Team

Niel Thomas returned to the Kamuela Philharmonic Board in 2021 after a three-year interim on its Advisory Council, which he first joined in 2015. He served as Board Vice President in 2016-2018, a time of transition to artistic direction under conductor Brian Dollinger. Niel is a member of Hawaii County’s Board of Appeals and Vice President of West Hawaii Mediation Center.

He describes himself musically as an “enthusiastic arts consumer” and is seen at many local performances, and the Met Live in HD operas which are shown in movie theatres. He has sung bass with Waimea Community Chorus, Kona Choral Society, St. James Episcopal Church, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s “Lifelong Singer” program, and the Waimea Consort.

Niel retired to Hawaii Island in 2015 from a career in residential and commercial real estate with the Coldwell Banker office in Anchorage, Alaska. He was named Realtor of the Year in 2015 in recognition of his work in the mediation and arbitration of disputes between Realtors, and complaints alleging violation of the Realtor Code of Ethics. Before real estate he was Executive Director of the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights during the two terms of the late Governor Jay Hammond.

He plays tournament bridge at the rank of Life Master, and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities on Hawaii Island. He recently built a greenhouse with raised garden beds, and a citrus tree and banana grove on his acre home site in Waimea. Talking on the phone with Niel is often interrupted by the crowing of his rooster, and calls by the hens and duck after they lay their eggs. His newest hobby is learning to bake a variety of artisan sourdough breads. He is married to Hermine Baker, mistress of the kitchen for whom he is the household’s sous-chef. Much of his social life has roots in Hermine’s wide network of friends who do yoga, and who support community endeavors such as Mala’ai, the Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School.