CLAUDIA writes a song like a surgeon with a fish knife. She scrapes off the scales, pulls the flesh back, and “aims right for the bone.” Making A Scene Magazine
A mesmerizing storyteller and a cinematic lyricist, Claudia Nygaard's songwriting reveals a daredevil’s vulnerability and a complete lack of self-censorship. The songs are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, and their diversity makes her a unique and riveting performer. Claudia's storytelling isn't limited to her songwriting either. She is a master at setting up a song, and putting a tear in the listeners eye before the song has even begun. Then with a grin, a wink, and an irreverant sense of humor, she will create an outlandish story on the next song that will leave her audience in tears of laughter. And all of it is delivered by a lush amber honey voice that is powerful, resonant, and deeply emotional.
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"
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. “Lucky Girl” charted at #3 on the Folk Alliance Radio song chart and #5 on the album chart, and gave her a significant debut on the Americana chart. It also received impressive reviews from the press. Claudia's prior release "Let The Storm Roll In" rose to #1 on the Cashbox Roots/Country chart and was also highly praised by the press. It earned five stars from Americana benchmark “Maverick” magazine, and legendary folk music magazine “Sing Out” claimed the songs “rival the likes of Guy Clark or Ian Tyson”. 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.
CLAUDIA HAS PERFORMED IN TWELVE FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND ALL BUT TWO OF THE UNITED STATES. Some of the more notable venues include:
​
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
​
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...
“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 including the Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, 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.
​
​
