Hawaii News Now, By Jim Mendoza, Published: Feb. 27, 2025 at 3:41 PM HST
In the Early 1900s, Maui-born Tandy Mackenzie Burst Onto the World’s Opera Scene
Now, his story is being brought back to life.
One of the earliest ambassadors of aloha is also one of the least known.
His name was Tandy MacKenzie.
In the early 1900s, the Maui-born singer burst onto the world’s opera scene.
”He was the first to record on records. He was the first. He and Enrico Caruso on Columbia Records,” said Maui playwright and author Wayne Moniz.
Mackenzie was educated at Kamehameha Schools. He trained his tenor voice on the mainland and in Europe where he rose to opera stardom.
Now, his story is being brought back to life.
”Tandy originally started as a play that I wrote,” Moniz said.
But instead of a play, he wrote and produced a new documentary film called “Tandy Mackenzie: Hawaii’s Greatest Opera Star.
Mackenzie was educated at Kamehameha Schools. He trained his tenor voice on the mainland and in Europe where he rose to opera stardom.
Now, his story is being brought back to life.
”Tandy originally started as a play that I wrote,” Moniz said.
But instead of a play, he wrote and produced a new documentary film called “Tandy Mackenzie: Hawaii’s Greatest Opera Star.
”His life was such a tragedy at the same time. He wanted to sing at the Met. That was his thing and when he didn’t do that then everything started to go downhill from there,” Moniz said.
Mackenzie died in 1963 in a fatal crash on the Hollywood Freeway. He was 71 years old.
His documentary premieres March 1 at the Sphere at Maui Ocean Center with another showing on March 14.
”We’re going to see it on a giant screen. It’s really thrilling to see it from computer screen to this giant Cinemax kind of thing,” Moniz said.
During the decades he spent in the public eye, Mackenzie crossed over from singing opera to recording popular music and acting in movies.
The new documentary film introduces one of Hawaii’s earliest international celebrities to a brand new audience.
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