Ka Makani Pa'akai (The Salt Wind) is inspired by the poetry of Native Hawaiian author and Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate Brandy Nālani McDougall. The work reflects on Native Hawaiian identity, memory, and the enduring relationship between people and place. Here, the salt carried by the ocean wind holds multiple meanings, preserving history and culture, yet also evoking pain carried across generations.

The piece opens with expansive, breathing phrases that suggest the breath and rhythm of the ocean. A lively pizzicato section follows, inspired by the spiral petroglyphs carved into ancient lava rock, symbols of origin, ancestry, and the continuous unfolding of life. 

Dr. Michael-Thomas Foumai (b. 1987, Honolulu, Hawai'i) is the Director of Artistic Engagement and the first Composer in Residence for the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra. His music, described as "vibrant and cinematic" (New York Times) and "full of color, drama, and emotion" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), encompasses an extensive catalog of symphonic music, spanning commercial arranging to the avant-garde, and focuses on the culture of his Hawaiʻi home. In 2019, he was selected into the 17th class of the Pacific Century Fellows, comprised of 35 outstanding and talented young leaders to represent the individual and professional diversity of Hawaiʻi, including government, small-and-large businesses, the arts, and non-profit and corporate enterprises. In addition, he was presented with the Mayor of Honolulu Certificate of Recognition and a proclamation from the State Senate of Hawaiʻi. michaelfoumai.com