Question: Whatever happened to gifted pianist Chris Cerna, who regularly played at Macy’s at Ala Moana Center?
Answer: Cerna, 32, lives in San Bernardino, Calif., with his wife, Celeste, and continues to play the piano at hotels, churches and special events.
Cerna, who has been blind since he was 18 months old, played the piano at Macy’s from 1998 to 2008, accompanied by his guide dog, Gib, who died in March of this year.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2008 and moved to San Bernardino a year later to pursue a career in music and serve as an inspiration to others. During a recent phone interview from California, Cerna said he is living his dream and is happily married.
He met Celeste, who is from Honolulu, through a mutual friend at a concert, and wed in 2009.
His love of the piano is believed to be a gift passed on to him by his late twin brother, Chuck. At a young age, Chuck regularly practiced the instrument while Cerna had no interest.
"My brother was the one that was really into it," he said. "I didn’t want to have anything to do with it."
Chuck died at 5 from cancer of the retina. Nine months later, Cerna recalled the morning he miraculously started to play his brother’s favorite songs on the piano, one after the other.
"It just happened," he said.
He traveled to Hawaii from Cebu, Philippines, to undergo eye surgery through the Aloha Medical Mission. Cerna’s eyes were removed when he was 8 due to cancer. The late Dr. Jorge Camara performed the state’s first operation to implant artificial eyes in Cerna’s empty eye sockets.
Cerna and Camara, who also played the piano, became good friends and participated in concerts together to benefit the Aloha Medical Mission.
While in Hawaii, Cerna mostly played classical music. He has since shifted to jazz, enjoying the improvisation.
Cerna’s band includes his wife, who plays the upright bass, and J.J. Johnson, a drummer and vocalist. They regularly perform at various locations, including La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
Cerna also has a bluegrass band, Lonesome Otis, that plays at festivals. He occasionally returns to Hawaii to participate in special events.
For more than a decade, he has released a multitude of solo and band albums. Cerna and his wife plan to release a CD called "For the Love of Jazz" sometime before Christmas.
For more information and updates on Chris Cerna, go to chriscernamusic.com.
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This update was written by Rosemarie Bernardo. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
