Sign Us A Song
Melveen Leed performs at Hawaii Theatre Saturday in a benefit for the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind, of which a few students are pictured here. Also appearing, Miss Hawaii Outstanding Teen 2010 Lena Merrill, a sophomore at the school
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Del.icio.usMerrill and her peers are excited about the support this concert will provide for their school and the deaf community. And they’re doing their part in ensuring an unforgettable concert that will delight all the senses.
“We want to give the audience the most spectacular show possible, so what I have done is embellished it with a show that will entertain their eyes and their ears,” says Morrison. “We will have many interpreters that evening - some visible and some will be housed in the holding area. And I also wanted a video presentation because I just didn’t want song after song after song. So we have one video presentation of Melveen’s career and another video presentation of the school.”
And there’s more. A few of the talented artists accompanying Leed on stage are the Jazz Swing Ensemble, Ka’aikaula Nalua’i, Kamehameha Kane Ensemble, Kumu Kaleo Trinidad’s Hawaiian Cowboys, Kamuela Kimokeo, ATouch of Gold, 24/7 Danceforce, Ciena Pelekai, Da’ Mob, Byron Yasui, Benny Chong, Pierre Grill, Babasango and Diamond Head Shooting Stars.
“I’ve invited only the best musicians to participate in different segments with Melveen,” adds Morrison. “It will be motivational, inspirational and also an evening of amazing music.”
“We are so appreciative that Melveen and Marian have chosen us to be the recipients of this concert,” says Sydney Dickerson, HSDB principal. “We’re hoping to use the monies to enhance our family support programs that have been pared down because of budget cuts.”
HSDB plans to bring back programs such as a family sign language 10-week course that was once offered at several sites on Oahu and on the Neighbor Islands but now is offered only at the campus. The school also hopes to revive its reading program, where a deaf tutor goes into the home to teach parents how to read to their children in ASL, which has been limited to only Oahu families.
“Literacy is such a big focus for our school, and being able to provide our teachers with training to enhance what we’re doing with our students would be great, but we aren’t able to bring in any trainers or take time off to go to workshops and trainings,” explains Dickerson. “So the money could help us to attend these training workshops.”
With this concert, Leed hopes her voice will ensure that the voices at HSDB and the deaf community are heard. “When I came to this school and visited all the classrooms I left here enlightened,” she says. “There are many needs in schools because of cutbacks, but especially a school such as this. So help needs to come from us.”
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets cost $25, $35 for premium seating and $55 for VIP seating. For more information or tickets, call 528-0506.
A VIP concert package, which includes a pre-concert dinner with cocktails, wine and complimentary valet parking at Duc’s Bistro, a Melveen Leed CD and VIP concert seating, is available for $150.
Sponsorship packages also are available. For more information about the dinner packages and sponsorships, call 523-7738.
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