New Concert for Stream (audio)

Sarah Slean played a private gala concert for the volunteers of the Regina Folk Festival on December 5th. Sarah had played the festival back in 2007 and 2005. The show was under pretty tight wraps but you can hear every track and see pictures on CBC's recent Concert on Demand! Alternative links to the files can be found here.

The recording is very unique as it's a rare solo show that features new covers and new arrangements including songs like So Many Miles and Leonard Cohen's Suzzane.

Also on CBC Concert's on Demand is the recording of Sarah and the Art of Time Ensemble playing the Abbey Road concert.

Update: 2010-2-20

This concert will be played live on CBC 2 This Monday.

"Monday, February 22, 2010

concert 1: Sarah Slean
recorded at the CBC Regina Galleria
Sarah Slean is one of Canada's great creative visionaries. She's been nominated for two Juno awards and two Gemini awards and is a true Renaissance woman in her artistic expression. Trained as a classical pianist, Sarah's performances continue to be informed by that musical sensibility, especially in her collaborations with many of Canada's finest classical orchestras and ensembles. A gifted songwriter, Sarah is also a poet, and books of her poetry have even accompanied album releases. She's also a visual artist. Given her diverse forms of creative expression, it's not surprising her list of influences is equally eclectic including Glenn Gould, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey and even Irving Berlin. This private concert was put together by the Regina Folk Festival as a special thank you to their volunteers in celebration of the organization's 40th anniversary."

Song for Africa - Album and Doc in May

The Song for Africa documentary that Sarah's journal entries from Rwanda have been referring to will be shown on City TV followed by the album release in May.

"Production on the second SFA Documentary entitled, Rwanda: Rising Up
successful wrapped shooting in Rwanda last month. Director Derek Horn once again
took the helm and producer David Bottrill handled the recording aspect for the
accompanying album with artists Damhnait Doyle, Steve Bay from Hot Hot Heat, Sarah Slean and Tim Edwards from Crash Parallel along for the
journey. Watch for the documentary to be aired on City TV and the
accompanying album on Sony Music in May!" - Song For Africa

The documentary will likely be made available for sale at a later date.

London Concert Cancelled

Sarah is no longer listed on the ticket page as playing at the February 2nd concert with the Bittersweets at the Boarderline. Royal Wood is currently listed as one of the guests. This show was never announced on Sarah's official sites but some third party sites still have her on the line up.

A cached result of February 7th concert promoted by WagonWheelMedia have removed Sarah's name from a concert featuring Royal Wood and Joe Armitage.

Sheet Music and Paris string orchestra

As this year comes to a close, Sarah already has her hands tied into projects that will take her into the new year. This summer, Skipster aka Scott did a great interview with Sarah that touched on some projects new and old.

There are a few points that I have been following and wish to highlight.

We might be seeing the long awaited sheet music of Sarah's made available at this week's holiday shows. Fans had submitted requests for what sheet music they would like to see in 2007. The entries touched on all of Sarah's work prior to The Baroness. Since it has not been confirmed outside this interview, this item may not yet be available. Other merchandise to look out for are upcycled items from the Resession-ista tour of this year and limited copies of The Baroness Redecorates.

Another large announcement that has only been mentioned so far in this interview is Sarah receiving a Canadian Council 2010 grant to score strings for Paris orchestra. Not much else is known about this project at this time. Sarah has not played any concerts in Paris since the recording of The Baroness.

Updates on these projects and others will be fourth coming. If you still plan on participating in this year's Passioneer Holiday Project, please do so ASAP. The full interview with Sarah can be read here:

http://www.skipster.us/2009/07/interview-sarah-slean/

2009 Holiday Project

slean_harboufront_dec2006_2
Originally uploaded by YenC

The 5th Passioneer Holiday Project is now in full swing! It is a way for fans to give back to Sarah for all she has given us this past year. For more information and how to contribute and pictures, please see the facebook group page.

For those unfamiliar with this project, it has been a tradition since 2005. Fans do a good deed for an organization of their choice and then have their name and contribution included in a card. The card is then given to Sarah as a gift after her annual holiday shows in Toronto. This is a completely fan-run endeavor and has drawn participation of fans from around the globe.

A big thank you to all of those have participated in the project in the past. Please RSVP on Facebook and feel free to contact myself with regards to any questions or your contribution.

New Interview - Riveting Riffs Magazine

A new interview with Sarah has been published online by Riveting Riffs. The piece touches on many of Sarah's different artistic projects over the years. It is also one of the rare interviews where she has spoken about the Baroness Redecorates and Warner.

The 2 Page interview can be found here: http://www.rivetingriffs.com/sarah_slean_%2709.htm

London England concert in 2010

Last week tweets and WearsTheTrousers both pointed out that Sarah Slean and Royal Wood both have concert tickets for sale in Europe. The concert has not been officially announced or posted on Sarah's (or Roayl's) site at the time of publishing.

2010-02-02 - The Borderline, London. Tickets

At this time I have been unable to locate any other pending concert dates. The annual holiday show may still be in the works. Stay tuned.

US Tour Dates Postponed

I recently updated the post regarding Sarah's Joe's Pub concert in New York. Although I'm not certain regards to tonight's concert, an annoucement was made on Sarah's page today stated the following.

We’re excited to announce that Sarah has been invited to participate in a documentary for Song For Africa, a non-profit organization that aims to inspire change and raise awareness about humanitarian issues in Africa. This project will take Sarah to Africa from mid-November to early December.

Unfortunately, this means that the small US tour that was being planned for November has been pushed to next year. Check back for tour updates or sign up for our mailing list to have this information sent to you directly.

We will continue to look up more information on Songs for Africa and any further news on upcomming concert dates. The official site also posted a new joural entry of Sarah's as well.

Radio Interview - Star93.3 (mp3)

Sarah did a 10 minute interview with radio station Star 93.3 in promotion of her upcoming Art of Time concert in Peterborough.

The interview is available for download on the Star 93.3 site.

Topics covered included the songwriting process, The Art of Time Ensemble and what Sarah appreciates about her achievements over the last 10 years.

Update 2009-10-23:

Lucid Forge did a print interview that covers many of the same topics. You can read it here.