#HOTSpeaks: Senator Supports Opera

Most people know Hawaii state Senator Josh Green for his role as the Majority Floor Leader or his work with healthcare legislation, but not many know that he is also an opera lover.

Green purchased tickets to Mozart’s The Magic Flute for himself and his wife last year. With the start of the Hawaii State Legislature session right around the corner, #HOTSpeaks had a chat with him about his experience at the HOT production:

Why did you choose to purchase tickets to a HOT production last year?

In general, I love opera, and I wanted to support our community. I had also heard good things from close friends, in the Case family specifically. It just was a nice night out for my wife and I.

My wife went to A Midsummer Night’s Dream after, and she loved that too. I bought her and her girl friend tickets for their birthday. I couldn’t go because I had to watch the kids that time. But we try to go every year.

What did you think of the HOT Production of The Magic Flute?

It was beautiful. Going to opera is very different from our normal days, so it’s a treat. And we have young kids, so we don’t have a lot of evenings out for ourselves, so that is also a treat for us.

Why do you, or do you not, believe arts are valuable to support in Honolulu?

I think they’re critical to support. I grew up in a family that served on the boards of museums, symphony orchestras, and opera companies on the mainland, so for me art was very central to what my family participated in. To be able to access it in our smaller market of Hawaii is terrific.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh has really good programs with very well endowed arts. That’s mainly because of the industrialists that settled in the Pittsburgh area who built major symphonies and operas.

Now that I’m established a little bit more, I figured it was time for us to participate in the arts here. A lot of legislators, when they start out, the only things they participate in are the social services and charities. But being able to invest in the arts really adds to what a city can bring.

Your work in the legislature has to do mostly with health issues. Do you believe the arts can contribute to a person’s health and wellbeing?

I’ve seen people develop nice programs where music, particularly, is very therapeutic. And there are a lot of individuals out there that become hospital-bound with a chronic illness, so we try to bring healing things into their lives, and sometimes that just means music in a hospital setting.

Do you think opera has a place in the arts in Hawaii, and if so why?

Absolutely. I’ve always, in my mind, coupled the symphony and opera with the arts – that’s how I grew up. In Hawaii, we don’t have a large population, but I think that with a small amount of philanthropic support and more awareness, we can have a very full opera company.

We want to be as supportive as we can, because it’s nice to have an opera company here.

Do you plan on purchasing tickets to another Hawaii Opera Theatre production in the future?

Oh, for sure. I hope to go every year.