STAR-STUDDED HAWAIIAN MUSIC CONCERT APRIL 5

Celebrates 50th Year of the National Tropical Botanical Garden

The National Tropical Botanical Garden has announced it is bringing together a host of top musicians from Hawaii with a Grammy-winning artist in celebration of the Garden’s 50th anniversary. Tickets to the Saturday, April 5 “Musical Legends in the Garden” are now on sale for the four-hour concert set in NTBG’s beautiful open-air Southshore Visitors Center in Poipu.

Ledward Kaapana, Dennis Kamakahi, and Mike Kaawa will offer solo, duo, and trio performances as The Hawaiian Legends. The Legends garnered the 2013 Na Hoku Hanohano award for Music Video/DVD of the Year. The three stars are well-known for performing island music at its very best, as individual artists and together as a group.

Thirteen-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas, considered the world’s leading dobro player, will perform for the first time in Hawaii. The dobro is a resonator guitar that is heard primarily in bluegrass music today but is derived from the Hawaiian lap steel guitar of the 1920s, so it is extremely fitting to have it come home for this incredible event.

Joining in the lively show will be the Nathan Aweau, Jeff Peterson, and Benny Chong Trio. Nathan has received the Male Vocalist of the Year award three times, Jeff is recognized as one of Hawaii’s most versatile guitarists, and Benny is widely hailed by his fellow musicians as the world’s leading jazz ukulele master.

Popular Kauai artists Ken Emerson, Pancho Graham, and Kirby Keough will perform as The Hanalei Bay Trio. The trio’s style reflects the Hawaiian guitar’s grassroots origins of a century ago. Rounding out the afternoon of great Hawaiian music will be the children’s choir of Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha.

Special “Early Bird” prices, good through February 14, for General Admission is $35 and for $85 for Golden Circle tickets. This represents a $10 per ticket savings over the $45 and $95 prices for purchases after that date.

Tickets can be purchased online at ntbg.org/concert or in person at the Visitors Center (808) 742‑2433; The Wine Shop, Koloa; Scotty’s Music, Kalaheo; Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Co.; Pictures Plus, Kukui Grove; Kauai Music & Sound, Kapaa; Hawaiian Music Kiosk, Coconut MarketPlace; and Hawaiian Music Kiosk, Princeville.

Parking for Golden Circle ticket-holders will be at the Visitors Center, and this ticket category includes reserved chair seating and other special amenities. Parking for General Admission ticket-holders will be off-site, with shuttles to the Center beginning at 11 a.m. This ticket category includes on-the-lawn seating, so bringing a low-to-the-ground beach chair or mat is recommended.

Gates are scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m. The festivities begin with community activities and the opportunity to stroll the 10 acres of tropical plantings. Food and beverage will be available for purchase; no coolers please. The opening ceremony and concert begin at 1 p.m.

The nonprofit National Tropical Botanical Garden was formed in 1964 through a Congressional Charter in recognition of the great public need it would serve. It is the only botanical garden having such recognition. NTBG’s national headquarters and three of its five gardens are located on Kauai. Its Southshore Visitors Center is the gateway to NTBG’s nearly 300 acres of gardens in the nearby Lawai Valley.

The concert is presented in part through a grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.