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Sarah Slean Live

Sarah Slean in a blue gown

Sarah Slean. Photo by David Leyes.
 

Renowned for her spellbinding voice, poetic lyricism, and fearless artistry, four-time Juno Award nominee Sarah Slean brings her distinctive sound to an intimate evening at Banff Centre.

Joined by a string quartet featuring musicians from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra — Donovan Seidle (violin I), Janna Sailor (violin II), Marcin Swoboda (viola), and Kathleen de Caen (cello) — this intimate evening blends elements of classical music, theatrical cabaret, and art-pop in a moving exploration of song and storytelling.

A true Renaissance artist, Slean has released 11 albums internationally, composed orchestral and chamber works, published poetry, and collaborated with leading symphonies and ensembles across Canada.

Experience one of Canada’s most compelling artists in a setting as breathtaking as her music.

Once you have heard Sarah Slean performing her music, you won’t find it easy to forget her.” — S. Pedersen, The Chronicle Herald
An awe-inspiring panorama of a mature poet and musician.” — John Terauds, The Toronto Star
One of the most compelling acts Canada has to offer.” — TIME Magazine Canada
 

Biography

Sarah Slean

Signed to Atlantic/Warner Records at the tender age of nineteen,  4-time Juno nominee and modern-day Renaissance woman Sarah Slean has since released 11 albums in over 10 countries worldwide – but perhaps the most astonishing aspect of her artistry is its breadth. Over her 25-year career, Slean has published two volumes of poetry, starred in short films and a movie musical (spawning two Gemini Award nominations), penned award-winning chamber works, held numerous exhibitions of her paintings and performed with 14 of the country’s professional orchestras. Classically trained from the age of 5, she routinely collaborates with cutting-edge contemporary classical ensembles like The Art of Time, and has been invited to sing world premieres by Canada’s leading living composers.  She composes orchestral arrangements for her own music as well as for her pop colleagues (Dan Mangan, Hawksley Workman) and her recent collaborative recording with the Symphony Nova Scotia was just nominated for both an East Coast Music Award and a Juno Award in the Classical Album category (2021). Sarah is also a recent alumna of the prestigious Canadian Film Centre's screen composing residency (2017-8) and just earned her first Canadian Screen Award  (2021).  She can also be heard on the CBC's national hybrid pop/classical radio program "About Time" as an occasional host.

Citing such diverse influences as Leonard Bernstein, philosophy, Joni Mitchell, Buddhism and Bach, her music borrows aspects of cabaret, pop, and orchestral: all knit together by the startling poetry of her lyrics, unique arranging and piano-playing, and that voice, described by the CBC as “a 19th century Kate Bush”.  In addition to headlining theatres across Canada, Sarah has also toured Europe, the US and Scandinavia and has opened internationally for such artists as Bryan Ferry, Rufus Wainwright, Alanis Morissette, Andrew Bird, Feist, Ron Sexsmith, and Chris Isaak. Her 11th solo recording, "Metaphysics", released in 2017, is described as a "breathtaking amalgamation of Slean’s dramatic orchestral arranging and her signature take on songwriting".  In 2023, Sarah completed a Master's Degree in Composition and will be composing the music for the stage musical adaptation of the award-winning film "Maudie".