 Aia no ka mea e mele ana. Let the singer select the song. Raised in rural Hawaiʻi, Waimea Williams got her first singing jobs as a teenager. In college she focused on classical repertoire, then spent a decade in Salzburg, Vienna and Dűsseldorf performing opera and chamber music. Her career followed a time-honored pattern of large roles in small houses, and small roles in large houses. After a final concert in New York she moved to San Francisco to study creative writing, and received scholarships to the Breadloaf, Squaw Valley and Napa Valley conferences. For years she lived lean as a freelance editor of over 200 books of fiction and non-fiction. Now back home in the islands, Waimea Williams is working on two new novels and a collection of short stories. In her free time she volunteers at native plant restoration projects for the Hawaiian cultural community.  L to R: Honolulu, early 60s; Vienna Chamber Opera, “School for Wives,” Liebermann/Moliere, 1974;
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Recent Posts
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- Mid-summer Update: it all continues July 22, 2014
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Waimea Williams, Author
Waimea Williams 
We are so impressed with your new website!
Aloha e Waimea,
Ua ‘ike au i kou Nanaina ‘upena. Ho! A’ole au ;i ‘ike he mea pu’ukani ‘oe no ho’i! Ke ha’aheo nei au ke hele pu kaua i ka papa olelo Hawai’i! I kekahi manawa, hiki ia ‘oe e mele no ka papa? Ke hau’oli nei au, no ka mea, o ‘oe ka’u hoa kula a me ka’u hoaloha! O ko’u manao’lana: E holomua i kou puke hou! E nana .oe i ka papa! Aloha, Nani
Hi Waimea! I was in the class of 1962 and have always wondered what happened to you and your astonishing voice. LeRoy sent an email that included a picture of you at a recent book signing in Hawaii. What an amazing life you have had! So glad to have “found” you again. ~Sherry Emunson Strother (NC)
Aloha Sherry, How nice to hear from you, class of ’62. I did go a long way from the islands but always knew I’d come back, and often did, then came home for good 15 years ago and it was the right thing to do. Once as a Red Cross volunteer I got to North Carolina, somewhat unfortunately on disaster assignment on Greenville, yet I found it a fascinating place. The people and the accents were wonderful. An elderly gent drove me around because I wanted to see the small town South as I’d always imagined it, and indeed we saw a little square with a statue of a Confederate soldier and a cannon across from a courthouse and post office, then a shady street lined with old homes that all had wraparound porches. We ate lunch at his favorite local spot that served a dozen kinds of garden-fresh vegetables and about six varieties of excellent pork. He spoke about his boyhood in the days before television when families sat outside in the evening chatting, sewing, and playing intruments. For 25 years I was a professional musician performing everything from Hawaiian songs to opera. Now I’m a writer specializing in Hawaiian culture, history and language. So far in blazing good health and working regularly at a large prject restoring native lowland forest. Come see me if you’ve ever out this way. Aloha, Waimea
Aloha, I’m writing in behalf of Mel Lantaka. He wants to contact Waimea. He lost her number and to let her know he is holding a lei sale next week friday 3/29/13. Please call him for more info. Mahalo!