"Midsummer Marriage": Conductor Dane Lam and Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra on CVNA

James Bash, from Classical Voice North America, visited Honolulu to review the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra's March 8 performance of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, conducted by Dane Lam. The collaboration between the HSO and the Manoa Valley Theatre was the first concert in the HSO’s Sounds of Shakespeare Festival, a three-concert series celebrating music inspired by the Bard’s plays.

Urged on by Lam’s energetic gestures and clear baton, the orchestra elicited the magical qualities of Mendelssohn’s music. The inspired ensemble evoked a feathery fairy world, the passions of young lovers (Ari Agodong, Emily Steward, Adam Kalma, and Alex Munro), the nobility of Oberon (Kevin Keaveney), the pride of Tatiana (Jasmine Haley Anderson), and the hee-hawing of Bottom (Andrew Baker).

From beginning to end, Lam and his forces were alert to all of the action and made sure that there were no glitches and the pacing never flagged. The resulting standing ovation was well deserved.

By collaborating with the Manoa Valley Theatre, the production put a spotlight on the arts community in Hawaii and broadened the HSO audience to include theatergoers.

Read the full piece on CVNA.