From 1994 to 2000, Sunday evenings at the legendary Dakota Jazz Club belonged to a live KBEM radio show called The Singer’s Voice. Created by and hosted by Dan Chouinard at the piano, it was a song-laced conversation with a different singer each week about their life and music.
The show was acclaimed by critics and embraced by the music community for its freshness and spontaneity, intimate format, and it’s power of story and song…
Claudia Schmidt has been perfecting her craft of performing for more than five decades. It is a quirky and wonderful hodge-podge (her word!) of music, poetry, story, laughter, drama, and celebration of every moment, be it hilarious or poignant.
She uses her multi-octave voice, shimmering 12 string guitar and very uniquely played mountain dulcimer to deliver a stunning performance that is never the same but always thrilling. Work in clubs, theaters, festivals, TV and radio has added depth and dimension to her stagecraft, and since she has always included mostly original work along with very personal versions of the work of others, what you get is a unique look at the world from someone who says what she sees with clarity, humor, and wonder.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian said: “Schmidt’s shows are a lot like falling in love. You never know what’s going to happen next, chances are it’s going to be wonderful, every moment is burned into your memory and you know you’ll never be the same again.” More succinctly, Garrison Keillor said, “When Claudia sings a song, it stays sung.”
