In preparing this major redrafting and over-hauling of Keith Ikaia-Purdy's long outdated homepage - in spite of the tenor's busy calendar and his genuine reluctance to "discuss himself" - the author managed to sit down with the tenor. The following are notes and impressions garnered from those conversations, and reflect various observations I found interesting and-or explanatory of the Hawaiian tenor's somewhat singular career path. Also included are themes upon which he is passionate. So, for persons interested in "his view from the stage" I offer the following:

Once a baritone  ....

Given the natural beauty of his high lying tenor voice, it is surprising to learn that though Ikaia-Purdy did indeed set out in life to pursue a stage career, he had no intention of doing so as a singer. In fact, his initial onstage successes were earned in his native Hawaii as an actor on stage and in voice-over dubs of Japanese films and television shows.

That Ikaia-Purdy ever became any kind of a singer is, according to family lore, a bit of a miracle. Born with collapsed lungs, it was unclear whether he would survive; and if he did, it was clear that he would suffer a lifetime of breathing difficulties. Or there was the third alternative: Among family members it is accepted as simple fact that the prayers of his maternal grandmother, Eliza Chung - the family's matriarch - led to his sudden and complete recovery. Today the tenor credits his grandmother (and God!) for the phenomenal breath capacity and control for which he is justly renowned. And, although we are getting ahead of ourselves in the narrative, Ikaia-Purdy insists that any re-telling of his life as a singer begin and end with his late grandmother and the faith in which he was raised.