Name: Ariella & Nicolaas
Start: 2026-07-01T19:30:00-05:00
Location: Blue Strawberry STL

Some shows you attend — Ariella & Nicolaas' A Love Story is one you experience. With Ariella's powerhouse vocals and Nicolaas's guitar weaving beneath every note, their indie soul and blues sound hits you somewhere deep and doesn't let go. Don't miss your chance to be in the room for something truly special.
Hailing from Greenville, South Carolina, Ariella & Nicolaas are a husband-and-wife duo blending blue-eyed soul with elements of jazz, blues, and hints of world music. With Ariella McManus’s rich, emotive vocals and Nicolaas Kraster’s expressive, Spanish-influenced guitar work, they deliver performances that are both intimate and powerful.
Their sound nods to modern soul icons like Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse, while drawing deeper influence from legends such as Etta James, Patsy Cline, Roy Buchanan, Al di Meola, and Paco de Lucía.
On stage, their contrasting personalities create a compelling dynamic — Ariella’s barefoot charm, infectious energy, and smoky vocals paired with Nicolaas’s cool precision and guitar virtuosity. Having performed together for over 15 years, their chemistry is authentic and palpable, the result of years of life and music shared together.
They’ve performed around the world — from the Blue Note in NYC to The Voodoo Room in Edinburgh — and shared stages with some of music’s most celebrated artists. In 2023, they were honored as guest artists and instructors at Victor Wooten’s prestigious Music and Nature Camp, an experience that cemented their standing as both performers and educators. Wooten himself calls them “one of my all-time favorite duets,” while renowned producer Fabrice Dupont praises Ariella as “a classic voice for our modern times.”