From Story to Song
Come together for an evening of storytelling and original music featuring resident songwriters Alex Petti, Moyana Olivia, Napat Snidvongs, and TONIE and storytellers Azhar Bande-Ali, Grace Aki, Robert Kuang, and Valarie Walker. Songwriters and storytellers pair up to share their chosen stories through new songs never played live before, accompanied by a full band. Be a part of this very special Keepsake House showcase where performance, music, and conversation intersect.
This show is co-executive produced by Elliott Jake Elder & made possible by Keepsake family like you.
With raffle sponsored by Arbor.
Doors: 9:00pm
Tickets:
*In person (RSVP SOLD OUT, limited walk-up tickets available): FREE
Online video, live & recorded (RSVP required): FREE
*Admission is general seating for all and first come first serve. Seats are not guaranteed but RSVPs (which are limited to theater capacity) will be given priority at doors open, so plan to arrive on time. There is a two-drink minimum for in-person guests.
Accessibility: the theater is on the second floor of the building, but there is an elevator. If you need any further special accommodations, please email us at info@keepsakehouse.com and we will do our best to support you.
Left to right: Napat Snidvongs, Alex Petti, Valarie Walker, TONIE, Robert Kuang, Moyana Olivia, Grace Aki, & Azhar Bande-Ali.
— Songwriters —
Alex Petti (he/him)
Alex Petti is a Lebanese Irish-Catholic writer from Massachusetts who grew up as a pop punk rocker. Though his dreams of headlining Warped Tour have ended, the energy of the genre still infuses his music. He writes musical theater shows in the genres of punk, folk and rock, and is the front man of good thoughts, his NYC based rock band. Alex is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, a composer in the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, a 2022 Participant in the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project and a proud Dad to his cat, Sonia.
Alex has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows A Keepsake Christmas, Foresight, Outside the Lines, and Sounds of the Invisible and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Read our interview with Alex.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Moyana Olivia
Moyana Olivia is passionate about making music that makes a difference. Moyana is a member of the Royal Family Music Group Collective in Minneapolis, a co-founder of the FRESHWTR project, and an alum of the 2022 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. She is currently majoring in Musicology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois to study the ways in which Black artists engender social change, restoration, and transformation through music. Her work has been commissioned by the Edina High School Choir Department and featured by the Best Buy Corporation, The View, the National Women’s March Movement, the ACLU, Northwestern University’s Office of Undergraduate Research, KMOJ radio, and many film festivals across the United States.
Moyana has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows Foresight and Sankofa and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Read about and listen to the Music that Made Moyana Olivia.
Website | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram | Youtube
Napat Snidvongs (he/him)
Napat Snidvongs (a.k.a. Plum) is a Thai singer/songwriter who currently resides in New York City. Napat mixes Thai storytelling traditions of magical realism and Buddhist folktales with the independent music sound that he discovered while studying at an American high school in the late ‘90s. He released music through a Bangkok independent label, So::on DryFlower Records, and his compositions have been featured in many television commercials and Thai blockbuster films.
Napat has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows Linguistics, Foresight, Sounds of the Invisible, and Americana the Beautiful and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Read our interview with Napat.
Website | Spotify | Facebook | Youtube
TONIE (they/them)
TONIE is doing their very best to make you cry, in all the best ways. Their music is deeply autobiographical, taking on topics such as love and heartbreak, struggles with depression, and queer contemplations. TONIE wraps challenging conversations in luscious synths, driving guitars, and dynamic vocals that invite listeners to love themselves fully and bask in their feels.
The LA-native writes and produces each synth-pop track from the comfort of their skylit home studio in Brooklyn, NY—a perfect backdrop for the emotional vulnerability that colors their lyrics. Proudly Vietnamese American, nonbinary, and themselves!
TONIE has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows Show Yourself, Meet Cute Music, A Keepsake Christmas, Foresight, Mosaic Mind, and Found Family, was the Music Director of From Story to Song (2021 & January 2023), and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Read our interview with TONIE.
— Storytellers —
Azhar Bande-Ali (he/him)
Azhar is an Indian-American storyteller from Atlanta who believes that great stories wrap vulnerability with humor like a story sushi or, as he calls them, a stushi. His stories tackle the core of our shared human struggle - self worth, identity, hope, and suffering - in search of meaning. He is a Moth StorySLAM winner and a Moth Showcase performer. As a writer, he’s worked on Rob McElhenney’s Adimverse. In his free time you can find him strolling through Central Park listening to podcasts about the technique of writing. Ask him about the time an essay he wrote about Michelle Obama landed him the best surprise ever.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Grace Aki (she/her)
From Japanese and American Southern roots, Grace Aki has a lot of stories to tell. Grace is the actor and playwright of “to free a mockingbird" most recently seen at The Connelly Theater through SheNYC. In addition to her solo work, she is a comedian and multihyphenate artist based in New York City. Her critically acclaimed storytelling podcast, “Tell Me on a Sunday” on Broadway Podcast Network features guests from Broadway and beyond. Grace is a regular Broadway News correspondent for Broadway Radio. Grace is represented by Paradigm.
Grace has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows Foresight and Outside the Lines and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Robert Kuang (he/they)
Robert Kuang is a pianist and life coach, with a focus on decolonizing our creative expression, leadership development, and energy restoration. He grew up in Beijing, China, before immigrating to America at 9 years old. He is a co-host of "I Feel Awful," a multi-lingual leadership podcast, and the creator of "Side by Side," an interview series highlighting insights and experiences of creatives, artists, healers, and warriors.
Robert has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows A Keepsake Christmas, Foresight, and Mosaic Mind and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Valarie Walker (she/her)
Valarie Walker, a native of New York, is an activist, educator, artist, and a three—time winner of the Moth Story Slam. Her story about meeting hero Ruby Bridges aired on the Moth Radio Hour, and the first film she appeared in, “Watermelon Woman,” was inducted into the Library of Congress archives. She uses storytelling to heal, challenge, inspire, and connect.
Valarie has previously performed in the Keepsake House shows A Keepsake Christmas, Foresight, Sounds of the Invisible, Americana the Beautiful, and Sankofa and is a 2023 Artist in Residence.
Read her story on The Moth.
— Musicians —
Jillian Carelli, Piano
Kenji Tokunaga, Bass
Zac Swanner, Drums
With raffle sponsored by…
Arbor (in-person & live video)
Enjoy a chance to win the Arbor Storybooth experience to capture some of your most important memories in the form of a professionally edited video keepsake, a $199 value.