Danielle Wertz is an award-winning vocalist, composer, and arranger known for creating emotionally resonant music that blurs the boundaries between jazz, folk, and contemporary classical genres. Her voice—described by DownBeat Magazine as “evocative… remarkably intimate, expressive and poignant”—has earned her an international following as a jazz artist and growing recognition across disciplines.
The youngest semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, Wertz began her career deeply rooted in straight-ahead and modern jazz. Her 2017 debut, Intertwined, was praised as “pure and untarnished by the politics of music” (Jazz Music Archives) and earned a top spot on CapitalBop’s “Best DC Jazz Albums” of the year. That same year, she also placed in both the Ella Fitzgerald and Mid-Atlantic Jazz Vocal Competitions.
After years of honing her voice within the jazz tradition, Wertz expanded her creative reach. In 2022, she was commissioned to co-create and co-star in Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen alongside Robbie Schaefer at Signature Theatre. The performance was praised by DC Theatre Arts as “enchanting and reverent,” and its success led to a return engagement the following year for a three-week run. In 2024, Both Sides Now signed with Madison House booking agency and continues to tour nationally, regularly selling out 300- to 400-seat venues across the country.
Wertz’s 2023 sophomore album, Other Side (Outside in Music), marked a turning point in her artistic evolution. Reimagined during the pandemic, the album features genre-blurring original compositions that blend elements of folk, jazz, metal, and contemporary classical music alongside reinterpreted jazz standards. It was met with critical acclaim: Paris Move praised the album’s “luxurious compositions and arrangements” and Wertz’s “musical and vocal perfection,” naming her “an artist to watch.” Jazziz called it “expressive and polished,” and Jazz Weekly noted its “Joni Mitchell’d tenderness.” From her earliest recordings, Wertz has shown a rare ability to translate abstract emotion into sound. Other Side deepens this exploration by offering what Talkin’ Broadway described as “a kind of kind-hearted catharsis.” With support from a South Arts Jazz Road Touring Grant, she self-produced a national release tour with performances at premier venues including Blues Alley, Sam First, and Chris’ Jazz Café.
Following the release of Other Side, Wertz’s collaborative work expanded in scope and ambition. After featuring saxophonist and composer Remy Le Boeuf at her Denver release show, the two quickly forged a creative bond. Le Boeuf, the newly appointed Chief Conductor of Denmark’s Nordkraft Big Band, soon brought Wertz on board for the ensemble’s next project. Silent Course, her third album as a leader but first with a big band, was hailed by textura magazine as “a triumphant collection of glorious ensemble and vocal performances.” Wertz’s role extended beyond her “sensuous vocal artistry,” with textura noting she contributed four compositions, including two (“Rest Your Head” and “Turn In”) reprised from Other Side. Her lyrics, the review added, “encompass introspective questioning,” the passage of time, and “a world in turmoil.” Silent Course was also praised by DownBeat as “a sound garden of delights” with “an impressive range of dynamics and emotion,” affirming Wertz’s singular voice in contemporary vocal jazz and her expanding presence in genre-blurring large ensemble work.
Wertz was awarded a 2025 summer composition residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute with her newest collaborator, guitarist Tal Yahalom, and completed her first European tour as a bandleader in the fall. In 2026, she will be a featured artist on two major interdisciplinary projects: a commission by Beth Morrison Projects with composer Harriet Steinke, and a crossover jazz opera by composer Ben Morris.
With a voice described as “luxurious… musical and vocal perfection” (Paris Move) and a creative vision rooted in curiosity, honesty, and sonic exploration, Danielle Wertz is quickly becoming one of the most compelling cross-genre artists of her generation.
The youngest semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, Wertz began her career deeply rooted in straight-ahead and modern jazz. Her 2017 debut, Intertwined, was praised as “pure and untarnished by the politics of music” (Jazz Music Archives) and earned a top spot on CapitalBop’s “Best DC Jazz Albums” of the year. That same year, she also placed in both the Ella Fitzgerald and Mid-Atlantic Jazz Vocal Competitions.
After years of honing her voice within the jazz tradition, Wertz expanded her creative reach. In 2022, she was commissioned to co-create and co-star in Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen alongside Robbie Schaefer at Signature Theatre. The performance was praised by DC Theatre Arts as “enchanting and reverent,” and its success led to a return engagement the following year for a three-week run. In 2024, Both Sides Now signed with Madison House booking agency and continues to tour nationally, regularly selling out 300- to 400-seat venues across the country.
Wertz’s 2023 sophomore album, Other Side (Outside in Music), marked a turning point in her artistic evolution. Reimagined during the pandemic, the album features genre-blurring original compositions that blend elements of folk, jazz, metal, and contemporary classical music alongside reinterpreted jazz standards. It was met with critical acclaim: Paris Move praised the album’s “luxurious compositions and arrangements” and Wertz’s “musical and vocal perfection,” naming her “an artist to watch.” Jazziz called it “expressive and polished,” and Jazz Weekly noted its “Joni Mitchell’d tenderness.” From her earliest recordings, Wertz has shown a rare ability to translate abstract emotion into sound. Other Side deepens this exploration by offering what Talkin’ Broadway described as “a kind of kind-hearted catharsis.” With support from a South Arts Jazz Road Touring Grant, she self-produced a national release tour with performances at premier venues including Blues Alley, Sam First, and Chris’ Jazz Café.
Following the release of Other Side, Wertz’s collaborative work expanded in scope and ambition. After featuring saxophonist and composer Remy Le Boeuf at her Denver release show, the two quickly forged a creative bond. Le Boeuf, the newly appointed Chief Conductor of Denmark’s Nordkraft Big Band, soon brought Wertz on board for the ensemble’s next project. Silent Course, her third album as a leader but first with a big band, was hailed by textura magazine as “a triumphant collection of glorious ensemble and vocal performances.” Wertz’s role extended beyond her “sensuous vocal artistry,” with textura noting she contributed four compositions, including two (“Rest Your Head” and “Turn In”) reprised from Other Side. Her lyrics, the review added, “encompass introspective questioning,” the passage of time, and “a world in turmoil.” Silent Course was also praised by DownBeat as “a sound garden of delights” with “an impressive range of dynamics and emotion,” affirming Wertz’s singular voice in contemporary vocal jazz and her expanding presence in genre-blurring large ensemble work.
Wertz was awarded a 2025 summer composition residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute with her newest collaborator, guitarist Tal Yahalom, and completed her first European tour as a bandleader in the fall. In 2026, she will be a featured artist on two major interdisciplinary projects: a commission by Beth Morrison Projects with composer Harriet Steinke, and a crossover jazz opera by composer Ben Morris.
With a voice described as “luxurious… musical and vocal perfection” (Paris Move) and a creative vision rooted in curiosity, honesty, and sonic exploration, Danielle Wertz is quickly becoming one of the most compelling cross-genre artists of her generation.
