The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame will honor its 2007 inductees — Bill Kaiwa, Jesse Kalima, Eddie Kamae, Don McDiarmid Sr., Peter Moon, Marlene Sai, and John Pi'ilani Watkins — with a concert titled "Lei of Stars 2008," set for April 26 at the Hawaii Theatre.

The 7 p.m. concert will feature performances by The Jesse Kalima Ohana, The Peter Moon Band, Na Palapalai, Owana Salazar, Cyril Pahinui, Ken Makuakane, with Ku'uipo Kumukahi and the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame Serenaders. Karen Keawehawai'i and Harry B. Soria, Jr. will serve as masters of ceremonies.

Tickets for the concert may be purchased in person at the Hawaii Theatre Box Office, by phone at 528-0506 or online at www.hawaiitheatre.com.

The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization created in 1994 to recognize the musical achievements of significant composers, singers, and performers of Hawaiian music.

"As the Hawaiian music landscape changes and evolves we wanted to create something that would preserve and perpetuate our cultural and musical past," Kahauanu Lake, chairman of the advisory selection committee said in a news release.

"Our hope is that the hall of fame will become a source that new musicians and listeners alike, as well as future generations can look to for guidance as they seek to understand traditional Hawaiian music and be inspired to continue performing it."

The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame's selection committee looks at the kind of influence a potential inductee has had on the development and recognition of Hawaiian music. They also consider the impact of an inductee's own original style, the length of time they have been involved in promoting and perpetuating Hawaii's musical culture, and their overall influence on composition and performance.

"We want to select those who display the highest degree of quality in their work," Lake said. "Our main focus is on the way that the Hawaiian language and culture are used."

In addition to honoring achievements in Hawaiian music, consistent with its mission, the hall of fame also sponsors community outreach programs with the profits from concerts such as "Lei of Stars" going to help support these educational programs. E Mele Kakou (let's all sing), for example, brings Hawaiian music education to fourth- and fifth-graders across the state. The hall of fame partners with the Hawaii Opera Youth Chorus to present a six-week course in public schools that do not have regular music education and instruction. At the end of the course students have an opportunity to show what they have learned at a public concert, usually with the Royal Hawaiian Band.