EARLVILLE — Back by popular demand and touting a newly released CD “Antique Pieces,” Matt Nakoa will return to his roots and play at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Earlville Opera House.
According to a media release, Nakoa is an award-winning internationally-known touring singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A modern troubadour, he makes his home on the highways and concert stages of America, and appears regularly with folk music icon Tom Rush.
Growing up on a small goat farm in rural Smyrna, Nakoa discovered music as a means of teenage escape and trained to be a concert pianist. A graduate of Sherburne-Earlville, he was ultimately accepted as a vocalist to Berklee College of Music where he studied alongside soon-to-be Grammy winners St. Vincent and Esperanza Spalding.
After school, Nakoa landed in NYC’s vibrant piano bar scene. There he quickly became a star performer at Manhattan’s famous Brandy’s Piano Bar, with lines waiting outside the door each Saturday night.
It was in Manhattan’s all-night piano bars that Nakoa developed an uncanny ability to command the attention of any audience. As if illustrating two sides of himself, Matt’s first album, “Light In The Dark” (2012), is a sweeping pop opus, while “A Dozen Other Loves” (2014) explores an intimate acoustic palette. Across the board, Matt’s songcraft has garnered awards, including a win at Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Competition.
Tickets are $30 general admission, $27 for members, and $10 for students, 17 and younger. Premiums apply to select rows. Tickets may be purchased online at earlvilleoperahouse. showare.com.
Earlville Opera House is at 18 E. Main St. in Earlville.