About Amanda DeBoer Bartlett
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett is a Chicago-based contemporary classical soprano and alt-folk songwriter. She's been described as a "rainwater fresh soprano" (Chicago Tribune) and “galvanizing” (WBUR Boston) with “an astonishing display of vocal nimbleness” (New York Times).
As a member of Ensemble Dal Niente and Quince Ensemble, she has ushered hundreds of new works into the world, and she continues to commission and support living composers. Her songwriting practice is shaped by her Nebraska upbringing, summers spent with her grandmother listening to country music, a deep love of Woody Guthrie, and an early obsession with Bernadette Peters.
Alongside her duo partner, Jesse Langen, as well as some of Chicago’s heaviest folk and jazz musicians, she has crafted a catalogue of original music, recording her recent work at the legendary Electrical Audio. Her third album of original songs is scheduled to be released in Spring 2026.
(All photos by Aleksandr Karjaka)
Original Music
Braided Together is Amanda DeBoer Bartlett’s second collection of original songs. Blending her roots in country, folk, classical, and experimental music, the album delves into Bartlett’s childhood in Nebraska, her life as a young musician on the road, and the transformations of early motherhood. The songs pay tribute to gas stations and cheap motels, embrace the chaotic sweetness of raising babies, and contemplate reckless escapes into the clouds. With powerful and expressive vocals, Bartlett brings these themes to life through intricately crafted songs, recorded with Taylor Hales at the legendary Electrical Audio and performed by some of Chicago’s most admired players in the folk, jazz, and indie rock scenes.
Listen: Bandcamp
Genres: Singer-songwriter, Americana, Alt-country, Folk, Chamber-folk, Contemporary Classical,
RIYL: Alison Krauss, Eva Cassidy, Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris
Genres: Singer-songwriter, Americana, Alt-country, Folk, Chamber-folk, Contemporary Classical, Classical, Celtic, Experimental-folk, Chamber music
Links: Instagram | Bandcamp | Facebook
Website: www.amandadeboer.com
WATCH
REVIEWS
"[A]n astonishing display of vocal nimbleness"
“And with “Braided Together,” the second long player from the musician with a voice as sparkling as the sunbeams in the morning dew, this is exactly what happened: The album sounds like a spontaneous blend of Americana, (Irish) folk, and country, almost as if the woman and her fellow musicians had gone into the studio to record the album directly, without multiple attempts.”
Nebraska native Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, a classical soprano now based out of Chicago, blends an array of styles throughout this, her second collection of original songs, while contemplating love, motherhood and memories. Her voice soars high above the clouds one moment, glides just beneath them the next, and the arrangements are spot-on.
“Galvanizing soprano.”
- Keith Powers, WBUR Boston
"Amanda DeBoer Bartlett brought her rainwater-fresh soprano to the medieval songs"
- Jon von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
"Amanda DeBoer Bartlett was a high-energy dervish of theatrical presence, fizzy and fearless."
- Matthew Guerrieri, Boston Globe
"Amanda DeBoer deployed her expressive voice like a painter with an inexhaustible palette."
- Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Classical Review'
Also appears on…
Explore the broad array of projects, genres, and collaborations on Bartlett’s ALBUMS page.
