A multifaceted vocalist will take the Port Theatre stage this week.
Ty Koch will perform on Friday, April 5, as part of the theatre’s ongoing Discovery Series.
According to a release for the show, the 24-year-old vocalist, originally from Vancouver Island and now based in Vancouver, performs a variety of musical genres including musical theatre favourites, classical art songs, crooner tunes, popular ballads, originals songs with a blues vibe and vintage rock ‘n’ roll.
Koch began songwriting at 17 years old, performing with his friends. Over the last few years, the vocalist has worked with several artists and performed and recorded at theatres, local clubs and festivals, including the Nanaimo Big Band Festival and two Rise Up TV episodes.
He toured with Nanaimo’s Nico Rhodes across Vancouver Island and northern B.C. early last year, and then in the Maritimes over the summer.
Influences for Koch’s style included blues guitarist and singer Gary Clark Jr. and folk-rock blues musician Jeff Buckley, noted the release. Clark’s soulful blues-infused guitar style is something that the vocalist has worked hard to emulate in his own study of the instrument, while Buckley’s impressive ability to perform across a wide vocal range is something Koch looks to match in his own music.
“Ty’s worked to develop his own blues-influenced rock style for his original music that accentuates his vocal range,” noted the release.
Tickets for the Port Theatre show can be purchased online at www.porttheatre.com.
READ MORE: Stage production in Nanaimo grapples with finding one’s place in the world