MICHAEL-THOMAS FOUMAI
COMPOSER
KAUNĀNĀ
YEAR
2017, Revised 2018
INSTRUMENTATION
String Quartet
DURATION
9 minutes
COMMISSIONED BY
University of Hawaiʻi
Foundation
OTHER EDITIONS
FIRST PERFORMANCE
Iggy Jang, violin
Mai Gochenouer, violin
Richard Lee, viola
James Gochenouer, cello
Honolulu, HI, USA
PROGRAM NOTE
Over the course of a 60-year history, the University of Hawai‘i Foundation has raised more than $1 BILLION to support the University of Hawai‘i. The major impact on students, faculty, research and facilities would not have been possible without donors who have given with vision and generosity.
Kaunānā was composed in celebration and thank you to the visionary donors who have helped ensure that research and discovery continue to thrive in Hawai'i for another 60 years and beyond. Kaunānā, Hawaiian for to explore, percieve, is also the name of the University's research publication, and embracing discovery and research, the music embodies the idea of building upon past discoveries in search of furthering our knowledge of the world. The music is in three sections and combines themes and harmonies that are both familiar and more contemporary, a dialogue between the past, present and beyond.