our kanikapila around the world so all Hawaiians ean eome back to their

roots in music. We also want to bridge cultures through kanikapila. We want our music to bring everyone together." These talented 'ōpio face the future with the hope of perpetuating the music their ancestors left behind for them. ■ In recognitton of our youth who make a positive differenee in our community, eaeh month we will be featuring outstanding youth. Ifyou wouM like to nominate a youth to befeatured, please eall (808) 594-1811.

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