Late July is the time to strut our laid-back summer attitude, and no one does that better than Na Leo Lani. We rocked our summertime spirit this week and welcomed Noel and Pam. So lovely to sing with you again. 🤩
Less than a month to go before our 50th Anniversary celebration! Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, click here for info.
Na Leo Lani members never cease to amaze. What’s our secret to gorgeous and graceful aging? Barbershop harmony, of course!! Whether we are soaring on the high notes or maintaining a strong foundation on those oh-so-low bass notes, Na Leo Lani’s commitment to a cappella music keeps us young, healthy and fit!
See our May, June, and July birthday girls —JoAnne, Charley, Arlette, Jojo, and Wally — who comprise just a few of our NLL wonder women!
If you are interested in seeing what Na Leo Lani is all about, come to one of our fun and lively rehearsals — weekly on Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Find out more here.
The women of Na Leo Lani thrive well into our late years. Have a look at the photos below and you’ll see: our amazing Ruth turned 93 earlier this year, Vera turned 91 in April, Anna celebrated another excellent year of her 70s, and that’s just a few of our senior members!
What’s our secret? It’s simple: singing is like meditation, but way more fun. We practice breath support, we listen closely to each other, learn new music and master complex harmonies every week, and most of all, we enjoy our sisterhood of song at rehearsal every week — plus we perform for the public whenever we get a chance.
Hail to our March, April, and May birthday gals! (See pics below.) And keep those cycles ‘round the sun coming — singing with you is such a joy.
We had three special guests join us at our rehearsals in April: former Na Leo Lani director Lars Isaacson, who will be bidding adieu to the islands and moving to the continent later this spring, Barbie Dodson, a sister Sweet Adeline and former Honolulu Blend Show Chorus member who often visits Hawaiʻi, and Mark Conching, whose guest-coaching, as always, made our chords really ring.
Both Lars and Mark are longtime Sounds of Aloha members (Mark is the former director). What a wonderful treat it was to have them, and Barbie, too, who came just in time for our special rehearsal evening in honor of National Barbershop Quartet Day on April 11. Thanks for joining us!
Enjoy the photos of their visits below, plus a video of Lars directing us in one of his favorites, “Where Does the Time Go?” (😭)
Like four-leaf clovers, barbershop harmony has four parts. In that spirit, Na Leo Lani celebrated St. Patrick’s Day last week with heaps of Irish-inflected harmony and a side helping of greens.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, we welcomed a new member, Kaori, to the baritones! She is a highly appreciated addition to this most complex and tricky of barbershop parts.
We were thrilled to be joined at last week’s rehearsal by Sounds of Aloha bass Iska R., accompanied by lovely vocalist Kaori.
Na Leo Lani always welcomes visitors, potential members, and singers passing through town to come check us out at our weekly rehearsals. See our Calendar of Events and Join Us! pages for info on our rehearsal schedule and how to find us. We have a guest night coming up on January 29 — that’s a great opportunity to see what we’re about — but guests are also welcome any time. Whether you have never sung before outside of your car, are a singer curious about a cappella barbershop harmony, a returning member, or a Sweet Adeline simply passing through town, we look forward to singing with you!
This past week we celebrated our August birthday gals, worked hard on the songs for our next performance, and even made time for a little ukulele strumming. It was great seeing folks back from their summer holidays, as well as a guest, Sam, whose theatre and voice background showed as she leapt into our lead section with aplomb. Welcome, Sam, and welcome back members who have been away!
Our May birthday gals are longtime Na Leo Lani members whose cheerful outlook and gorgeous smiles never quit. Happy birthday, JoAnne and Charley! You are role models for senior singers everywhere!
After all the intensity and excitement of our Region 12 competition last month, what fun it was to decompress and enjoy each other’s company over a great meal. In addition to watching the webcast of the Region 12 performances, our spring celebration marked the installation of our 2024-25 Board of Directors and honored our Music Team and Director. Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for all you do in keeping Na Leo Lani running!
And thanks to Rosie for the fabulously fun and lighthearted headwear. Busy mice sound twice as nice when we squeak in harmony!
This week’s rehearsal featured meowsical fun as we celebrated “Respect Your Cat Day” on March 28 — one of many cat-themed annual holidays of which most of us were heretofore unaware. (Did you know there’s also a national “Drink Wine With Your Cat Week” every February?)
“Respect Your Cat Day” is apparently based on an edict by King Richard II of England on March 28, 1384, in which he forbade his subjects from eating cats. No need to convince us to refrain from eating our feline friends! We dressed up as cats instead.
The evening was made extra special by a visit from a former NLL member who now sings with our sister Region 12 chorus High Desert Harmony. It was great singing with you again, Olivia!
Na Leo Lani Chorus 