The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Young Americana
Rising folk singer Matt Nakoa comes to the Earlville Opera House on Friday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. Nakoa is an internationally touring singer/songwriter, recently appearing at The White House and regularly with folk icon Tom Rush.
Rising folk singer Matt Nakoa comes to the Earlville OperaHouse on Friday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m.
Nakoa is an internationally touring singer/songwriter, recently appearing at The White House, throughout India, and regularly with folk icon Tom Rush.
Growing up on a small goat farm in Smyrna, N.Y., He discovered music as a means of teenage escape and trained to be a concert pianist. Nakoa 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, among others. After school, Nakoa landed in New York City’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.
Nakoa’s first album, “Light in the Dark” (2012), is a pop opus, while “A Dozen Other Loves” (2014) explores an intimate acoustic palette. Across the board his song craft has garnered awards, including a win at Kerrville Folk Festival’s prestigious New Folk Competition and as “Most Wanted” at The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
The Boston Globe described Nakoa as “a hothanded phenom who can go from Chopin to beerdrenched honkytonk in one set.”
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for EOH members, and $10 for students and children under 18, with premiums applying in the first four rows of seating. The EOHTheater is wheelchair-accessible with a ramp and a lift.
For more information, or to reserve your seats, call 315-691-3550 or order online at www.earlvilleoperahouse.com. The Opera House is located at 18 E. Main St., Earlville.