Maunakea (Solo 4-Mallet Marimba)

Maunakea is a challenging solo marimba work that is an examination the nature of protests in Hawai'i over construction on sacred ground, but it is also a reflection of this beautiful location and the long history of conflict between native Hawaiians and United States citizens.

Genre: Marimba (4-mallet) | # of Players: 1
Series: N/A
Level: Advanced | Duration: 3:50

Instrumentation
Marimba (5-octave)

Program Notes
On July 15th, 2019, a Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) was set to be built on Hawaii’s big island (called Hawai’i). The intended site was on the summit of Maunakea, the state’s highest point and a sacred site for the native Hawaiians, formerly the Polynesian people. The governor of Hawaii was visiting the site to conduct a survey for logistics when a line of elders known as “kupuna” positioned themselves in a barricade blocking the path.

When this piece was written in 2019, the protests had still been going. Today in 2025 as the piece is republished, there is still no resolution to this conflict. Admist a global pandemic, deep political turmoil and a disastrous wildfire on Maui, this conflict continues between western science and island traditional culture.

The music of this piece exists as something of an “earth dance”, where the essence of the conflict is communicated through a rhythmic collage with a pulse that never feels at rest. Within this dance lies two primary musical ideas, one being of my own making and the other taken from “Ha Mele Lahui Hawai’i”, marked in the piece as a hymn-like melody. My aim was to allow myself to be inspired by the rich culture of Hawai’i, while also reflecting on my role in the world as an American citizen and former resident of the island.

– L.G.

Performed by Marco Schirripa