Keali`i Reichel Makes His Center Debut In Segerstrom Hall 1/24

Keali`i Reichel, Hawaii's cultural icon and top performing artist, makes his Center debut in Segerstrom Hall on Saturday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. The multi Hoku Award-winning and Grammy®-nominated vocalist, as well as award-winning kumu hula of Halau Ke`alaokamaile, is the most
popular and best-selling Hawaiian singer/songwriter/musician alive. He has sold more than a million
records just in Hawaii and is a champion of the Hawaiian language and culture, continuously playing to sold-out houses throughout the world. Reichel will bring his company of more than 30 artists - including Miss Aloha Hula 2009, Henohea Kane - and will perform both authentic Hawaiian music and songs as well as his own compositions.

Tickets to Keali`i Reichel start at $35. They will go on sale Sunday, January 24 and be available online at OCPAC.org, by calling 714.556.2787 or at the Center's Box Office, located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For special group ticket discounts for 15 or more, call the Group Services office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746.

Keali`i was born and raised on Maui, growing up in Lahaina and spending weekends and summers at his grandmother's house in Pa`ia on the windward side of the island. His passion for the language and culture of Hawaii led him to become the founding director for Punana Leo O Maui, the Hawaiian language immersion school. He has taught Hawaiian culture and language at Maui Community College, and he was the cultural resource specialist and curator at the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku. In 1980, he founded his own hula school, Halau Ke`alaokamaile and has won numerous awards over the years. Keali`i is also recognized as an accomplished chanter. In 1994, he independently produced and released a collection of Hawaiian traditional and contemporary songs and chants entitled Kawaipunahele (RIAA Certified Gold Record). His subsequent music releases,
Lei Hali`a (1995), E O Mai (1997), Melelana (1999), and Ke`alaokamaile (2003), Kamahiwa I (2005),
Kamahiwa II (2009) have cemented his place in the Hawaiian music industry. All told, he has been
awarded 25 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, and his consistent placement in Billboard magazine's World
Music and Heatseeker Charts has garnered him international attention. His release Ke ‘alaokamaile was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Hawaiian Album category.