Mihana souza biography

Mihana was born into a family of gifted musicians.
Mihana Souza grew up in the great old tradition of Hawaiian music-making.
Mihana Souza was born in Tennessee while her father, Nane Aluli, was finishing law school.

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Songbirds of Hawai‘i: Darlene Ahuna, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi & Mihana Souza

L-Right, Bottom: Mihana Souza, Darlene Ahuna, Ku’uipo Kumukahi. Photo Courtesy

A special concert celebrating the rich traditions of Hawaiian music will take place at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Friday, Nov. 17, with a trio of award-winning vocalists: Darlene Ahuna, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi & Mihana Souza in “Songbirds of Hawai‘i”.

The three women, all with numerous Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards, will share their fun-filled stories, and their exquisite skills in a one-night concert at the McCoy Studio Theater at 7:30 p.m.

Darlene Ahuna is one of Hawai‘i’s foremost female vocalists. She is a multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner, including “Female Vocalist of the Year,” the highest recognition available from the Hawaiian music industry. She has performed at festivals and concerts in the islands and on the USA mainland, as well as headlining major performances throughout Japan. Her powerful renditions of traditional, hula & hapa-haole Hawaiian songs soar with grace.

As a youn

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Mihana Souza was born in Tennessee while her father, Nane Aluli, was finishing law school. Her mother, Irmgard Farden Aluli, an accomplished Hawaiian composer, was one of the 13 Farden siblings from a prominent Maui musical family.

After her family moved back to Hawaii in the 1950s, Souza grew up surrounded by music.

When Irmgard Farden Aluli decided to reorganize Puamana, a musical group named for the Farden family home in Lahaina, it was understood that Souza, her two sisters and her cousin, Luana McKenney, would be in it. Irmgard Farden Aluli died in 2001, but Souza has kept the group going with other members of the extended family.

Souza celebrated her 70th birthday with a huge luau Saturday in Kailua. She will perform Monday with Kanoe Cazimero at the Blue Note Hawaii.

I remember a newspaper column by a local writer who was anticipating her 30th birthday — you would have thought that living to be 30 was a fate worse than death. How does it feel to be 70?

There’s something really, really nice about age (and) I can still do everything I did when I was

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Lifting voices beckon

“It’s been a while since Ipo and I have been on Maui so we’re really excited and we have Mihana along with us,” says Ahuna. “It’s really neat to have the three of us collaborate. It’s going to be a surprise for everybody as well as ourselves.”

One of Hawaii’s most talented female vocalists, Ahuna is a multiple Na Hoku winner, including Female Vocalist of the Year for her album “Ku’u Lei Poina ‘Ole.”

Influenced by legends like Lena Machado, Genoa Keawe and Leina’ala Haili, and having performed at Merrie Monarch festivals for many years, she says she most loves, “bringing traditional music to those who haven’t had it for a while.”

From an early age, Ahuna felt passionate about performing Hawaiian music.

Ku‘uipo Kumukahi

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was three years old,” she says. “I have an uncle on Kauai who played music in the early ’60s at the Hanalei Plantation. In those days they did strolling musi