ANA ʻAha Mele 2025 event in Honolulu

ANA ʻAha Mele 2025 has ended. Thank you very much for your interest.

ANA will be holding the ANA ʻAha Mele music and cultural exchange event in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, on November 19 - 22, 2025. This initiative which began in 2019, was renewed as "ANA ʻAha Mele", meaning “concert” in Hawaiian in 2022. We are proud to celebrate our 5th anniversary this year. ANA hopes to continue to foster connections with the people of Hawaii through music, collaborating with local artists, and to continue protecting the region's culture and environment. Together with our contributions toward increasing the number of non-resident cultural visitors through flights between Japan and Honolulu with the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 FLYING HONU, we are also working on environmental conservation initiatives such as the preservation of Hawaiian culture; education for children; diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) and tree planting.

Dates

Wednesday, November 19 - Saturday, November 22, 2025

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A

Outline of Events

ANA ʻAha Mele Concert with Nobuyuki Tsujii and Friends (Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell)

Experience a gala-style concert under the Hawaiian blue sky at the outdoor amphitheater Waikiki Shell (Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell), Hawaii. Enjoy a performance by pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, joined by violinist Fumiaki Miura, jazz trumpeter Shutaro Matsui, and jazz pianist Kento Tsubosaka from Japan, along with local artist Raiatea Helm. This year pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii will perform some pieces popular in both Japan and the United States from the Studio Ghibli animation.

Date: Saturday, Nobember 22, 2025
Time: Door Open 4:30 p.m.
Start 6:00 p.m.
End 8:00 p.m. (scheduled)
Location: Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell

Song List
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  Program is subject to change without prior notice.
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  Performance order is not listed.
Nobuyuki Tsujii:
Joe Hisaishi - Ashitaka and San
Joe Hisaishi - The Path of Wind
Liszt - Rigoletto Paraphase

Nobuyuki Tsujii & Shutaro Matsui:
Tchaikovsky - Neapolitan Dance

Nobuyuki Tsujii & Fumiaki Miura:
Czardas

Nobuyuki Tsujii & Raiatea:
Ryoko Moriyama - Satoukibi Batake "Zawawa"

Shutaro Matsui & Kento Tsubosaka:
Shutaro Matsui - TRUST ME
Shutaro Matsui - Color Palette
Shutaro Matsui - Beijinho
Saint-Saëns (arr.Shutaro Matsui) - Danse Macabre
Oscar Peterson - Hymn to Freedom

Raiatea:
Charles E. King - Kaimana Hila
John K. Almeida - Maile Swing
Laufey - I Wish You Love
Alvin K. Isaacs - The Good Old Hoʻomalimali E
Andy Cummings - Waikīkī

ANA ʻAha Mele Evening Concert (Blue Note Hawaii)

Announcing our first-ever evening concert at Blue Note Hawaii. Enjoy performances by jazz trumpeter and jazz pianist, plus a solo by pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, in an intimate and immersive live atmosphere.

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Seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early.
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Please enjoy your meal from doors open until intermission during the performance.

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Time: Door Open 5:30 p.m.
Start 6:45 p.m.
End 9:00 p.m. (scheduled)
Location: Blue Note Hawaii

Song List
- *
  
  Program is subject to change without prior notice.
- *
  
  Performance order is not listed.
- *
  
  Some songs will be unannounced, as a special surprise for our audiences.
Shutaro Matsui & Kento Tsubosaka :
Shutaro Matsui - Tiger March
Shutaro Matsui - TBA
Kento Tsubosaka - TBA
TBA - jazz standard
Kento Tsubosaka - When I Sing
G.Gershwin (arr.Shutaro Matsui) - Rhapsody in Blue

Nobuyuki Tsujii
Kapustin - Eight Concert Etudes
Claude Debussy - Suite bergamasque "Clair de lune"
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata

Musicians

Nobuyuki Tsujii

In June 2009, Nobuyuki Tsujii became the first Japanese to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then, he has performed with great success at New York's Carnegie Hall and at the U.K. Proms, He has received great acclaim for his regular recitals at many of the world's most prestigious venues, including the Wiener Musikverein, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Tsujii has also been frequently invited to perform alongside leading orchestras in Europe and North America, and been praised by world-class conductors including Valery Gergiev and Vladimir Ashkenazy, with whom he has often performed.

Nobuyuki Tsujii Official Website (deutschegrammophon)

Nobuyuki Tsujii Official Website (avex: Japanese Only)

Shutaro Matsui

Profile

Born in Kunitachi, Tokyo in 1999, he graduated at the top of his class from Kunitachi College of Music's Jazz program, receiving the Yatabe Award. He has studied trumpet under Akira Okumura and Eric Miyashiro, and jazz ensemble under Makoto Ozone and other esteemed instructors. He participated in Makoto Ozone's project "From OZONE till Dawn." In 2023, he released his debut album, "STEPS OF THE BLUE," and embarked on a nationwide tour. His second album, "DANSE MACABRE," was released in October 2024, with a national tour set to begin in February 2025. In addition to his own leader live performances and solo work, he is widely active as a support member for various artists. His multifaceted talent, transcending genres, has garnered significant attention.

Shutaro Matsui Official Website (Japanese Only)

Kento Tsubosaka

Profile

Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa in 1994, he graduated at the top of his class from Berklee College of Music. Since 2022, he has participated in Makoto Ozone's project "From OZONE till Dawn." In 2024, he released his debut solo piano album, "When I Sing," on Universal Music (Verve). In May 2024, he performed "Rhapsody in Blue" with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and in January 2025, he appeared at La Folle Journée in Nantes, France. He also performed at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '24 as part of "soraya," his unit with Kona Ishikawa. With his diverse talent that transcends genres, he is attracting attention as a promising talent poised to lead the next generation.

Kento Tsubosaka Official Website (Japanese Only)

Fumiaki Miura

Profile

Fumiaki Miura is not only the youngest ever winner of the Joseph Joachim Hannover International Violin Competition (2009) but also the one with the most prizes - having also been awarded both the Music Critics' and the Audience Prize. The young Japanese violinist is already proving himself to be one of the most accomplished of his generation.After his successful residency with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, his 22/23 season is highlighted by performances as soloist with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra under the baton of Pinchas Zukerman. Moreover, he has play/conduct projects with ADDA Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Chamber Orchestra. In addition, in chamber music, he will perform in Salle Gaveau (Paris) and will do a tour in Europe and Japan.Miura performs on the Guarneri del Gesu 1732 violin "Kaston" kindly loaned by Crystco Inc. and its CEO, Mr. Hikaru Shimura.

Fumiaki Miura Official Website (Japanese Only)

Raiatea Helm

Profile

Raiatea Helm, a two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner, is one of Hawaiʻi’s most distinguished female vocalists and a leading torchbearer of leo kiʻekiʻe, the Hawaiian falsetto tradition. With a career spanning over two decades and seven acclaimed albums, she has performed with legends like Aunty Genoa Keawe, Kealiʻi Reichel, Keola Beamer, Ledward Kaʻapana, Willie K. and Mick Fleetwood. Her latest release, A Legacy of Hawaiian Song and String, which honors songs from Hawaiʻi’s late 19th and early 20th centuries, garnered seven Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 2024.

Raiatea Helm Official Website

Music workshop with pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii

The Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii will hold music lessons at local elementary school in Honolulu.
We hope that the students will come to feel the enchantment and joy that music can bring, as they deepen their cultural exchanges with Mr. Tsujii.

Date: Friday, November 21, 2025
Location: School, Honolulu, Hawaii
Admission: Not open to the general public

Environmental conservation

ANA Group employees will plant trees in cooperation with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative. Native Hawaiian species, such as the Milo trees, that is used to make ukuleles will be planted.
Actual results from 2022-2024: Total 780 trees planted

Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025

Not open to the general public

Since 2019, ANA has supported the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative in Honolulu. We welcome your support towards our initiative, please refer to the website below for more details.

ANA Legacy Forest

Archived website

ANA ʻAha Mele 2024 Official Website

Notes

[General Points of Note]

The event dates, times, and details are subject to change without prior notice.
Please refrain from bringing photography or videography equipment for commercial use.
Please refrain from taking photographs, audio recordings, or videos with smartphones, cameras, etc. at the venue.

Click here for venue details and important information.

Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell
Service fee/ Plus applicable service charge
1. For in-person payments at the Box Office:$1.00
2. $0.50 per ticket for events with all ticket prices not exceeding $14.00.
Card types

All credit cards accepted except AMEX.

Age limit
- 3 years & under FREE (lap carried without occupying a seat) accompanied by a paid adult. Ages 4 years and up will need to purchase a ticket for entry.
- Age 4 - 12 years old will be able to purchace tickets at 50% discount.
Others
- No coolers, outside food & drinks allowed at this event.
- No packages, bags, knapsacks and backpacks allowed.
- Small purses not to exceed 12” X 12”. (One per person & subject to search)
- No chairs, back rests only
- Rain or shine
- Please bring your own rain gear.
NOTE: Any outside alcoholic beverage will be confiscated. Any patron under the age of 21 found drinking will be subject to ejection and/or arrest.
**Please help keep the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell safe for everyone. **

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Parking information

There are many options for parking when attending an event at the Waikiki Shell, choose from on site or other places within the Honolulu area.
For parking lots located in the venue, just follow the signs on arrival.
- For details, including rates and other information, please check the official website provided below.
- Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell and ANA is not affiliated with any of the parking lots and is not responsible for anything that may occur to your car while in the parking lots.
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Blue Note Hawaii
- *
  
  Seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Please arrive early.
Age limit:
- All children are welcome, but we kindly ask that they remain quiet inside the venue. We recommend participation for children aged 10 and older.
- Children aged 2 and under are free. (This applies only when accompanied by a paying adult and the child sits on the adult's lap without occupying a separate seat.)
- Children aged 3 and over require a ticket purchase and a minimum food and drink order of $20. Please note that we do not have facilities such as high chairs for children.
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Parking information:
- We have affiliated parking available at OHANA Waikiki East Hotel and Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, but spaces are limited.
- For details on parking fees and other information, please check the official website below.
- Blue Note Hawaii and ANA is not affiliated with any of the parking lots and is not responsible for anything that may occur to your car while in the parking lots.
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