Saturday April 25 at 8 pm

$20; $10 Students

Program

Fantasy in D minor, K. 397 - W.A. Mozart

Papillons, Op. 2 - R. Schumann

Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31 F. Chopin

~Intermission~

C. Debussy:

Le vent dans la plaine

Reverie

Prelude, from Pour le Piano

Clair de lune

Jardins sous la pluie

Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20 F. Chopin

Canadian pianist Sarah Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves throughout North America and Europe. Her interpretations have been described as "outstandingly inventive," performed with "infinite skill."

A visionary and an idealist, Sarah's performances are conceptually innovative, involving photography, dance and theatre. She is the Artistic Director for Pro'ject Sound, a performance project involving live piano with large-scale projected images. She curates, hosts, and performs on numerous concert series in BC and Alberta, sharing the stage with artists from around the world. An avid collaborator, Sarah has performed with cellist Ariel Barnes, violinist Martin Chalifour, tenor Benjamin Butterfield, Trio Accord, Ballet Victoria, the Emily Carr String Quartet, among many others, and has appeared as soloist with the Victoria Symphony under the baton of Mei-Ann Chen, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony conducted by Mark Skazinetsky, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Pacific with conductor Arthur Arnold.

As a First Prize Winner in the 2013 Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, she was awarded the opportunity to perform solo at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in May 2013. Highlights of Sarah’s current season include an autumn tour in the Maritimes, Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto with the West Coast Symphony, and a musical adventure in Goose Bay, Labrador.

Miss Hagen has been heard on Swedish Radio 2, CBC Radio 1 and 2, WDAV (North Carolina) WOSU (Ohio), KFUO (Missouri), CKUA (Edmonton), WKAR (Michigan), WITF (Pennsylvania), 98.1 KING FM (Seattle) and has appeared on Bravo Television. Her solo album, Glass House Dancing, was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards. In December 2013 she released her second album, Devoted: Music of Robert & Clara Schumann, featuring solo piano works and Clara Schumann’s Romances, Opus 22 with violinist Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Sarah’s primary teachers and mentors have been Jamie Parker, Glen Montgomery, Gregory Chaverdian and Christine Purvis. Since her move in 2011 to an artist loft in one of Vancouver’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, she has become deeply involved with intricate projects inspired by urban vitality.

Sarah's motivation is the belief that music has the power to be a window into our souls regardless of age or knowledge. www.sarahhagen.com

“…the level of passion that Hagen possesses - when it comes to experiencing, interpreting and expressing art - is something quite extraordinary. It does seem to be this deep level of artistic understanding, and ability to communicate on this level - either through words or through artistic expression - that truly sets her apart as a pianist and musical artist. …it was immediately apparent that this would be a piano concert beyond the norm. …Hagen is one of the most expressive piano players that I have ever seen perform. ” - The Guardian (Charlottetown)

Mozart's D minor Fantasy K. 397, “played flawlessly by Sarah Hagen.” - Ed Farolan, Review Vancouver

“Exquisite phrasing and a refreshingly imaginative approach make her one to watch.”

-Marcia Adair, TheOmniscientMussel.com

“Her Bach and Haydn were outstandingly inventive – this is a young woman ready to take interpretive risks.” -University of Waterloo Gazette

"Hagen performed this complex arrangement [Chopin's Opus 28 Preludes] with infinite skill. Her concentration and focus was extraordinary; her movements strong, yet graceful." -Comox Valley Record