​Claudia Nygaard is a mesmerizing storyteller and a cinematic lyricist, and her songwriting reveals a daredevil’s vulnerability and a complete lack of self-censorship. Her songs are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, and their diversity makes her a unique and riveting performer. She is a master at setting up a song, effortlessly shifting from one that has put a tear in her listener's eye, to an outlandish tale that dissolves her audience into tears of laughter. And she delivers all this with a lush amber honey alto that is powerful, resonant, and deeply emotional.
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Building on the craft she learned while a staff songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, Claudia has won numerous awards including the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, and with the title cut of her last album “Lucky Girl”, the Tumbleweed Music Festival Songwriting Competition. Recently she added playwright to her credits when her children's musical "Little Red Riding Hood" was presented by the Academy of Performing Arts, in Orleans, MA. To learn more about her children's show click here.
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"TO RACE THE WIND"
Coming to Radio this spring!
ABOUT THE SONGS...
With lyrics bathed in western metaphors, and melodies and grooves carrying the ghosts of Guy Clark and Levon Helm, the songs on “To Race The Wind” are stories of modern life told against a vintage backdrop.
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RECORDING WITH A-LIST SESSION CATS...
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.
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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.
MIXED IN SPATIAL AUDIO! ​​
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.
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WATCH A VIDEO
Claudia Nygaard - "Live At Wellfleet Preservation Hall"
Claudia Nygaard - "Lucky Girl"
Claudia Nygaard - "A Little Bit Embarassed"
Claudia Nygaard - "C'mon Old Girl"
Claudia Nygaard - "La Petite Mort"
Claudia Nygaard - "I Believe"
Claudia Nygaard - "Stitches"
Claudia Nygaard - "I Wonder If I'll Miss You"
Claudia Nygaard - "Me Too"
Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
Isis Music Hall, Asheville, NC
The Folk Project, Morris Plains, NJ
Cimarron Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Cimarron, NM
Hard Luck Café, Babylon, NY
Café Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY
The Living Room, Brooklyn, NY
Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY
Artichoke Café, Portland, OR
Pendleton Roundup – Pendleton, OR
The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville TN
Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville TN
The Woodshop Listening Room, Chattanooga, TN
Country Music Hall Of Fame, Nashville, TN
Five Spot, Nashville, TN
High Plains Public Radio Concerts, Amarillo, TX
Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse , Dallas, TX
Kerrville Folk Festival (2004, 2009, 2016, 2017, Kerrville, TX
Anderson Fair, Houston, TX
Bugle Boy, La Grange, TX
Cheatham Street Warehouse, San Marcos, TX
NeWorlDeli, Austin, TX
Giddy Ups, Austin Tx
Opening Bell Coffee, Dallas, TX
Bridger Folk Society, Logan, UT
Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Salt Lake City, UT
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Focus Music, Alexandria, VA
Third Street Coffeehouse, Roanoke, VA
The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
Fox Island Concerts on Echo Bay, Fox Island, WA
Tumbleweed Music Festival, Richland, WA
Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series, Port Washington, WA
Blackhawk Folk Society, Wautoma, WI
What The Venues Say...
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“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
“The Old Sloop Coffeehouse audience loved Claudia Nygaard. Her heartfelt songwriting and engaging stories moved the audience from laughter to tears.” Celene and Geof Lyon, Old Sloop Coffeehouse, Rockport, MA
“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's Other Shows...
CLAUDIA'S WORKSHOPS
SONGWRITING: "So you think that song is finished?"
A former Nashville Music Row staff songwriter, and a winner of many songwriting awards, Claudia's workshop offers a checklist to make sure your song has no "holes". She offers individual critiques, and the tools to write the best song you can write, every time you write a song.
BEGINNING SONGWRITING: "It's not poetry!"
Whether you are a teenager or a retiree it's not too late to learn the fundamentals of writing a good song. This workshop focuses on the craft of writing, where to find inspiration, and how to critique yourself.
LIVE PERFORMANCE: “Get brave or go home”
Giving it all you've got EVERY time, and how to get out of the way when your ego and fears gang upon you. The psychology of performance, the care and feeding of your inner performer, stage presence and what to I do with your two left feet, plus individual coaching as time allows.
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