WALDOBORO — The Waldo brings back Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Alisa Amador to the stage on Saturday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. Winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Amador will perform live with her full band with Katie Matzell, of Portland, opening.

The day Alisa Amador decided to walk away from her career in music was, ironically enough, the day her career truly began.

"I was burned out and dealing with all this personal grief and trauma, and I finally just came to the conclusion that I couldn't go on the way I was anymore," said Amador, in a Waldo Theatre news release. "And then as I was walking through the logistics of how I would break the news to everyone in my life, I got a phone call telling me that I'd won the NPR Tiny Desk Contest."

Now, two years later, Amador is an artist reborn, both spiritually and sonically, with a full-length debut to show for it.

“Recorded with co-producers Tyler Chester and Daniel Radin, Multitudes finds the bilingual singer/songwriter formally introducing herself with a bold, captivating self-portrait, one that serves not only as a testament to how far she's come, but also as a celebration of where she comes from,” said the release.

Amador's passion for music is no coincidence. Born to a pair of Latin folk artists, she began singing with her parents' band, Sol Y Canto, at the age of five, and spent much of her childhood traveling the country on an endless series of tours along with her twin brother, Zia. She spent extended periods with her grandparents in Puerto Rico and New Mexico, as well, before attending college in Maine, which enabled her to study abroad in Buenos Aires for a semester.

When she got word from NPR that she'd taken top prize in the prestigious Tiny Desk Contest, Amador decided that the only way she could accept the honor and carry on professionally was with a complete and total reset.

"I realized that if this was going to work, I was going to have to really start listening to myself and advocating for myself and making other people uncomfortable," she said. "I was going to have to start respecting my boundaries and saying 'no' more than 'yes.'"

Standing on the precipice of letting it all go had made Amador fearless. What could they take away from her, after all, that she wasn't already willing to walk away from herself? And so she headed to DC, taping an arresting set for the Tiny Desk Concert series that had NPR's Bob Boilen hailing her as a "powerful voice whose tender performance commands attention and fosters connection" and Cyrena Touros calling her "a pitch-perfect rendition of my wildest dreams." In the year that followed, Amador would go on to land dates with everyone from Hozier and Brandi Carlile to Lake Street Dive and Hiss Golden Messenger, but first, she headed west to Los Angeles, where she cut the foundation of her new album, Multitudes, live in the studio.

“And now, as Amador stands at the threshold of her most compelling chapter yet, it's the reason she's finally found where she belongs,” said The Waldo.

Online tickets are available for $25 in advance, $30 the day of the event. A limited amount of Front Row tickets are available for $40 in advance, $45 the day of. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and concessions will be available for purchase.

This vibrant, beautifully restored 1936 theatre serves as a local cultural hub offering theater, music, film, and a wide array of performing arts to our Midcoast community. Through programs like youth arts education, after-school activities, master classes, workshops, and other events, The Waldo seeks to expand arts participation for residents of all ages and enhance the quality of life for all.

To purchase tickets and for more information about The Waldo, parking and other upcoming events, please visit: thewaldotheatre.org.