Ambitions and voices aim high for contest

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Gary Medeiros, center — pictured with Raymond Ballas and Virginia Kidder — won a Hula Records recording contract when he emerged the victor in last year's Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest. Frank B. Shaner Falsetto Contest An Aloha Festivals event 7 p.m. tomorrow Hawai'i Theatre $22-$35; $5 discount with purchase of $5 Aloha Festivals ribbon 528-0506, 589-1771 Also: KFVE (Channel 5) will tape the contest for broadcast at 9 p.m. July 17 and re-telecast at 4 p.m. July 19. Judges this year include Tony Conjugacion, Leina'ala Haili, Mike Kelly, Ka-hauanu Lake, Noelani Mahoe, Flip McDiarmid and Neva Rego. Here are the 10 contestants Windsor Alapa'i of Nanakuli Imipono Cabrinha of Hau'ula Francis Francisco of Honolulu Charles Gouveia of Honolulu Ramzey Ho'opi'i of Kahakuloa, Maui Michael Rennebu of Kapolei Lloyd Schmitt IV of Honolulu Matthew Sproat of 'Ewa Bill Wynne of Ewing, N.J. Kekaimoku Yoshikawa of Honolulu

"Most of the contestants are part-time singers, so they come out for the experience of singing at the grand Hawai'i Theatre," said Shaner, a sometimes singer of falsetto himself.

"Backstage, these guys let it all hang out; I pump them up, from 3 p.m., when we do our sound checks," he said. "I tell them, 'Hey, you're a champion already. You've come this far.' Some start to lose their cookies (meaning nerves) backstage, and want that airline bag (for heaving up their anxieties). It's kinda like being at the coliseum and being fed to the lions, when you go out and face the judges and the audience."

For Gary Medeiros, last year's falsetto contest winner, singing remains an avocation. "What advice can I give prospective contestants? You are a finalist because you do what you do best: Sing falsetto," he said. "Go out and sing for all of us as you would sing for your family, at parties, at school, or just because you love singing."

The event, the first activity of the coming Aloha Festivals season, comes a tad early this year. It's normally an August contest that precedes the September festivities in Honolulu. KFVE-TV will tape the event for broadcast later.

"There was a conflict of dates. KFVE couldn't do it on the date we originally had, because of a volleyball game. Next year, our 10th anniversary, we hope to be back on schedule," said Shaner.

The contest remains open only to males, to showcase the unusual vocalizing style in the higher registers. Shaner has been criticized for excluding female contestants, but he said the underlying intention is to focus on males singing high notes and sounding like females.

"On my morning radio show, the wahines will call and complain, 'Whassa matter you, wahines not good enough for your contest?' "he said. Shaner said a female division, on the 10th anniversary, might be a logical special attraction on the Friday night preceding the usual Saturday male sing-out.

"We had 20 contestants and worked the list down to 10," said Shaner. "It's a major fund-raiser for Aloha Festivals because proceeds help funding for other festival events throughout the state."

It's also an opportunity for local singers to literally strive for a high.

Medeiros' prize — as is the case for winners every year — was a recording contract with Hula Records. He is in the midst of completing a song roster for his solo debut, which he hopes will be released in time for Christmas buying, but he's already part of a compilation CD, just out, titled, "Aloha Festivals Hawaiian Falsetto Contest Winners IV."

Medeiros said he was thrilled to share his performance last year and was blown away when he won.

"You are a winner because you have the ability to maintain the ha'i," that edge of upper-register notes. "As I expressed to Auntie Genoa Keawe, I thank God, every time I sing, for his wonderful gift he has granted me. For me, song and and selection go hand in hand; as an example, the song 'Alika' expressed the journey of the ship to Hawai'i, and smooth delivery and stage presence enhanced the mana (spirit) of my performance."

Medeiros attends college in San Diego "to increase my business management skills to make myself more marketable," he said. "Music is a big part of who I am; in general, I want to present to as many people as possible one facet of Hawaiian music (falsetto). I consider my singing as a hobby because it is not my sole source of income."