Dan Saulpaugh is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, composer and music instructor based in New York City. His music spans the worlds of folk, jazz, and contemporary classical music, streching beyond the confines of genre.

Saulpaugh sings about the sublime moments that lurk in the mundane and about finding one’s place in love and the world all over genre-defying musical backdrop that's as complex as it is playful. Dan muses on the understated parts of life that succeed youth’s defining moments. His compositions are reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, Becca Stevens, and Theo Katzman; delicate and precise with a deep sense of group interplay. The effect is emotionally nuanced and totally effortless to listen to. 

A graduate of City College's Jazz Studies program, and having studied classical guitar at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, Dan studied with many innovators in modern jazz and classical guitar, including Lage Lund, Brad Shepik, Pete McCann, Kenny Wessel, Paul Meyers, and Doug Rubio.

He was a finalist in The Greene Space's 2015 Battle of the Burroughs - Bronx. In 2017 he assistant engineered the podcast musical “Wait! Don’t Kill Me” under sound engineer Steven Pardo, written by David Holstein and composed by Alan Smuckler, winning the Webby Award for Best Sound Design/Original Score. His debut EP, Before the Fire Is Gone, is available for purchase on all platforms including Bandcamp, iTunes, and Amazon. He is currently self producing his follow up LP, due for release in February 2024.

When not leading his own projects Dan collaborates with several New York City-based and international artists as a sideman and session player. He has recorded, performed and toured with artists such as Sammy Rae & The Friends, Jenny Kern, Ali Aslam, Sophie Avidane, Mari Solberg, Ricky Stein, Calista Garcia, Gabrielle Marlena and Tatyana Kalko, among others. He co-hosted the monthly jam session, Jamhattan, at Harlem’s Silvana with drummer Luke Markham from 2017-2020. 

In 2020 Saulpaugh collaborated with film maker Steffie van Rhee, scoring a short film for The Wellness Center followed by a series of short films spotlighting students at Manhattan’s Ramblers Studio. He later scored Adobe’s “A Spotlight on Photographer Michael Aboya.”

Saulpaugh maintains a studio of private students and teaches at the Martina San Diego Studio, as well as Manhattan Youth, giving private lessons and group classes in guitar, songwriting, theory & composition, world music & percussion, creative writing, and Dungeons & Dragons. He has held teaching positions at the Darien Arts Center and New York Music and Arts.

Images provided by Steffie van Rhee

C O N T A C T

Performances, Lessons, Recording Sessions (Live or Remote), Production Services (Mixing, Mastering, Engineering), Songwriting, and Film Scoring/Composition/Arranging Commissions:

dansaulpaughmusic@gmail.com