Arcadia, Part 3: A New Voice

Sofía Campoamor, vocalist and songwriter (Photo by Paul Terrie)

Soundshop is a wonderfully quirky monthly music salon that takes place in Williamsburg, tucked away inside an alcohol-free speakeasy called Club Curious (yes, really!). Every month, three local musicians take the stage, each performing one song, then chatting with the audience about their process, their influences, and probably their feelings about mixolydian mode. It’s part concert, part conversation, and totally magical. I’ve been lucky to be part of this warm, curious community of musicians and music lovers since 2022, and in November 2023, I had the honor of performing Evensong 3 there.

Fast forward to the next month’s salon, and that’s when I first saw singer-songwriter Sofía Campoamor. She performed a song called Red Horizons, and—no exaggeration—it brought tears to my eyes. The melody was so heartfelt and unguarded that it just slipped past every defense. After the show, I introduced myself, and we immediately dove headfirst into a delightfully nerdy conversation about harmonies, voice leading, and all those delicious chords that tug at your heart in just the right way.

Somewhere in the middle of our musical ramblings, I mentioned that I’d just performed a piece at Soundshop with a touch of medieval plainchant. Her eyes lit up. Turns out, Sofía is also a cantor at a Brooklyn church and loves that style of singing. What are the odds? We swapped info and stayed in touch.

A few days later, Sofía released her new single, Ghost Ship. When I pressed play, I was floored. Her voice was haunting and intimate, pulling you into this mysterious, shadowy sound world. Just when you think it’s going to stay small and spectral...boom! There’s a surprising, powerful crescendo that feels like the ship breaking through fog. I was so taken with it, I passed the track along to John Diliberto from Echoes, who loved it too and gave it some airtime.

Over the next year, Sofía and I crossed paths a few more times—at her shows, and again when I performed Evensong in October 2024. The more I heard her sing, the more I kept thinking: What if she’s the voice of my next album? Something about her tone, her intuition, and her quiet intensity just felt like the right fit.

And so, a seed was planted…

Pre-Order "Arcadia" Here

<<Journey to Arcadia: Part 2 Arcadia, Part 4: Where Did She Go?>>