Maikaʻi Nash
Hawaiian pianist, Maika’i Nash, returned home to Hawaiʻi in 2017 to accept the Head of Music and Director of the Orvis Opera Studio Program positions at the Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre. In his 20 year absence, Maikaʻi lived abroad, studying at McGill University in Montréal, at the Schubert Institute of Lieder in Vienna, the Centre for Operatic Studies in Sulmona, Italy, and privately in Paris. He spent the bulk of his career in Toronto and Montréal, working for a number of Canadian opera companies, the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, McGill University, and Western University. Always an avid adventurer, he also spent 2 years in Bogotá, Colombia, working as a vocal coach, répétiteur, and pianist throughout the Colombian capital, and in the other major cities as well. Now firmly reestablished in Honolulu, Maika'i has launched the new performing arts, non-profit group, HI Arts Lab... a company creating experiential moments in music across multiple art forms. The company launched in 2019 to rave reviews and a well attended 3-night run at the Entrepreneur's Sandbox in Honolulu's art district, Kaka'ako.
Throughout his career, Maika’i has worked with a number of opera companies throughout Canada, Colombia, and the United States. He has also been engaged as the official accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions for a number of years and has also collaborated and recorded with renowned singers such as Richard Margison, Quinn Kelsey, Audrey Luna, Barry Banks, Mark Doss, Leslie-Ann Bradley & Martha Senn. Maika'i is currently the official pianist for Disney Entertainment for the State of Hawai'i and works with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Manoa Valley Theatre, Diamond Head Theatre, the I'm a Bright Kid Foundation, Gridiron, and is a vocal coach and collaborator for the HEARTS concert choir on the Windward side.
An avid educator, Maika’i has been on faculty at festivals in Europe, Canada, Colombia, and the US. He has a small studio of students in Honolulu and continues to teach and coach privately.
Maika’i has performed in a number of renowned masterclass series with international artists that include: Christine Goerke, Barbara Bonney, Elly Ameling, Joan Dornemann, Julius Drake, Edith Wiens, Cynthia Hoffman, Helmut Deutsch, Rudolf Jansen, Robert Holl, Wendy Nielsen, Laura Claycomb & Denise Massé, among others. Growing up in Hawaii, Maika'i studied with Ernest Chang and continues his collaboration with the legendary teacher by teaching at his school in Makiki.