2026 Festival Concert

The 2026 Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival - Keiki Kine at Ka Makana Ali‘i featured NextGEN steel guitar players from Alan Akaka's Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music in a two-hour performance. NextGEN steel guitarists Thang Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Hi‘ipoi Lindsay, Isaac Woodward, and Ever Ta‘ala, and NextGEN musicians Schuyler Woodward and Thinh Nguyen, were accompanied by Ethan Speyer and Ke Kula Mele parents David Woodward and Kaipo Lindsey. Emcee was Jake Kuliaikanu'u Fernandez.

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• The NextGEN musicians. Front: Hi'ipoi Lindsey, Isaac Woodward, Thinh Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Kui Joy, Ever Ta'ala. Rear: Kumu Alan Akaka, Schuyler Woodward, Thang Nguyen, and backup musicians Ethan Speyer, Kaipo Lindsey and David Woodward.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Isaac Woodward, Hi'ipoi Lindsey, Thang Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• NextGen steel guitarist Thang Nguyen.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Thang Nguyen, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• The Nguyen brothers: Thang, Thuan and Thinh.
• Schuyer Woodward, Alan Akaka, Thang Nguyen, Thuan Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• Thinh Nguyen.
• NextGen steel guitarist Thuan Nguyen.
• NextGEN steel guitarist Kui Joy.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Kui Joy, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• NextGEN steel guitarist Hi'poi Lindsey.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Hi'ipoi Lindsey, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• NextGEN steel guitarist Ever Ta'ala.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Ever Ta'ala, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• NextGEN steel guiarist Isaac Woodward.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Isaac Woodward, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.
• Isaac Woodward.
• Schuyler Woodward.
• Schuyler Woodward, Hi'ipoi Lindsey, Isaac Woodward, and Alan Akaka.
• Schuyler Woodward, Alan Akaka, Hi'ipoi Lindsey, Isaac Woodward, Kaipo Lindsey, Ethan Speyer, and David Woodward.

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Photography by Larry Holu ©2026 by HIMELE.