Michigan singer-songwriter Claudia Schmidt has covered a lot of musical ground since she made her performing debut with a stirring rendition of “Tammy” at age four around a neighborhood bonfire. Over nearly three decades as a touring musician, Claudia has enthralled listeners across America and Europe with her explorations of folk, blues, and jazz idioms, featuring her masterful guitar work, mountain dulcimer and beautiful vocals.

A musician who dislikes categories, Claudia describes herself as a “creative noisemaker,” delighting audiences who quickly learn to expect the unexpected at her concerts, including (but definitely not limited to) hymns, poems, bawdy verses, torch songs, and satire, replete with the full gamut of emotions.

Her three latest recordings hint at the scope of Claudia’s work: a studio album of original songs, Wings of Wonder (Red House), an album of jazz classics, I Thought About You, recorded with her JumpBoys quintet, and a spoken-word album, Roads. But it is in her unforgettable live shows -- described by one San Francisco Bay Guardian critic as “A lot like falling in love” -- that the full range of Claudia’s talent comes to bear as she weaves the elements of music and stage into a joyful, spontaneous program.