Hawaii choir heads to France for 82nd anniversary of Normandy landings

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – This Saturday, June 6, thousands from across the globe will gather in France to remember the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy.

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Among those traveling overseas is the Voices of Aloha choir from Hawaii.

“We’re excited and looking forward to representing Hawaii and the United States and taking the message of peace to the world, which is the theme of our concert,” said Voices of Aloha director Jim Cismowski.

Their set list will feature some Broadway favorites and a few island classics, such as “Waimea Lullaby.”

“That’s the one Hawaiian song that anyone could think of that has some French lyrics in it. And so we’re going to try and go over there and sing it accurately and hopefully not botch the French too much,” Cismowski said.

“We’ve been working on it since 18 months ago when we were first invited. So there’s a lot of excitement that has built up, and it’s going to be our privilege,” said Lorene Godfrey, one of the singers in the choir.

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For the group, the trip is a chance to take part in an observance of the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Normandy landings marked the beginning of the end of Nazi control in Western Europe and a step toward peace in a war-torn world decades ago.

“I mean, we are longing for peace in our world, of course, and look forward to spreading that news and taking it to France and to Europe so that we can help be ambassadors for peace,” Godfrey said.

The group was originally known as “The Gleemen of Honolulu” when it was first organized nearly 100 years ago. The choir performs throughout the year on Oahu.

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For more on the choir, visit voicesofaloha.com.