Intimate Hawaiian Sounds: An Evening with Waiakoa in Kihei

An Evening with Waiakoa brings a 90‑minute set of original music to ProArts Playhouse in Kihei, Hawaii, a short walk from the Pacific shore at 1280 S Kihei Rd. The show pairs three players—Tarvin Makia on bass, Ethan Villanueva on guitar and percussion, and Anthony Pfluke on ʻukulele, kīhōʻalu, and grand piano—to create an intimate concert that folds Hawaiian melodic sensibility into modern songwriting. This is not a tourist luau; it’s a listening room—close seats, clear sound, and a focus on composition and interplay.

Step inside and you’ll find the pleasure of proximity: hands on strings, the grain of wood in the piano, and the low-frequency warmth of the upright bass filling the room. The program favors originals, where slack-key phrasing and ukulele voicings meet fingerpicked guitar and subtle percussive textures. That blend makes the show a rare chance to hear traditional Hawaiian timbres translated through contemporary arrangements, performed in a community arts space supported by ProArts Playhouse and Mana‘o Radio.

Kihei’s coastline and the wide Pacific horizon frame the experience. Before or after the show, a short stroll from the theater brings you to Keawakapu Beach or Kalama Park, where lava rock meets sand and the silhouette of Haleakalā and the West Maui Mountains hangs on the horizon. Those local elements—salt air, evening light, and the distinctive flora of dry coastal strand—give the music added context and make the concert feel like part of Maui’s cultural landscape.

For travelers who usually book hikes and snorkel trips, this performance offers a quieter form of place-making: the chance to sit, listen, and connect with local artists whose work draws from island life. The concert is family friendly and runs 90 minutes with no intermission, so plan your evening around sunset if you want a beach walk afterward.

Practical notes: the meeting point is 1280 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753. Tickets are limited by venue size, so reserve early; bring reef-safe sunscreen and a light layer for cooler coastal evenings. Accessibility and Access for All information is available through the presenting organizations’ websites.

Presented by ProArts Playhouse and Mana‘o Radio, the concert supports local creative infrastructure: ticket revenues help fund residencies and youth outreach at the playhouse. Audience etiquette is simple—phones to silent and conversations low—so the musicians’ dynamics can breathe. If you’re photographing, stay in designated aisles and be mindful of neighbors; this is a listening room, not a stage for flash photography.

Whether you’re closing a day of surf and trails or seeking a calm cultural highlight in Maui, An Evening with Waiakoa is a compact, high-quality music set that amplifies the island’s sonic textures. It’s a recommended stop on any itinerary that values local artists and small-venue connection.