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28-601: HOT performs most of its mainstage productions at the Blaisdell Concert Hall and has also staged works at the historic Hawaii Theatre, warehouses, the Chinatown Artist Lofts, and other funky venues. Since 2004 HOT has added a summer production of a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan or a musical , and in 2016 will stage a concert production of Verdi 's Rigoletto starring Hawaii's own baritone, Quinn Kelsey . Kelsey began his career as

56-470: A 1965 Billy Graham crusade. Other music artists that have performed at the arena include The Beach Boys , Kiss , Led Zeppelin , Iron Maiden , The Rolling Stones , Mariah Carey , The Jackson 5 , Metallica , Aerosmith , Van Halen , Bon Jovi , Elton John , Santana , Toto , Journey , Halsey Run-DMC , Coolio , Bruno Mars , No Doubt , America , Bread (band) , Culture Club , Avenged Sevenfold , Janet Jackson , and Carrie Underwood . During

84-678: A chorus member in HOT's acclaimed volunteer chorus, and has gone on to shine on stages across the world. The first opera ever presented by the organization was Puccini 's Madama Butterfly , which was performed in McKinley High School auditorium in Honolulu in 1961. For the next two decades the company was part of the Honolulu Symphony . In 1980 it became an independent tax-exempt corporation. The first independent season

112-545: A circus performance in 1994, Tyke , an African Elephant, killed her trainer and charged out of the arena in a rage. The animal rampaged outside the arena for 30 minutes before police fired 87 rounds at the elephant, who eventually collapsed and died as a result of the shooting. The Philippine TV show ASAP performed at the arena on June 30, 2018, through an international concert titled ASAP Live in Honolulu . Many graduation and commencement ceremonies are held by schools in

140-453: A co-production with Opera Omaha , featured set and costume designs by the visual artist Jun Kaneko . The Summer Season was launched in 2004 with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado , followed by The Pirates of Penzance (2005), The King and I with Richard Chamberlain (2006), South Pacific (2007), and A Little Night Music (2008). The summer production for 2009 was cancelled for budgetary reasons. Charity Navigator has awarded

168-467: A small NAIA school (today NCAA Division II ) with a student body of 800. Downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu , the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii . It is bounded by Nuʻuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south. Both modern and historic buildings and complexes are located in

196-584: A special event that took place between the 2006 PBR World Finals and the start of the 2007 PBR season. In 2020, the arena hosted a Davis Cup qualifying round matchup between the United States and Uzbekistan . With a capacity of 2,158 seats, the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall was the home of the Honolulu Symphony and the Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre . Broadway productions such as The Phantom of

224-564: Is opened up to students for a reduced price, usually on a Wednesday night. Other aspects of the show are assisted by OFE participants who can help in such aspects as set building, costuming and makeup, or performance. This is a rare opportunity offered to students who may pursue careers in opera in the future, and is one of the programs that makes HOT unique. HOT's Education Team serves over 25,000 keiki and adult learners each year through its innovative programming. The OFE program stages over 75 performances at schools on multiple islands throughout

252-498: Is roughly bounded by Nuʻuanu Avenue, Nimitz Highway, Richards Street, and Vineyard Boulevard. This area contains most of the headquarters buildings of Hawaiʻi-based companies and most of the skyscrapers. Buildings in this area include: Located between Nuʻuanu Stream and Nuʻuanu Avenue, Chinatown at one time was the center of Chinese cultural contact on the island. Central to this area is the open-air Oʻahu Market . The area around Nuʻuanu Avenue has become an Arts District , thanks to

280-732: The Arena Football League All-Star game of 2013. The Leis and Islanders each persisted for three full seasons, the longest of all the pro teams based at the arena. In 1982, the arena served as home court for Chaminade University in a Christmas Eve upset of a Ralph Sampson -led number one ranked University of Virginia , 77–72. In November 2006, the Professional Bull Riders hosted the Cheeseburger Island Style PBR Hawaii All-Star Challenge,

308-590: The Opera , Les Misérables , Rent , Miss Saigon , Chicago , Cats , and other national touring shows have performed at the concert hall. In the fall and early winter of 2007 the concert hall was host to the Broadway musical The Lion King , a booking which displaced the Honolulu Symphony from its usual home and led to a major cash flow crisis for the orchestra. Elvis Presley also performed at

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336-618: The State of Hawaii. Blaisdell Concert Hall The Neal S. Blaisdell Center is a community center near downtown Honolulu , Hawaii . The complex has a multi-purpose arena, concert hall, exhibition hall, galleria, meeting rooms, Waikiki Shell and others. Constructed in 1964 on the historic Ward Estate and originally called the Honolulu International Center , the center was renamed after Mayor of Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell , who oversaw its construction. It

364-672: The area, with many of the latter declared National Historic Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places . Downtown Honolulu can be subdivided into four neighborhoods, each with its own central focus and mix of buildings. These areas are the Capitol District , the Central Business District , Chinatown , and the Waterfront . The Capitol District, or Civic Center, contains most of

392-677: The arena and concert hall in late May and June. The Arena also hosts the start of the exhibition season for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association and the men's and women's basketball and volleyball games for Hawaii Pacific University , the state's largest private university. It served as the home court for University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa basketball until UH built the Stan Sheriff Center on campus in 1994. The arena

420-399: The arena floor. On December 3, 1966, The Monkees gave their first live concert here. They played a 40-minute set. Loggins and Messina performed their final two concerts here on September 24 and 25, 1976. Elvis Presley 's Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite concert was held here on January 14, 1973. In recognition of the concert, a bronze statue of Presley was installed in 2007 outside

448-447: The community and develop a new generation of opera goers, the company staged Jonathan Dove 's chamber opera, Siren Song , a story of a young sailor involved in a catfish scandal. The company took over an empty warehouse in the arts district of Kaka'ako and turned it into a production venue. Siren Song , directed by Akina, received rave reviews and combined a modern, relevant story with the designs by video designer Adam Turner dancing on

476-425: The company its top "4-star" rating for responsible fiscal management since 2007. In 2014, HOT staged a modern production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado in Honolulu and on Maui. Akina led his artistic team in creating a presentation that included anime, harajuku girls, and yakuza -inspired characters. In 2015, HOT launched its Opera in a Warehouse initiative. A part of its #ImHOT campaign to take opera into

504-489: The federal, state, and city governmental buildings and is centered on the Hawaiʻi State Capitol , ʻIolani Palace , and Honolulu Hale ( city hall ). It is roughly bounded by Richards Street on the west, Ward Avenue on the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Nimitz Highway to the south. Significant buildings in this area include: Centered on Bishop Street and Fort Street Mall , the central business district

532-419: The front of the arena. The statue was sponsored by the cable channel TV Land . Other events at the arena include WWE live events , Disney on Ice , American Idol Live! , Sesame Street Live , college basketball and volleyball , and international gymnastics , as well as a fundraising concert for victims of Hurricane Iniki , with Crosby, Stills & Nash , Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt , and

560-615: The renovation of the Hawaiʻi Theatre . Buildings in this area include: Honolulu's waterfront area centers on Aloha Tower , which was once the tallest building in Hawaiʻi and where cruise ships would dock before the advent of air travel between Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Mainland. Recently, cruise ships between the Hawaiian Islands now dock at Honolulu Harbor. Buildings in this area include: The Honolulu Police Department operates

588-621: The then Honolulu International Centre. Located between the Concert Hall and the Arena, the Exhibition Hall provides 65,000 square feet (6,000 m ) of exhibition space on the main floor that is expandable to 85,000 square feet (7,900 m ) when combined with adjoining spaces. Five meeting rooms are also available in the hall. The Exhibition Hall accommodates numerous local trade and consumer shows and fundraising events throughout

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616-744: The third Bishop of Honolulu and the ordination and installation of Clarence Richard Silva as the fifth Bishop of Honolulu, overseeing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu . Kamehameha Schools has held their annual song contest at the Blaisdell since 1964. On December 23, 1982, what is considered by many as the greatest upset in sports history happened at the Blaisdell Arena as the then number 1-ranked University of Virginia Cavaliers , led by future Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson , were beaten 77–72 by Chaminade University ,

644-521: The white warehouse walls to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In 2016, HOT added two special one-night only concerts to its calendar including Rigoletto in Concert starring Hawaii's Quinn Kelsey and the Hawaii debut of the internationally acclaimed trio Sol3 Mio . A family of classically trained singers from New Zealand, Sol3 Mio presents a blend of opera and pop that have thrilled audiences around

672-598: The world. A classroom-based education program was begun in 1981 and was expanded to more elementary and high school grade levels in 1984. A program called "Opera Highlights" became part of the curriculum of the University of Hawaii 's College of Continuing Education in 1983. HOT now has several educational programs, most notably its "Opera For Everyone" (OFE) program. OFE allows students to participate in all aspects of an opera production from technical crew to performing to simply watching an opera. The final dress rehearsal

700-562: The year, and is one of the main exhibition venues in Honolulu in addition to the Hawaii Convention Center . The Exhibition Hall hosts events throughout the year such as craft fairs, gun shows, family expos, job fairs, food & product shows, as well as private trade shows. Many religious ceremonies have been performed in the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The largest of which were the enthronement of Joseph Anthony Ferrario as

728-580: Was in 1981 and consisted of three productions: La Bohème , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Carmen . Supertitles were introduced in 1987 and 1989 was the first year in which all available seats were sold before opening night. By 1993 HOT membership had exceeded 2,000 individuals. The company is currently led by Interim General Director Karen Tiller. The year 2002 saw HOT's "Bad Girl Season" with productions of La traviata , Salome , and Carmen . Sets and costumes for Salome were designed by artist Thomas Woodruff. The 2007 production of Madama Butterfly ,

756-579: Was remodeled and expanded in 1994. The complex is overseen by the city's Department of Enterprise Services, which also oversees the Waikiki Shell . As of 2019, the city is seeking to redevelop the site with extensive stakeholder and public involvement to assess the community's goals. The Neal S. Blaisdell Arena is a circular performance facility used for concerts and major sporting events. The arena can accommodate 7,700 seats for sports events, and up to 8,800 seats for stage events with seats set up on

784-961: Was the home venue for several short-lived attempts to establish Hawaii professional sports teams, including the Hawaii Volcanos of the Continental Basketball Association , the Hawaii Hurricanes of the American Basketball Association , the Hawaii Leis of World Team Tennis and three indoor football teams: the Honolulu Hurricanes , the Hawaii Hammerheads , and the AF2 's Hawaiian Islanders , and

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