GRASS VALLEY — The Center for the Arts is pleased to welcome local singer-songwriter Ayla Nereo to the Marisa Funk Theater on April 27, 2024. Ayla Nereo is a singer, composer, producer, dancer, and visual-poetry creator raised among the Northern California forests and rivers. Called a “bridger of sound,” Ayla dances between timeless and modern, with a particular joy for cross-pollinating musical styles. Her songs seem a genre unto their own, as she moves between vocal looping, produced beats, live drumming, orchestral string arrangements, Celtic melodies, disco rhythms, electronic soundscapes, and even dashes of hip-hop wordplay.

Having an uncanny ability to crack open the heart, Ayla's music is an ode to the wonder of being human, inviting us deeper into the exquisite and innately psychedelic dream of this moment. The Huffington Post said Ayla Nereo has “one of the most poignant voices currently floating about and she is an otherworldly artist who shares the fruits of her soul.” Billboard said “Ayla’s relationship with the earth is imprinted in her music…expansive and intriguing.”

Though you’d never know it seeing her perform, Ayla grew up with an intense fear of singing. In her final year of college, songs began pouring through her, and it was only through the constant urging of those around her that she began to slowly share her music. Propelled by the songs themselves, Ayla’s journey of meeting those fears and singing through them has grown her into the powerful performer and facilitator she is today, touching an ever-widening global audience with the inspiring magic of her songs.

Ayla just released her 7th solo album, 'SOVEREIGN KIN - Book I: The Spark' - the first in a four-part saga moving through the elements. Book II is coming in late 2024. Calling us to listen deeper, her songs are elegant masterpieces of lucid storytelling, with lyrics ringing as anthems for planetary healing, human potential, and the mirror of compassion in each moment.

Ayla Nereo’s performance is a part of our second annual songwriting festival, New Songs Fest, from April 25th through April 28th, 2024. On April 27th, New Songs Fest attendees will participate in a workshop with Ayla Nereo from 3-4:30 pm called Receiving Song. Ayla will share her vast array of tools and practices for expanding the creative channel, sparking inspiration, getting into receptivity, and co-creating songs in the moment. This very special demo from Ayla, along with tickets to the weekend’s concerts (Ayla Nereo, Brett Dennen, and Rufus Wainwright) with opener Honeywild is all included in the New Songs Fest weekend pass.

Opening up for the evening is the trio Honeywild. In the deep magic of Topanga Canyon, California, Honeywild was born in August 2020 out of a spontaneous jam with producer and singer-songwriter Heather Christie, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kayla Diana, and globe-trotting opera singer and renowned voice coach Anne Walsh.

The dynamic and soul-soothing three-part harmonies color the centerpiece of the band’s original music. Carried by currents of compelling guitar melodies and charismatic stage presence, Honeywild has made a swift ascent in the 2 years of being on the stage, making it onto the MainStage of Joshua Tree Music Festival in the first year of the band's career. They have shared the stage with Gone Gone Beyond on their recent sold-out tour, as well as Dirtwire, The Human Experience, Orgone, and others. They continue to bring incredible feminine prowess to the music industry. Honeywild is currently in the studio recording their first album.

Dive into the mystical song and dance of Ayla Nereo with opener Honeywild at The Center for the Arts on April 27th, 2024.