Na Leo Nahenahe (Sweet Voices) was founded in 1999 by artistic director John Lehrack. Our current director is Leolani Grace Renaud.
The purpose of the group is to promote and preserve Hawaiian language, culture and song through choral music.
The chorus performs around the Bay Area, including at the annual Aloha Festival at the Presidio, the Makana o Hawai'o Festival in Hayward and other venues. We have also performed recently at the Eth-Noh-Tec Salon in the Mission, and at the Metropolitan Community Church in the Castro.
The chorus has also performed with Hawaiian artists such as Patrick Landeza, Kawika Alfiche, Steven Espaniola, Pili Moreno, and Pulama.
Current plans for the group include a tour and performances in Hawai'i and a professional CD recording.Membership is open to anyone with a sense of aloha, a love for Hawaii and it's music and the ability to regularly attend rehearsals. Rehearsals are each Monday evening from 7:30-9:00 p.m. (Please e-mail us for rehearsal location). Membership dues are $30 -$40 per month. While the ability to read music is helpful, it is not a necessary requirement to join the group. Prospective members are welcome to come to any rehearsal.
The members of the chorus span many generations and ethnicities. For some members, this is their first experience singing with a chorus. Others have performed professionally, and most fall somewhere in between.
The music sung by the chorus is primarily a capella (unaccompanied) but we occasionally add guitar, ukulele, bass or piano. Approximately 95% of the music is sung in Hawaiian with the remainder in English. The music covers a broad spectrum from classic standards of the Lili'uokalani era to more contemporary works.