Past laureate of the Royal Canadian College of Organist’s (RCCO) National Organ Playing Competition, organist Sarah Svendsen is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and co-founder of/performer in Organized Crime Duo. Sarah has performed in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. In September of 2016, Sarah made her symphonic debut as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), for which her playing was reviewed to be “greatly virtuosic” by Chronicler musical, La Liberté. Svendsen is scheduled for a return appearance with the WSO in November of 2019.
Sarah is an avid supporter of organ education. She serves on the RCCO National Strategic Planning Committee as well as the RCCO National Communications Committee. She has served as a Traveling Clinician for the College in the past and was an instructor for the 2019 RCCO National Summer Organ Academy. In addition to being an adjudicator and organ instructor, Sarah is also involved in the artistic planning of the RCCO’s annual Summer Organ Academy.
In the fall of 2014 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) released a video recording of Sarah playing Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d minor on its YouTube channel. In June of 2015, Sarah was part of the Luminato Festival production and CBC Radio 2 broadcast of Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis, playing the sole organ in an ensemble of over 1000 under conductor David Fallis. Some of Sarah’s other engagements have included the St Paul’s Cathedral Sunday Organ Recital Series (U.K.), and the Copenhagen International Organ Festival (Denmark).
Sarah is currently pursuing a DMA in Organ Performance at her alma mater, the University of Toronto, under Dr. Patricia Wright. Her research concentrates on primary prevention of musculoskeletal injuries for organists. Sarah holds a Master’s degree in organ from the Yale School of Music where she studied with Professor Thomas Murray. This degree was in conjunction with the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where she completed the Institute’s Church Music Diploma. Sarah was born and raised in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada. To learn more or for booking inquiries, please go to www.sarahsvendsen.com.