NUKOLI‘I — Kaua‘i boy David Tamaoka came away with more than information from the Kaua‘i Music Festival. Tamaoka ended up tying for first place in the songwriting competition that was featured Thursday night at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts
NUKOLI‘I — Kaua‘i boy David Tamaoka came away with more than information from the Kaua‘i Music Festival.
Tamaoka ended up tying for first place in the songwriting competition that was featured Thursday night at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center.
“This is such a huge opportunity for him,” said Leesha Kawamura, a representative from Hawaiian Airlines, one of the event sponsors.
Karen Rivera, who was helping Kawamura with ticket sales for the event, added that Tamaoka has been trying for three or four years and finally broke through. “That’s the result of perserverance,” she said.
Tamaoka, who tied with Stasia Conger for top honors, won an opportunity to sing his composition in New York at the Broadcast Music Inc. gathering in a few weeks.
Pushpum McSheehy, one of the Kaua‘i Music Festival volunteers, said the top prize for the songwriting competition is the trip to New York where the composers get to perform their pieces in front of some of the top leaders in the music industry.
Tamaoka’s winning piece is titled “Eventually” and Conger’s piece is “Our Story’s Got No End.”
Second place in the competition went to “Bitter Weather” penned and performed by Anjela Rose with “Brown Eyes” capturing third place honors for composer/performer Josh Jones. Bart Ambrose and Francisco Oldman Kam were the remaining semi-finalists in the competition that fielded over 150 entries.
McSheehy said competitors submit CDs of their compositions and a panel of judges, including representatives of BMI, sift through the entries to narrow the field down to 10 entries. These are further sifted to the five composers who get to perform their pieces at one of the concerts that highlight the music festival.
“Participants and instructors for the Kaua‘i Music Festival come from all parts of the nation and Hawai‘i,” McSheehy said. “This year we limited the enrollment to allow participants more one-on-one sessions with the instructors.”
Over the four years the Kaua‘i Music Festival has been held, registration peaked at over 250 participants, but this year, that total was limited to 125 registrants. Additionally, only 25 local musicians were able to take part in the event that opened Wednesday at the Hilton Kaua‘i Beach Resort.
Each of the three days ended with a concert at the KCC Performing Arts Center while the festival ends today with a “Gala” where all of the entertainers get together for a final concert.
Leaders for the workshops include Hawaiian songwriters such as John Cruz, Makana, Robi Kahakalau and Jeff Peterson.
They join up with Hugh Prestwood, a country songwriter who flew in from Nashville, Tenn. and Paul Overstreet.
Popular songwriters include Jason Blume, Beau Dozier, Stephen Dorff, Ben Moody and David Hodges while the list of producers include Tony Visconti, David Tickle, Charles Brotman and Paul Fox.
The field rounds out with talent scouts and music attorneys.
McSheehy said the concept for the Kaua‘i Music Festival was a dream her husband Richard had for a long time.
“And, every year, they laugh at him because he doesn’t even play music,” she said.
Richard McSheehy is the president of the Kaua‘i Music Festival.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
