Tag Archives: Jeff Pauker

Hawaii Opera Theatre’s highlights Annual Meeting with achievements & new, young Associate Board

Honolulu, Hawaii – Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT) held its Annual Meeting for Members on Wednesday, July 29, 2015, at the Pacific Club.  The meeting included a vote for new board members, the slate of officers, the creation of a new young advisory group, & a presentation by HOT’s Artistic Director Henry Akina and Executive Director Simon Crookall.

Starting their first term as HOT Board Members: Sherry Broder, a faculty member of the University of Hawaii Law School & Executive Director of the Jon Van Dyke Institute, and Linda Nelson, a financial consultant for Aloha United Way who formerly worked for Dupont.  They join a diverse & talented Board of Directors, helmed by Jim McCoy, who was recognized earlier this year as one of Opera America’s Trustees of the Year at a ceremony in New York City.

HOT also introduced its first members of the GenHOT Associate Board, an advisory group made up of individuals age 40 & younger who have committed to giving $500 to the organization each year.  The group is led by HOT Board Members, Jeff Pauker & Kasumi Hara.  Pauker, a PBN 2015 40 Under 40 Class Member, is a Vice-President of Acquisitions with Alexander & Baldwin and Hara works as an Interior Designer with the local architecture firm, J. Hara & Associates.  Under their leadership, the GenHOT group introduces in its first members:  Natalie Banach, Reed Bowman, Rachel Gibson, David Okamoto, Peter Phillips, Megan Takagi, Nicole Velasco, & Lauren Williams.  This influential young group comes from all industries and includes a member of Mayor Caldwell’s cabinet in Velasco, who leads the Honolulu Neighborhood Board Commission.

HOT experienced another exceptional year artistically, with three acclaimed productions from around the world brought to Honolulu and staged at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.  The company also broke new ground when it staged the contemporary opera Siren Song outside of the Concert Hall at a warehouse in Kaka’ako, which was modified into a temporary performance space.  The Star-Advertiser review of the experiences stated: ”Anyone who misses Siren Song will regret it for years.”

Financially, the company continued its growth in ticket sales, a movement that began last year, reaching over $1 million in revenue (+7%) for the first time in many years. The company also experienced a rise in support from the community, with contributed income growing to $1.2 million (+17%).

HOT’s Education & Outreach Team brought 74 performances of its Opera Express Program to students on four islands.  This past year’s Opera Express showcased a condensed production of The Pirates of Penzance and the cast was comprised of Orvis Opera Studio Members.  HOT Education & Outreach also held 4 Opera Residencies on the island of Oahu.  The Residency program provides an opportunity for a school to transform into an opera company, where students are the cast, creators, and producers of an opera for their community.  This year also saw the creation of the Orvis Young Voices Studio, which provides Hawaii’s young singers (grades 7-12) the opportunity to explore and develop in solo voice performance.

When the 2015-16 Opera Season officially opens in October with Mozart’s The Magic Flute, HOT will record an increase in Subscribers for the first time since 1999.   Declining subscription sales is a trend that has impacted Arts companies across the United States and HOT is delighted to see growth in the support of the opera and arts in Honolulu.

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Since 1961, Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT), formerly a division of the Honolulu Symphony Society and incorporated in 1980, has served to enhance the quality of life in Hawaii by presenting opera performances of the highest standards, while maintaining fiscal responsibility.  Through four productions annually in the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, HOT offers opera to almost 18,000 residents and visitors each season thereby increasing the public’s awareness and exposure to opera as a multi-media art form.

HOT’s educational programs for youth serve as both catalyst and active participant in the artistic education of Hawaii’s youth.  Opera for Everyone provides a special performance of each opera for a large and enthusiastic audience of students.  Opera Express takes operas specially adapted operas, into elementary and middle schools with special tours to all neighbor islands.  HOT’s Opera Residency program takes our education and production staff members into an elementary school to work with students and teachers to compose an opera production centered around curriculum components.   Adult education is offered with Opera Highlights, a non-credit course at the University of Hawaii; Opera Previews, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts; pre-performance Lanai Lectures on the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall lanai; and other presentations at stores or shopping centers.

Led by Artistic Director, Henry Akina, and Executive Director Simon Crookall, HOT partners with the Hawaii Symphony.  Auditions are held, generally in NY, to cast principal roles from mainland, European, Asian and local singers.  The Opera Chorus is a local volunteer organization.

New Additions to Hawaii Opera Theatre’s Board of Directors

HOT Logo Black

Honolulu, Hawaii – Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT) held its Annual Meeting for Members on July 30, 2014, at the Pacific Club.  Board Chairman Jim McCoy presented eight new members for election to the Board of Directors.  The meeting included a review of the past season from HOT’s Artistic Director Henry Akina and Executive Director Simon Crookall.

HOT experienced a very successful year artistically, with three acclaimed productions on Oahu and made its return to Maui for the first time in eight years. Financially, the company saw significant growth in ticket sales by 31%, which resulted in an increase of income by 21%. The company also experienced a rise in support from the community, with contributed income growing to $1.1 million.  Of note, HOT was able to reduce expenses by 11% from the previous fiscal year.

The new HOT Board Members are:

Mangmang Qiu Brown – Born in Beijing, Ms. Brown graduated from the Peking University School of Economics and then received her MBA and JD at the University of Hawaii.  After practicing law, she joined the University of Hawaii Foundation, with responsibility for International Engagement and latterly with the East-West Center Foundation.

Kasumi Hara – Ms. Hara is an interior designer born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she moved to New York City to work for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.  She later changed career paths and became an interior designer working in NYC and San Francisco before returning to Honolulu.  She is also an accomplished oboist.

Lynne Johnson – Ms. Johnson has an MBA from the University of Hawaii and has worked as a School Teacher, Curriculum Planner, and Development Director.  In 1991, she began her study of musicology and in 2009, she received her PhD in Musicology from the University of Hawaii.  She has taught Music History at UH for 12 years and is heavily involved in community service.

Keith Kalway – Originally from Minnesota, Mr. Kalway obtained a graduate degree in Education before spending 35 years as an educator with St. Paul Public Schools.  During his tenure, he worked as a Vice President for middle school mathematics and led the Mathematics Institutes for Teachers through the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.  He also cofounded the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus.

Ada Mei – Ms. Mei, a native of Beijing earned her Master’s in Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota. She has worked as an engineer for computer companies, as a Senior Advisory Engineer for IBM, and has produced a Chinese Opera at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Jeff Pauker – Mr. Pauker is Director, Acquisitions at A&B Properties.  Mr. Pauker’s responsibilities include the identification and consummation of investments in Hawaii real estate assets.  Prior to joining A&B, Mr. Pauker was an attorney for a global law firm in San Francisco.  He is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.

Nigel Pentland – A long-time resident of London, Mr. Pentland has a BA from the University of Liverpool and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.  He worked for 25 years in financial markets across the world and is now an investor in public and private markets, including several recent start-up companies.

Stephen Turner – Born in Wisconsin, Mr. Turner grew up in Chicago and received a MS from the University of South Dakota.  In 1966, he joined Marketing Research Corporation of America (Chicago).  He has worked as a Research Manager at Amoco, Hamms Beer, and Coca-Cola USA and has held a variety of high-level roles at numerous marketing agencies.

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Since 1961, Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT), formerly a division of the Honolulu Symphony Society and incorporated in 1980, has served to enhance the quality of life in Hawaii by presenting opera performances of the highest standards, while maintaining fiscal responsibility.  Through four productions annually in the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, HOT offers opera to almost 18,000 residents and visitors each season thereby increasing the public’s awareness and exposure to opera as a multi-media art form.

HOT’s educational programs for youth serve as both catalyst and active participant in the artistic education of Hawaii’s youth.  Opera for Everyone provides a special performance of each opera for a large and enthusiastic audience of students.  Resident Ensemble takes operas specially adapted operas, into elementary and middle schools with special tours to all neighbor islands.  HOT’s Mini Residency program takes our education and production staff members into an elementary school to work with students and teachers to compose an opera production centered around curriculum components.   Adult education is offered with Opera Highlights, a non-credit course at the University of Hawaii; Opera Previews, at the Honolulu Academy of Arts; pre-performance Lanai Lectures on the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall lanai; and other presentations at stores or shopping centers.

Led by Artistic Director, Henry Akina, and Executive Director Simon Crookall, HOT partners with the Hawaii Symphony.  Auditions are held, generally in NY, to cast principal roles from mainland, European, Asian and local singers.  The Opera Chorus is a local volunteer organization.

Media Contact:  Jason M.A. Walter | 808-596-7372 ext. 211 | j_walter@hawaiiopera.org