A name that stands out in choral music in American Samoa is Pulefaasisina Palauni Tuiasosopo.
In his days as director and conductor of the American Samoa Arts Council Choir, he put American Samoa on the map with singing that was in a class of its own in the whole Pacific.
He and another famous conductor and Composer from Samoa, Ueta Pene Matautia Solomona are the featured musicians in the 2017 Ethnomusicology forum at the American Samoa Community College from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon tomorrow.
The forum takes place in the College’s Lecture Hall and is held in conjunction with the Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival.
Pulefaasisina or Uncle Brownie as he was known, often traced the beginning of his interest in western choral music to the time he spent attending high school at Punahou School in Hawaii, where he graduated in the class of 1956.
Along with his government and education careers, Pulefaasisina established the American Samoa Arts Council Choir in 1972. 
Thanks to his previous training at the University of Oregon with Edwardo Zambara for voice and Max Risinger for choral music, Pulefaasisina changed the sound of choral music in all of Samoa.
Under his baton, the Arts Council Choir traveled extensively throughout the Pacific, representing the Territory in the South Pacific Festivals, Hawaii and the mainland west coast, and the choir remains to this day the only choral group from American Samoa to ever sing with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Ueta Mata’utia Pene Solomona, who also enjoyed a long career as a music educator, composer, conductor, arranger and performer, received music tutelage at a very young age on the piano. His early musical experiences included working with brass bands and conducting choir rehearsals in the company of his father, the late Mata’utia Pene Solomona.
In his youth, Ueta witnessed the formation of the EFIS church and the creation of its Hymnbook.
Ueta is the first Samoan ever awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study music at the Fredonia Campus, New York State University.
Upon completing his studies, he returned to Samoa and worked extensively to establish a choral culture of great uniqueness.
As the senior lecturer of Music and Expressive Arts at the University of the South Pacific (USP) for thirty years, Ueta served the region through countless university and community programs.
Based in Fiji, his job gave him the opportunity to travel the Pacific. Retiring from USP in 2005, he returned to Samoa to fulfill a life-long dream of establishing the National Orchestra of Samoa, which he subsequently led for a few years.
He then worked for the National University of Samoa before his full retirement.
Ueta is the first recipient of the Officer of the Order of Samoa for achievements in music.
Kuki Tuiasosopo said, “Both my Dad and Ueta are now in their early 80s.
“My Dad lives in Oregon, and Ueta currently lives in Samoa. They both enjoy life and time with their spouses, children, and grand-children.
“They cannot join us themselves for this tribute, but we hope the public will come to learn about their huge influence on Samoan choral music as we know it today Again the ethnomusicology Forum is tomorrow at the ASCC lecture Hall from 8:30 am to noon.
