Composer Herb Mahelona is a renowned Hawaiian composer, conductor, and educator. A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii, he resides on the island of Hawai'i where he is the high school choir director at the Kamehameha Schools Hawai'i Campus and director of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Chorus. He composed and performed his first Hawaiian-themed opera in 1996 for the Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus and has subsequently composed a total of 11 operas. All of his operas are based on Hawaiian themes; three of which were written entirely in Hawaiian and featured at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016, 2019 and 2023. Mahelona is a passionate advocate and has contributed to projects that highlight the stories and experiences of Hawaiians, such as the children's book Ka Huakaʻi a Timoteo Haʻalilio, which chronicles the journey of the Hawaiian diplomat who is the focus of The Sheltering Tree.