"Hawaiian musicians synthesized the unprecedented diversity of the Hawaiian kingdom’s musical cultures into a unique brass and string ensemble sound that would delight audiences around the world. Tracing the lives of these musicians and their music reveals a largely untold chapter of Hawaii’s role in shaping not only the history of modern music, but also the designs of the most iconic and widely used stringed instruments in use to this day, the C.F. Martin Dreadnought and Fender Stratocaster," says Kilin Reece, a music historian, master luthier, and founder of Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings.