HAPA, Hawaii’s “super  group,” will perform at Orcas Center Friday, July 8 at 7:30 pm.

Referred to as “the most successful Hawaiian music group in recent history” by the New York Times, HAPA is Barry Flanagan, Ron Kuala’au and Hula dancer Heali’i Stanley. Like the Hawaiian Islands themselves, HAPA’S Pan Polynesian music is an amalgam of influences ranging from ancient genealogical chants to the strummed ballads of Portuguese fisherman, Spanish cowboys, and the inspired melodies and harmonies of the traditional church choirs of the early missionaries.

Add to this a dose of American acoustic folk/rock, and you have what has been described as the “most exciting and beautiful contemporary Hawaiian music the world knows!” by the Maui Times.

“Often encapsulated as the ‘Sound of Maui,’ HAPA’s music includes the majestic tones of the oli (chant), mele (song), the elegant movements of the sacred dance known as hula, and the exhilarating innovative sounds of virtuoso slack key guitar,” said Orcas Center’s Artha Kass.

HAPA’s self-titled debut CD released in 1993 swept the 1994 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii’s equivalent of the Grammys), becoming the biggest selling CD by a group or duo in the history of recorded Hawaiian music. The group’s groundbreaking music has established them as the most recognized name in Hawaiian music internationally since their debut release, with sold-out shows from Tokyo to New York.

Ticket holders to the HAPA show can receive 10 percent off an Asian-fusion dinner at Eastsound restaurant The Kitchen before the show.  Just mention that you are going to the show. The Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and can be reached at 376 -6958.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $17 for center members and $11 for students. To buy tickets, visit www.orcascenter.org, call 376-2281 ext 1 or visiting the Orcas Center box office during box office hours: Thurs.-Sat. from 12- 4 pm.