“One of the most compelling acts Canada has to offer.”
— TIME magazine Canada
About
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 shared the stage with 10 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 2021-2022, Sarah will be composing the music for the stage musical adaptation of the award-winning film "Maudie".

“Metaphysics is a tour de force.”
— NUVO Magazine
“Breathtakingly compelling, evocative and immersively lush new album…”
— Music Life Magazine
“…this is Slean’s masterpiece.”
— The Montreal Gazette, on Land & Sea
“An ambitious new double album that soars”
— Maclean’s Magazine, on Land & Sea
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
Canadian Screen Award win - Best Original Music, Fiction ("Detention Adventure" w/ A. Bhatia, A. Posner, A. Naranjo), 2021
JUNO Award nomination - Classical Album (Vocal or Choral) with Symphony Nova Scotia , 2021
York University Music - MA Graduate Fellowship, 2021
Fleck Fellowship - Banff Centre for the Arts, 2019
Canadian Film Centre - Composing Residency, 2017-8
Sirius XM Indie Award nomination – Female Artist of the Year, 2013
Canada Council Composing Grants, 2010, 2009
Toronto Arts Council Composing Grants, 2020, 2010
Ontario Arts Council Grants, 2017, 2015, 2009
JUNO Award nomination – Best Adult Alternative Album, 2009
JUNO Award nomination – Best Adult Alternative Album, 2005
JUNO Award nomination – Best New Artist, 2002
GEMINI Award nom – Best Performance in a Perf. Arts Series / Special, 2006
GEMINI Award nom – Best Performance in a Perf. Arts Special, 2005
EYE magazine – Best Musician, 2006, 2005
NOW magazine – Best Songwriter, 2003, 2002, Best Female Vocalist, 2003
York University Music Masters - current
University of Toronto Music – Bachelor of Arts
York University Music – Piano Masterclass w/ Christina Petrowska, on scholarship