FOR VENUES | Claudia Nygaard

WHAT THE VENUES SAY...

“She's like a female John Prine!" Billy Hubbard, The Station, Louisville, TN

"I am continually amazed by the emotions she can evoke; heart wrenching (I cry every time), to a social statement ... to sexy and funny ... Always delighted to have her at Kerrville.” Dalis Allen, Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, TX.

“Claudia is a witty, talented songwriter and also an engaging performer. The audiences loved her and I would be thrilled to have her grace our stage again.” Ruth Condon, Cotuit Center For the Arts, and Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Cape Cod, MA

“Few solo artists can capture a festival crowd and instantly turn them into an attentive audience. Claudia Nygaard is one such singer/songwriter. Her songs range from heartwarming to whimsical, and are woven into an engaging performance hard to match (or equal)”. Tom Barrett, Black Hawk Folk Festival, Wautoma, WI

“Several of her songs made us cry, and several made us laugh until tears fell. I highly recommend Claudia for a concert - you, and your audience, won’t be sorry!”

Blair Larsen, Bridger Folk Society, Logan, UT

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

is a mesmerizing storyteller and cinematic lyricist, with a daredevil’s vulnerability. She writes songs that are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, and the outlandish stories she shares in between her songs are just as captivating.

She has just wrapped up the recording on her new album coming to radio this spring.

"TO RACE THE WIND"

was recorded with Nashville "A-List" musicians and mixed in Spatial Audio.

Sample it in the player below, and you can also read more about the players and spatial audio if you click here: Last winter, Claudia Nygaard walked through the front door of Nashville’s legendary Sound Emporium Recording Studios with a blank home equity loan check in her pocket. She pulled open the heavy sound proof door into Studio A, and said hello to a room full of Nashville A-List musicians. Eight hours later, they had recorded the basic tracks for eleven songs, capturing nearly every song on the first take. The musicians she chose for the project included 2021 Academy of Country Music pedal steel player of the year Dan Dugmore. On piano and accordion was Grammy winner Jeff Taylor, formerly of the Time Jumpers. Americana Music Association 2025 Musician of the year nominee Seth Taylor played Acoustic Guitar and Banjo, Tammy Rogers of the Grammy winning “Steel Drivers” band layed down fiddle, mandolin, and violas, Grammy winning drummer Nick Buda was on drums, and 2021 Academy of Country Music Bass Player of the Year nominee Steve MacKey played upright bass. Given the cinematic quality of To Race The Wind, Claudia engaged Mike Poole to mix it for her in Dolby ATMOS, the leader in Spatial Audio Technology. If you aren’t aware of Spatial Audio, it’s a 3D sound experience, with sound coming from all around you - above, below, front and back rather than just left and right. Mike was the mix engineer for the music of the popular TV show “Nashville”, along with a Grammy winning album for Patty Griffin. His mix of "To Race The Wind" is stunningly beautiful. The album was then mastered by Maggie Luthar at Dark Sky Mastering in Los Angeles, and you can listen to a few stereo mixes of the songs in the player above. Now begins the process of artwork, CD manufacturing, publicity and radio promotion. To be notified when the CD or flash drive is available for purchase be sure to sign up for her mailing list at the bottom of this page.

HONORS:

Building on the craft she learned while a salaried songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, Claudia has won numerous awards including the Kerrville Folk Festival and Tumbleweed Music Festival Songwriting Competitions.

Recently, she was honored to add playwright to her credits when her children's musical adaptation of the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood" was premiered by the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, MA. She now offers it to festivals and small theaters as a musical storytelling event.

You can sample it here.

Claudia's Children's Show

WATCH A VIDEO

Claudia Nygaard - "Live At Wellfleet Preservation Hall"