A Dream Come True: Performing with Daniel Ho in Temecula

Daniel Ho & Friends

Last weekend, on Saturday March 28, I had the incredible honor of performing at the "Daniel Ho & Friends" concert at the Temecula Community Theater in Old Town Temecula. The concert was part of a beautiful Hawaiian concert series, and from the moment we arrived, everything about the evening felt special. 

Daniel and his bandmates were dressed in stunning Hawaiian attire and in the most unexpected and perfect twist, the dress I had originally purchased for next year’s Strum in the Desert ended up coordinating beautifully with the band’s colors.

Before leaving for the concert, I asked my mom to make a flower pin for my hair. I wanted something that tied everything together and gave a subtle Hawaiian feel. My mom made the most gorgeous purple flower hair piece and as she handed it to me, she said that moment took her back to my kindergarten days when I would ask her to make a bow or hair piece for me if I didn't have one that matched the clothes I'd be wearing to school that day. 

How This Opportunity Came to Life

Daniel Ho and I met years ago (maybe around 2021) at a ukulele festival in San Diego. Our meeting was short, but sweet. I also got to meet his wife, Lydia, and his friend, Pepe Romero Jr. of Romero Creations! 

The next time that I got the opportunity to chat with Daniel was at the NAMM Show in 2025. Daniel and I had the opportunity to connect over music education, publishing, and the ukulele community. Daniel invited my friend Yoshi and I to play a song with him at the Romero Creations booth, so we performed Can’t Help Falling in Love together as a trio.

Near the end of 2025, Pepe Romero Jr. reached out to invite me to the inaugural Oceanside Ukulele Festival as one of the teacher/artists. As we discussed our ideas for the Oceanside Ukulele Festival, Daniel and Pepe also invited me to perform at the Romero Creations Open House. Since my friends, Yoshi and Nolan would be there, I decided to play saxophone with them accompanying me on ukulele. It was a truly special event and I wrote a blog post about it here. 

The Romero Creations Open House led to something so special...

Daniel and his wife, Lydia, surprised my guests at Strum in the Desert by attending and sharing their time with us. Daniel taught, performed, and truly poured into the group. After the event, I playfully asked him what our next collaboration would be.

A few days later… he invited me to perform with him and his band in Temecula!

Preparing for the Stage

At first, the plan was for me to play a song or two, but as our friendship grew, so did the setlist.

Daniel writes such beautiful music, and learning his pieces became something I poured my heart into. I wanted to do my absolute best, both for the audience, and to make Daniel proud.

The weekend before the concert, Daniel and I met up to practice, record videos, take photos, and share time together with our families.  

I got to practice with Daniel first and with his bandmates (Alex and Randy) on the following day. The band played so well together. Listening to them play was both inspiring and motivating. It lit a fire in me to work even harder for the concert.

The Day of the Concert

The day before the performance, I felt surprisingly calm. I thought all my preparation had taken away the nerves.

I was wrong.

The morning of the concert, as my husband and I loaded the car to drive to Temecula, every ounce of anxiety hit me all at once. Once we started our 2.5 hour journey to Temecula, I said to him, “I don't think I am ready, I should cancel.” Not because I truly wanted to cancel, but because I was so afraid of messing up or disappointing Daniel.

When we arrived around 2 PM, my husband and I took a walk to clear my mind. Shortly after, Daniel and Lydia joined us, and we shared a glass of wine and just had a great time exploring Old Town together. 

That time together shifted everything and my nerves settled. Their calmness grounded me and helped refocus my mind.

Stepping Onto the Stage

At sound check, the theater staff was incredibly attentive, and we all felt so well taken care of. We got a chance to play through some of the songs together again and I could feel the difference that a week of practice had made. Although I wish I had more time to prepare, I was excited to perform. 

My husband and I took a little selfie before the performance. He said he wanted to wear a button-up shirt to look more cultured, haha. He can usually be found wearing a graphic t-shirt, shorts, and socks with sandals!

Before our performance, Daniel invited me to join him and his band at the San Francisco Jazz Festival in May. I was so excited at the opportunity, that I felt a wave of energy hit me. 

A Night I Will Always Remember 

The performance was everything I had hoped for and more. Every member of the band truly gave it their all and the audience felt it. We fed off of each other's energy and had a blast on stage. 

A comment I received from the attendees was "you can tell you guys really enjoy playing with each other."

The meet and greet after the show was very special too! The audience members were so joyful. 

One of my best friends, Quincy, let me borrow his soprano sax for this performance and he surprised me by coming to the concert. He said the concert was so good and that he especially loved watching Daniel play piano. He and I had a phone call the next day and he said he was still thinking about -and talking about- the concert. 

Looking Ahead

I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to grow, to learn, and to perform alongside such wonderful artists.

Thank you, Daniel, for inviting me into your world of music. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of. 

I’ll be practicing more than ever. SF Jazz fest, here we come! 

Update: we will be performing 2 shows on May 2nd in San Francisco and the first one is almost sold out! If you'd like to buy tickets, [click here]