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Sol3 Mio, a supremely versatile vocal trio, represents a confluence of operatic and classical music, Broadway fare and Polynesian influences. Consider it a Down Under mixed plate sensation.
The trio, comprised of brothers Pene and Amitai Pati (both tenors) and their distant cousin Moses Mackay (a baritone), are of Samoan heritage but claim residency in New Zealand. The group will headline Tihati Productions’ 50th anniversary bash Saturday at the Sheraton Waikiki.
“The start of the group was built off opera and classical music,” said Pene, the leader of Sol3 Mio because he’s the eldest. “We started the group because we wanted to pursue opera singing abroad, and the only way we could afford to do so was to use this group to help fundraise. Little did we know that this would quickly become special.”
The Pati brothers earlier sang at a retirement home managed by their dad, alongside sisters and other kin, and Mackay (with Scottish roots) had similar experience separately singing for dementia patients who were in his mother’s care.
“This definitely set the foundations of our singing and performance,” said Pene.
“I feel incredibly patriotic to be both Samoan and Kiwi. I’m a first generation Kiwi from parents born and raised in Samoa, and migrated to New Zealand for the sake of their kids. I’m a proud Samoan-born Kiwi, if I’m being specific. I still speak, read and write Samoan, and go back to the motherland whenever I can.”
He said opera suited his talent, but his ascent in the performing arts can be attributed to his culture. As a youth, “I didn’t even know what opera was. When I finally was persuaded to sing opera, I fell in love with it because of the discipline it required, the prestige it garnered, the difficulty of the singing technique, the theatrics, and of course, the challenge it posed on me, being from Polynesia. The latter is what really drove me.”
In Samoa, there is no representation of opera, unlike New Zealand, where it has been accessible since Kiri Te Kanawa was a homegrown Kiwi operatic star (now retired), he said.
The Sol3 Mio name was coined by Pene Pati, inspired by the Italian favorite, “Sole Mio,” “because ‘sole’ is Samoan slang for brother, so ‘Sol3 Mio’ was both Italian and Samoan.” Further, it was the first tune they sang together as a group, and the trio utilizes a 3 instead of an E in its name, since there are three of them. They also have a typographical signature embracing a stylized reversed E font, suggested by a sister.
The guys divide responsibilities, regarding repertoire, arrangements and other internal chores. They’re careful that arrangements are unique to their sound; “we don’t want to overload harmony or overuse certain techniques (seeking) balance between the three voices,” said Pene. The repertoire crosses over to Broadway and pop tunes, tapping shows like “Les Miserables” and “West Side Story,” with covers of Ed Sheeran and Linda Ronstadt hits.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily the genre, but more the arrangement. We try to ‘opera-fy’ it as much as we can, but not make it cringeworthy, said Pene of the dynamics.
While there are comedic moments in their show, “nothing is ever written,” he said. The gags and patter are real, usually comprised of “truly off the cuff and purely brother banter about our own travels.”
The group has previously performed here but for Pene, Hawaii is “completely uncharted territory for me, yet it feels like home. I feel like a local, but I’m not; I have no blood family, but I have found people who I would consider family.”
Sol3 Mio is eager to break into the U.S. market (beyond West Coast opera companies) and continue to tour Europe with its unique sound. “The beauty of what I think Sol3 Mio is, is the fact that there is no shelf life; if done right, the group could last right up to old age; we are singing an immortal art form.”
The Tihati bash, from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, also will feature singers Willie K, Robert Cazimero, Amy Hanaiali‘i and Fiji, with a cast of 100 Tihati troupers culled from Tihati casts on Oahu and the neighbor islands, performing under the direction of Afatia Thompson.Reservations: 735-0292, ext. 0. …
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
Two films have been shooting here, with under-the-radar secrecy.
Taika Waititi, the New Zealand sensation whose “Jojo Rabbit” is earning Oscar buzz, is directing “Next Goal Wins,” based on a true story dealing with an American Samoa soccer team known for losing matches as it attempts to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The Fox Searchlight Pictures cast stars Michael Fassbender as a maverick Dutch coach, with Elizabeth Moss in an unspecified role, with filming in Mokuleia. Kaimana, a nonbinary actor, will appear as Jaiya Saelua, a member of the Samoan soccer team, who was the first nonbinary player in the Men’s World Cup; Kaimana identifies as fa‘afafine, an accepted third gender (neither male or female) in Samoan culture. …
Meanwhile, Jason Momoa also has been in front of the cameras, in Brian Andrew Mendoza’s “Sweet Girl” project, portraying a devastated husband seeking justice for his slain wife, while protecting the only family he has, a daughter. The film, partially filmed here, also features Isabela Merced and Milena Rivero.
Director Mendoza was cinematographer for Momoa’s 2018 feature, “Braven,” and served as executive director of his “Frontier” series. …
BLUE’S CREW
Keali‘i Reichel makes a rare guest appearance when Ho‘okena performs Dec. 22 at Blue Note Hawaii. …
Starting with his Jan. 28 gig, Blue Note regular Willie K will launch a one-show only format, at 7 p.m. …
And that’s “Show Biz.”
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.
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