Emma Maynon Kaipuala Veary (born c. 1930) is a lyric
Coloratura soprano born in Hawaii.
Early life
Veary was a
child prodigy, singing in church before she was old enough to go to school. Her early role models were sopranos
Deanna Durbin and
Jeanette MacDonald. Her parents, both of Hawaiian ancestry, encouraged her, but did not have the financial means to provide her with musical training. She was put on a career path by teacher Irmgard (Gardie) Thompson, leading to her singing on the radio and receiving favorable recognition. At age 10, she was profiled in The Honolulu Advertiser, resulting in a music scholarship at
Punahou School.[1]
As a teenager, Veary was sent to
New York City to be trained at
Carnegie Hall as a lyric
Coloratura soprano .[3] While there, she was exposed to the
Broadway theatre productions of that era, and aspired to expand her repertoire to be inclusive of multiple forms of vocal expression.[4]
Upon her return home, Veary appeared one evening a week on radio station
KGMB with
Andy Cummings.[5] She enrolled at
Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1949,[6] subsequently enrolling in the
University of Hawaii as a music major.[7] In 1951, she married United States Navy aviator Robert Moss and moved with him to California.[8] For the next several years, she raised her two daughters and performed in stage productions, occasionally returning to Hawaii.[9] Veary divorced in 1963 and moved to New York to resume her career in stage musicals.[10]
Return to Hawaii
In the 1960s, Veary returned to live in Hawaii, marrying local radio personality
J. Akuhead Pupule, and becoming a staple in local stage productions and Waikiki hotel showrooms.[11] In a 1966 stage production of Flower Drum Song, Veary assumed the role of Helen Chao, with
James Shigeta,
Miyoshi Umeki and
Jack Soo reprising their movie roles.[12] When reviewing her show at the Coral Terrace of the
Halekulani on the beach at Waikiki, The Honolulu Advertiser entertainment editor Wayne Harada referred to her as, "a diamond in the proper setting."[13] In 1980, Veary was still associated with the Halekulani and married to businessman Richard Ireland.[14]
Later life and career
She collaborated with music entrepreneur Jack de Mello, on a number of her record albums.[15]
Veary retired to
Maui, but remains an active performer. In 2010, she gave a concert at the Baldwin Home on Maui.[16] In 2018, she performed with
Robert Cazimero in
Wailea.[17]
^"Emma Veary Enhances Monarch Room's Show". Honolulu Star-Bulletin at Newspapers.com. May 3, 1967. p. 67. Retrieved June 23, 2018.; Sherman, Eddie (June 23, 1968).
"Note To You". Newspapers.com. p. 27. Retrieved June 23, 2018.