Na Leo Lani marked our fiftieth anniversary in August 2025, and what a joyful day we had!
Now comes a beautifully executed video of the event, filmed by Bruce Wee, audio engineered by Adam Jansen, and edited by Logan Wee! Watch and enjoy it on YouTube.
Heartfelt thanks to Bruce, Adam, and Logan for the video and to everyone who helped us celebrate our Golden Anniversary in style.
We were so sad to say goodbye in January to our fantastic baritone, Kaori, who is moving back to Japan. Thank you for sharing your voice with us and all best wishes on your next adventures!
The ladies of Na Leo Lani never let a holiday go by without marking it in a special way, and this year’s Veterans’ Day was no different! Rocking our best stars and stripes attire, we sang in remembrance of those who have fought and died defending the values of equality, humanity, and justice under law, and we sang in celebration of the millions of hardworking individuals from all corners of the planet who serve the U.S. with honor, both in military uniform and as essential workers who make our economy hum. As women of all races, ethnicities, and faiths, we know well that harmony begins with listening — and we honor that outlook every week with song.
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?” (😭)
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!
What a busy mind- and lung-expanding weekend we had, thanks to our excellent coaching workshop with Kathy Scheel. Thank you so much to all our Na Leo Lani members for pitching in (and pitching up!) to make this a great event, and a special mahalo nui loa to Suzanne for hosting the weekend sessions in such elegant surroundings!
We had a great time this week performing at the Lanakila Senior Center. Like the expression “Imua a loaʻa ka lei o ka lanakila” (Go forth and win the lei of victory), singing for the public always feels like a win.
Mahalo nui loa to the Lanakila Senior Center for being a great audience and inviting us to lunch afterward.
If you like singing and performing, come check us out — visit our “Join Us” page for information on our weekly rehearsals or contact naleolanichorus[at]gmail.com
On Armistice Day, November 11 (Veterans Day in the U.S.), Na Leo Lani performed for residents of the Plaza Hawai’i at Punchbowl and celebrated at our evening rehearsal with songs and colors honoring those who have served. Click here for a FB reel of our Plaza pics, and see below for our rehearsal photo.
Many thanks to Suzanne for the group photo!
On October 21, Na Leo Lani joined with members of Honolulu Blend Show Chorus and men from Sounds of Aloha to celebrate World Singing Day.
Following a picnic and talk story time, we circled up and sang. The gorgeous surroundings of Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head were especially inspiring as we harmonized tunes we knew in common and new songs we learned on the spot.
Special thanks to HBSC director, Stephanie Brictson, for organizing this event, as well as to NLL members who attended: Jojo, Anna, Yvonne, Charley, Deb, Summer, Rosie and Chris, and dual NLL and HSBC members Yvonne and Charley.
We love harmonizing with all of you!
We had a special treat at this week’s rehearsal — a coaching session with Region 12 visual coach Pamela Johnson! In addition to waving colorful ribbons in time with the beat for warmups, we sported paréos and inflatables in rainbow colors in keeping with this week’s “beaches” theme.
Thank you for the fun and inspiring session, Pamela!
Na Leo Lani Chorus 