Anna Dagmar

Artist Information

Biography

NYC-based piano-woven folk/pop artist Anna Dagmar was born in England and grew up in Massachusetts. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, she sites influences including Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Keith Jarrett, Claude Debussy, Leonard Bernstein, Sufjan Stevens, Susan Werner and Anais Mitchell. Dagmar’s colorful piano accompaniments and original string arrangements paint little worlds, inviting the listener into each song. Her playing is effortlessly virtuosic, allowing her voice to soar freely and lyrically. Her melodies are married to the words, resonating like newborn standards.

Anna Dagmar has released three albums and a songbook. Her 2009 album, Let the Waves Come in Threes, was produced by Ben Wittman (Patty Larkin, Jonatha Brooke), charted #6 on the National Roots Music Report, and received a Gold Prize in the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest. Dagmar has performed and recorded with Lucy Kaplansky, Ellis Paul, Natalia Zukerman, Joe Crookston and The Lascivious Biddies and has performed at City Winery, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Club Passim. She has been selected for a NERFA Tricentric Showcase, WFUV’s “On Your Radar” series, Composer-in-Residence at The Nightingale-Bamford School and the presitigious BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop. She is currently recording her 4th album, Satellite, propelled by fans on Kickstarter.com.

Lucy Kaplansky says: “Anna Dagmar’s album, Let the Waves Come in Threes, showcases her gorgeous voice, lyrical piano stylings and lovely, intelligent songs.”

Instrumentation

Anna Dagmar, piano and voice - often performs solo or in small configurations

Full Band:
Ben Wittman (Lucy Kaplansky/Patty Larkin/Jonatha Brooke), drums
Kaveh Rastegar (Dittybops/Keaton Simons), bass/LA
Richard Hammond (East Village Opera), bass/NYC
Marc Shulman (Suzanne Vega), guitar

Additional Instruments:
Theo Bleckmann (Meredith Monk), harmony vocals
Martha Colby (October Project), cello
Mike McGinnis (Lonnie Plaxico), woodwinds
Beth Meyers (Clare and the Reasons), viola
Caleb Burhans (Alarm Will Sound), violin

Discography

2001 One More Time in the Air
2004 Solo Songs
2005 Martha Colby, Across Two Rivers (sideperson)
2006 Nadine Goellner LIVE (sideperson)
2008 Anna Dagmar Songbook (printed book)
2009 Let the Waves Come in Threes

Gold Prize Mid-Atlantic Song Contest 2011
5 Time Winner 2011 Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest
National Radio Play on over 100 stations
Top 20 Positions in Roots Music Report "Folk" for 6 Consecutive Weeks, Peaking at #6
Selected for NERFA Tri-Centric Showcase
Featured on WFUV "On Your Radar Series"
#1 airplay on WVIA in PA
Top Album of 2009 "Graham Awards" WVIA
ASCAP Plus Award and selected for Expo Listening Panel
A-List Artist Feature on High Plains Public Radio in TX

Shared stage with Lucy Kaplansky, The Lascivious Biddies, Nadine Goellner, Natalia Zukerman, Ellis Paul and others.

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Blog

Audio

• We Were Children acoustic
  Listen   Download
• Down the Road master
  Listen   Download
• Let the Waves Come in Threes
  Listen   Download
• Can We Be Old Friends
  Listen   Download
• Shadow of a Doubt
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• We Were Children
• Down the Road
• Let the Waves Come in Threes
• Can We Be Old Friends
• Shadow of a Doubt

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Gorgeous voice, lyrical piano stylings and lovely intelligent songs [+ Show ]
  

  "Anna Dagmar's new album showcases her gorgeous voice, lyrical piano stylings and lovely, intelligen..."Anna Dagmar's new album showcases her gorgeous voice, lyrical piano stylings and lovely, intelligent songs."

• Solid jazz-pop song writing, bright piano playing [+ Show ]
  

  "...solid jazz-pop song writing, bright piano playing, and earnest, honest vocals. The second track,..."...solid jazz-pop song writing, bright piano playing, and earnest, honest vocals. The second track, "She's Got It in Her Soul," recounts the tale of a shy, possibly ill-fated meeting in a cafe, while the moodier, "More Beautiful Than the Sun" sings a sunnier song of young love. Reminiscent of a more serious Blossom Dearie, or a less flighty Rickie Lee Jones, Dagmar lays out her soul on every song....fans of heartfelt acoustic music will find much individuality in Dagmar's releases."

• A Boatload of Musical Talent [+ Show ]
  

  "Musically refreshing. Like a breath of fresh air! Anna Dagmar showers us with a boatload of musical..."Musically refreshing. Like a breath of fresh air! Anna Dagmar showers us with a boatload of musical talent. Obvious in her songwriting skills, this talent is overflowing with love and compassion. Anna brings us to the brink of musical bliss while she displays everything she has experienced in musical form. Jazz influence, pop appeal and a true passion for her music are demonstrated like an open book. This
  lady doesn't hold back anything from us. A pleasure to hear and most likely even more pleasing to see, "Can We Be Old Friends" strikes an arrow directly through the heart
  with the depths of feeling she unleashes to us!!! Anna Dagmar is what real music is."

• Beautiful voice...elegant and distinctive [+ Show ]
  

  "The disc, released in March, reveals Dagmar's beautiful voice wrapping itself around her solid song..."The disc, released in March, reveals Dagmar's beautiful voice wrapping itself around her solid song writing and supported by an elegant and distinctive piano soundtrack."

• Easy listen to a wide market [+ Show ]
  

  I hear hundreds of CDs and I have booked hundreds of showcases as the Director of the NYC Songwriter...I hear hundreds of CDs and I have booked hundreds of showcases as the Director of the NYC Songwriter's Circle. Once in a while, a CD really sticks out in its originality, musicality, and artistry. Anna's CD is a rare find. 'I Can't Let Go,' especially, is a catchy tune that you walk away humming (for days). She is a sophisticated player [with] a real pop sensibility which makes it an easy listen to a wide market. I highly recommend this new artist.

• Piano spills out over the band in fantastic hooky cascading lines and I'm swept in [+ Show ]
  

  "From the opening moments of 'Let the Waves Come in Threes' her piano spills out over the band in th..."From the opening moments of 'Let the Waves Come in Threes' her piano spills out over the band in these fantastic hooky cascading lines and I am swept in. It's a beautiful ride."

Setlist

Sample Set List:

Smile For Free
Daydream
She's Got It in Her Soul
More Beautiful Than the Sun
I Can't Let Go
Shadow of a Doubt
Amazed
Keep on Moving
Falling Star

Typical set: 45 minutes

Basic Requirements

Calendar