About three-fourths of the band had signed a letter telling Hannemann that they would support a decision to replace Mahi, bandmaster since 1980. They cited administrative issues and concerns about the troupe's musical direction as reasons for their disenchantment.

Hannemann, speaking to band members before a holiday concert yesterday morning at Kuakini Medical Center, did not comment on the band's internal strife but urged the musicians to stay in harmony.

"I want a smooth transition," Hannemann told band members while Mahi stood next to him with his head bowed.

The mayor-elect, noting that it was his prerogative to hire his own Cabinet, said Mahi's departure is among a series of changes he wants to make.

"It's not about Aaron," he said after the meeting. "It's just a general feeling there should be a change of direction in every department."

Hannemann said no decision has been made about a successor and that none can be expected for the next three months.

Mahi, who had been told of Hannemann's decision earlier in the week, appeared to have mixed feelings yesterday. "He said he wants to make a change and that's the right of the mayor to do that," Mahi said. "I said, 'I understand.' "

Mahi, 51, said he had tried to address issues raised by band members and that he believed the problems could have been resolved without his departure.

Robert Larm, a clarinet player and woodwind section supervisor, said he and other band members felt a sense of relief after Hannemann spoke to them.

Larm said he backs the mayor-elect's decision to hire a new band director, a job that pays $99,807 annually as are all members of the mayor's Cabinet.

"We need a new life, the band has basically stagnated over the past so many years," said Larm, a band member for 21 years. Larm said that he, like other band members, believes the organization should have reached out to a broader segment of the community.

"It was like we had gotten into a rut, the same old concerts at the same old places and not really reaching out to a wider segment of the public," he said.

Eric Kop, a French horn player and one of three union shop stewards, said he also supports Hannemann's decision.

"As long as Mayor-elect Hannemann follows through with the selection of a different bandmaster, I feel it's a fair compromise for all involved," said Kop, a band member for 16 years.

Criticism by the public that band members were selfish with their concerns are off-base, he said. "The things we were trying to bring up were issues that were keeping us from performing at our best level," Kop said.

Mahi had too many outside interests, Kop said, such as conducting the Hawai'i Ecumenical Chorale and performing with other musical groups.

The band was founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III and is the only full-time municipal band in the country. It employs about 40 members, has an annual budget of $1.6 million and performs about 300 concerts a year.

Mahi said he believes it is important that the band stay true to its roots as a link to the monarchy period of Hawaiian music. It's important, he said, for the new bandmaster to continue that emphasis.

That was echoed by Ed Michelman, president of the non-profit group Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band that had urged Hannemann to retain Mahi.

Mahi will "undoubtedly he will go down in history as one of the most influential Royal Hawaiian Band directors since Henry Berger," Michelman said, referring to the band's longest-serving and most famous conductor who served from 1871 to 1915. "By virtue of his musicianship and dedication to the rich legacy of the band, he has elevated it to a position of national and international acclaim."