HPA ukulele festival features students from W. Hawaii schools

Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s 23rd annual Ukulele Festival is Saturday at the Waimea school’s Gates Performing Arts Center.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys’ seminal album, “Pet Sounds,” the theme of the festival is “Beach Boys: The California Sound.” The performance, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m.

More than 120 students from HPA, Kealakehe Intermediate School, and Waikoloa Schools will perform under the direction of Dagan Bernstein, event co-director, Barbara Kopra, and Georgia Polakova (HPA); Gloria Juan (Kealakehe), and Lani Opunui (Waikoloa).

The show will feature selections from the Beach Boys’ illustrious career, including early favorites “Be True to Your School” and “In My Room” and material from “Pet Sounds,” with arrangements of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows.”

Other highlights will be a rollicking version of the instrumental surf-rock tune “Misirlou,” along with a medley of the group’s classic surf tunes titled “Surf’s Up!” which expresses the Beach Boys’ affection for the beach, hot rods, and good times.

In addition to ukulele music, the performance will include choral singing, dancing, and narration.

Info: 885-2500 or 885-2501, or www.hpa.edu.