The Buzz

Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Christmas, Caz-style

The Brothers Cazimero (that's Robert and Roland, photographed at their Chai's Island Bistro gig) revive their own holiday hoopla, "A Cazimero Christmas," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Dec. 7-8 and 2 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Hawai'i Theatre. The program, staged with the Honolulu Symphony for the past few years, will tap traditional and Hawaiian Christmas favorites, with Robert on stand-up bass and Roland on guitar in sit-down position, a gallery of dancers (Leina'ala Heine Kalama, the Royal Dance Company, Halau Na Kamalei) and guest singer Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom. $22.50-$40 at the box office (discounts for theater members, seniors, military, students). 528-0506.

Up for bid

It wouldn't be Christmas without trees, and it wouldn't be Christmas in Honolulu without the annual Festival of Trees, a benefit for The Queen's Medical Center. This year there's a special "Miniature Festival Gallery," part of the silent auction, in which 18 Hawai'i artists contributed tiny pieces to create an arts space that's 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide. The festival takes place 10 a.m.-8 p.m. today and Saturday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday (auction bids close at 2 p.m.) at the Kewalo and Kaka'ako rooms, second floor, Ward Warehouse. Admission is $1 general, free for kids 12 and younger. 547-4397.

From the Philippines

The last time Bayanihan, the national folk-dance company of the Philippines, performed in Honolulu was in 1973 in a three-night stand. This time, as the troupe ends a U.S. tour, it offers just one night of its classic repertory that has brought global acclaim. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. today at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets are $30 for balcony seats, $40 orchestra ($5 discounts for seniors 65 and older and children 4-12); available at the box office. 591-2211, 526-4400.

Mad about the arts

"Full Moon Madness," the annual showcase of Leeward Community College students of the arts, takes the LCC Theatre stage at 7 p.m. Saturday. More than 60 students will present an evening of dance (East Indian, jazz, ballet, modern, hip-hop and swing) and drama (sketches, monologues, lip sync and improv); the LCC Jazz Ensemble also will offer classical, contemporary and (of course) jazz sounds Tickets are $3. 455-0385.

'Nutcracker' on piano

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas as Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" and other holiday favorites fill the halls of the governor's residence in a concert to benefit Hawai'i Public Radio and the Washington Place Foundation. For the fourth-consecutive year the Cayetanos will play host to students from the Ernest Chang Piano Studio in a two-piano concert and a half hour of refreshments beforehand. The event begins at 4 p.m. Sunday at Washington Place. Tickets are $15 general, $10 children 12 and younger. Guests should enter through the front (Beretania Street) gate. 955-8821.

Cho on the go

Comedian Margaret Cho launched her "Notorious C.H.O." tour at the Kaua'i Marriott Resort last night but has two more gigs this weekend — at 7:30 p.m. today at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center ($35, $25 at the box office) and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall ($45, $35 at the box office and Ticket Plus locations). Cho, a Hawai'i favorite who earlier performed in Honolulu, also makes an after-concert appearance from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday at Hula's Bar & Lei Stand on Kapahulu Avenue ($5 donation, or $3 with Hula's Hui card; includes one drink), with proceeds benefitting the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation. 526-4400.

Four strings

The Ying Quartet, winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and one of America's most highly regarded ensembles, returns for a concert as part of its 10th Anniversary Tour. The siblings last performed in Honolulu in November 1998. A mix of classics and modern will be on the program, including selections from the "LifeMusic" project, in which established and emerging composers are commissioned for new works. The quartet performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Orvis Auditorium. Tickets are $24 general, $15 students; available at the Campus Center ticket office. A free question-and-answer period will take place 7-7:30 p.m. 956-6878. The quartet also performs 5 p.m. Sunday at Kaua'i Community College Performing Arts Center; $20 general, $5 students. (808) 245-7464.