Taimane is ready to perform shows in Kihei and Kapalua. Courtesy photo/Ryan Calinawan

After performing a brilliant show at Mulligan’s on the Blue in October, ukulele virtuoso Taimane is heading back to our island for “Taimane Celebrates the Season” shows at the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua and the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei.

Taimane will perform as part of the free Kapalua Concert Series with special guest Matt Del Olmo on Dec. 6, and she will make her ProArts debut on Dec. 7.

Acclaimed for mixing flavors of rock, classical music, fiery flamenco and bossa nova into her original songs, Taimane most recently released a sublime interpretation of Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major,” with a video shot by the ocean on Hawai’i island.

“I love Bach’s music,” Taimane says. “I was brought up playing classical music, so the transition isn’t too bad besides having to figure out the parts myself because ukulele tab and sheet music are still growing compared to guitar tabs.”

She also released a memorable instrumental version of Liko Martin’s classic, “Waimanalo Blues.” “I did the score for a feature film, ‘Growing Up Local,’ that was released last year,” she explains. “The director asked me to do ‘Waimanalo Blues’ and to make it my own. It’s a song we all love and know, and halfway through I turned it into a minor key because I love minor and there’s a darkness to the movie. It’s a timeless song still very relevant to today, but how to make it my own? So I decided to give it the minor vibe, which gives it more of a haunting feel, and I have pieces of lyrics of the song throughout.”

With a combined global audience of around 50 million for her exotic music videos, in 2023 she won Hōkū Awards for Instrumental Album of the Year for “Hawaiki” and Instrumental Composition of the Year for “Pipeline’s Daughter,” along with Favorite Entertainer of the Year, which is determined annually by public vote.

With fans all over, she recently spent two weeks in China presenting workshops in various cities, including Shanghai.

“I had a great time, and learned a lot about the culture and the technology,” she says. “They really are thirsty for entertainment because I think it’s hard to get into China. They were so appreciative. I did some workshops and taught a bunch of kids throughout the country. They love ukulele and they love learning. Especially for kids, I think they connect more with the ukulele because it’s less intimidating and it’s more their size, which is ultimately why I liked the ukulele at their age.”

Taimane was especially amazed by Chinese technology. “They have robots who will give you food delivery, kind of like Uber eats except robots come and deliver your food to your hotel room.”

Next on her travels, she’s off for a Europe tour in 2025, including playing the Monopolele Mediterranean Ukulele Festival in Italy and the Cały Poznań Ukulele Festival in Poland.

Known for her amazing song mashups, in the summer she shot a video at Pacific Biodiesel’s sunflower farm on Maui, which featured a wild medley of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5,” System of a Down’s “Aerials,” Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”

“They kind of morph over the years,” she says about her approach. “I did my first one with Don Ho in his show. I would play ‘Fur Elise’ by Beethoven every night, and then I decided what would it sound like with ‘Stairway to Heaven?’ I tried it on stage with him and it was a hit.”

Coming soon she is working on a video shoot at the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, the former home of Doris Duke just outside Honolulu, where she was selected as an artist-in-residence.

“I’ve been able to use the area and grounds for inspiration, which has been really beautiful,” she reports. “What they would like is for me to create a song and a music video, which we’re going to shoot at Shangri La. I wrote a song inspired by Middle Eastern and Persian mythology. I love mythology so I took inspiration from all the art that Doris Duke has and wrote a song comparing a goddess that I picked from Persian mythology as well as a goddess from Hawaiian mythology.”

Inspired by the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele, Taimane is releasing a new signature Magma ukulele, which prompted her trip to China. “For my signature moon ukulele, which I released maybe a couple years ago, I partnered with a Chinese company who made them. They finally wanted to meet me. Coming out with my new one, I decided to go there, and they took great care of me.”

The Magma will hopefully be available at her Maui shows. “We’re bringing over some ukuleles so perfect for people who’ve been wanting a signature one with a signature,” she says.

Taimane will perform with guitarist Rachel Look and percussionist Jaycob Sierra at the Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6. Admission is free. She also will perform at the ProArts Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Tickets range from $37 to $65, available at proartsmaui.littleboxoffice.com.