UPCOMING EVENTS

RiverArts Festival – Sat. June 6
Performing with guitarist Marc Shulman
Featuring songs from the new album, Rhapsody

BIO

“Rhapsody” can mean the stitching together of different sections of a composition, or an outpouring of feelings. Singer-songwriter Anna Dagmar’s aptly-titled album embodies both definitions. Dagmar’s Rhapsody sews together themes of childhood reverie from
swaths of classical, jazz, folk, pop, and musical theater traditions. It is an immersive storyteller album brimming with impressionistic lyricism and uninhibited musicality.

“There is an in-the-moment feeling on this album and that’s why I chose ‘rhapsody’ as a title,” the New York City-based artist says. “I’m not anchored to one genre, and I love the idea of encompassing a world in three to five minutes by exploring different musical traditions, often within the same song. The goal is to tell stories, create characters, and paint pictures to enable people to connect with something deep inside themselves.”

Dagmar is a chamber-folk artist who fuses disciplined musicality with fearless creativity. Classically trained, she holds a bachelor’s degree in jazz piano performance and music education from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a joint master’s degree in
conducting and music education from Hunter College. She has also worked on Broadway as a vocal coach, pianist, and musical director for productions including &Juliet, Hadestown, and Waitress. Her music blends narrative-driven, musical theater–inspired
arrangements with cinematic string writing, drawing inspiration from artists such as Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, and Jonatha Brooke.

She is a two-time Gold Prize Winner in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest, a Kerrville New Folk Finalist, a Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Finalist, and a Zeigfeld Award finalist. Semifinalist, and an Advanced Member of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop. To date, Dagmar has released five critically-acclaimed albums.

Many of Dagmar’s formative musical experiences are woven into Rhapsody. The title track, featuring her daughter, Eloise Winter Webb, and singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky, is a theatrically expressive piece rich with sophisticated harmonies, floating melodies, and luminous string arrangements. Its poignant, full-circle narrative traces Dagmar’s first piano duet with a family friend to years later, when she taught that same friend’s wife, who developed Alzheimer’s disease, how to play piano.

Rhapsody represents a culmination of Dagmar’s wide-ranging musical journey. A key influence in her transition from classical and jazz into the pop realm was her high school collaborator Meg Toohey, a versatile musician, producer, and songwriter known for her work with artists including Sara Bareilles, Josh Ritter, Anaïs Mitchell, and Cynthia Erivo, among many others.

“We’d do covers, and she’d hand me a record and say, “Let’s play this tonight,’” Dagmar recalls. “I’d have an afternoon to learn a complicated Joni Mitchell song; it opened a door and shaped my ear,” she remembers. Years later, the two reconnected on Broadway during Waitress. The jaunty “You Bring Out the Child In Me” synthesizes many of these influences as it traverses a dynamic musical theater arrangement, sweet singsong melodies, and a left turn into a whimsical jazz piano solo.

On the album’s opening track, “Shadows,” Dagmar explores another dimension of childhood. The song merges intimate singer-songwriter sensibility with a sweeping orchestral palette, featuring jazz-influenced harmonies, layered vocals, and delicate strings. Written from a mother’s perspective, it captures a tender moment with her daughter Eloise, who contributes harmony vocals. The recurring motif of light and shadow also reflects Dagmar’s personal journey surviving ocular melanoma, adding emotional depth to the piece.

The storytelling on Rhapsody is more intricate than on Dagmar’s four previous albums. The track “Mercy” was commissioned by the Canalis Project, and honors the work of Sister Marlon Lacy with Mercy Beyond Borders. It speaks to the desperate plight of
women and girls in South Sudan and Haiti, some of whom are enduring a harrowing form of modern slavery.

Two versions of many Rhapsody songs are included, giving the listener a chance to experience Dagmar’s exquisite songwriting with different guest vocalists. The “Gospel Vocals” version of “Mercy” features Crystal Monee Hall, Carolynn Clyne, and Marcelle
Davies-Lashley. Their soulful performances, both individually and in harmony are a stunning feature of Dagmar’s profoundly moving narrative. Her research and empathy can be felt in a passage such as: Dusting, washing, cooking, sweeping / Racing to escape a
beating / Fetching the family’s water / Dressing their son and daughter / I spoke when spoken to/My spirit nearly broke in two / Yet I hoped and I prayed for the day I’d find mercy.

Dagmar wrote all of the album’s songs, sang all the vocals (except where noted), played all the piano, and wrote the stately string arrangements. The album was produced by longtime producer/drummer Ben Wittman (Sting, Paul McCartney, Jonatha Brooke) and
Michael Patterson produced the string sections. Rhapsody features A-list musicians whose credits include Suzanne Vega, the Bee Gees, Santana, Dar Williams, Josh Groban, Bobby McFerrin, Ben Monder, Steve Reich, Bruce Springsteen, Brad Mehldau, Brian
Blade, Paul McCartney, Sting, Michael Jackson, Ornette Coleman, Esperanza Spalding, Sufjan Stevens, Jay-Z, and Sara Bareilles, among others.

Dagmar will be performing the music of Rhapsody in a variety of musical settings, including intimate shows featuring piano, voice, and strings. Its messaging, born from nostalgia and life experiences, remains resonant. “My daughter and I talk about what different generations have in common,” Dagmar says. “The main thing is the need to connect. Your childhood connects you to your past and your future, no matter how the world changes. That’s what Rhapsody is about.”

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