PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present a contemporary folk singer-songwriter twin bill with Antje Duvekot and Matt Nakoa at Next Stage on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer-songwriter whose songs have been critically praised “for their hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism,” according to a news release. She has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.
Since the release of her debut studio CD, Big Dream Boulevard, Duvekot has been touring extensively, criss-crossing the U.S. and Europe. She is a compelling live performer and has played at major festivals, including Newport, Mountain Stage, Philadelphia, Falcon Ridge, Great Waters, and Kerrville.
Duvekot's fourth studio release, 2016's Toward the Thunder, centers on themes of courage, resilience, and striving for something better.
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 rural New York, Nakoa discovered music as a means of teenage escape and trained to be a concert pianist. 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, among others.
He landed in NYC's vibrant piano bar scene, where he quickly became a star performer at Manhattan's famous Brandy's Piano Bar.
Nakoa's first album Light In The Dark (2012) is a sweeping pop opus, while A Dozen Other Loves (2014) explores an intimate acoustic palette. His song craft has garnered awards, including a win at Kerrville's prestigious New Folk Competition.