Sarah Hagen describes herself as a “recovering pianist”.  As a collector with a ridiculously big library of scores maybe I need to admit I have a problem, and someone like Sarah can help people like me.

Next week Sarah delves into the remarkable stories and piano music of forgotten female composers of the classical repertoire. This recital will highlight piano works by 18th and 19th century composers, including Mel Bonis, Cécile Chaminade, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, and others. Included will be stunningly gorgeous music by Marianna Martines, who lived in the same circles as Haydn and Mozart, and often joined Mozart in piano duets at the musical soirées she and her sister held in their Viennese home.

She is a pianist and a humorist, perhaps also a psychotherapist for those of us needing help. I’m ready to learn, first through an interview.

Barczablog: Are you more like your father or mother?

Sarah Hagen: I am a mix!  I share their sense of humour and their sense of fun, and well as their deep love of music. 

BB: What is the best or worst thing about what you do?

Sarah Hagen: The best part is seeing so many parts of the world and meeting such a wide range of people. I love the travel and the busy-ness of touring.

BB: Who do you like to listen to or watch?

Sarah Hagen: I love listening to singers from some decades ago… Astrud Gilberto, Julie London, Vic Damone, Blossom Dearie, Jack Jones. The song-writing and the orchestrations are so fine. 

I have watched Moonstruck approximately 65 times. It’s a perfect movie. 

BB: I agree! (and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched that film). What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

Sarah Hagen: I wish I could play the banjo. And double bass! One day…

BB: When you’re just relaxing and not working, what is your favourite thing to do?

Sarah Hagen: Walking is my favourite pastime! On the beach when the tide is out, through fields, on city sidewalks… It’s when and how I do my best thinking. 

BB: Who do you think of first, when I ask you to name the funniest comedian / comedienne? 

Sarah Hagen: Victor Borge!!

BB: What was your first experience of music ?

Sarah Hagen: There was always music in my house. I’m the youngest of five and we all played the piano. My father had a melodious high tenor voice and loved to play records of gospel music… and music from the Holy Land… which for him was Norway! So I also grew up listening to a fair amount of Grieg. My eldest sister was a world-class jazz singer. In addition to her incredible voice, she was astonishingly good at drawing audiences in.  I learnt so much from her. 

BB: I see you created “Perk up, Pianist” a Fringe-type comedy show. Tell me more. 

Sarah Hagen: I created the show out of burnout… and I have found it is a topic that a lot of people relate to. It is a show about laughing at oneself and finding healing and joy in small things. I have performed the show across Canada (and the US) at least 100 times now, so I like to jokingly call “Perk up, pianist!” a Canadian Classic. (Ha ha.)

I hope to bring the show to Toronto next season!

BB: Who are your humour influences? 

Sarah Hagen: I love Victor Borge, of course. I also love the very subtle, zany humour of Zach Galifianakis. Jennifer Saunders and Victoria Wood have been big inspirations for me as well. 

BB: do you have any ideas about reforming / modernizing classical music culture to better align with modern audiences.

Sarah Hagen: I like to think of classical music as just music, not its own category. Storytelling is a big part of this. I myself am interested in the stories behind the songs, so this is what I enjoy sharing, and I think audiences like having this window into the music as well. 

BB: Is some of your comedy based on politics?

Sarah Hagen: I talk a lot in my show about bad dates, which in a way ends up being about sexism in some cases. After one performance a woman in her 70s came up to me and told me it occurred to her in the middle of my show that she had been mistreated by her husband for decades. I think humour is so close to the truth and for that reason it can carry the potential for huge positive impacts, beyond just the immediate laughter!

BB: Tell us more about the female composers on your program.

Sarah Hagen: I began performing this programme after purchasing a disappointingly thin volume of music by female composers about 20 years ago. After reading through the music, I remember shutting the book and thinking to myself, There must be more music than this, and certainly more music of a better quality!  I simply didn’t feel the collection fairly represented the music that had been created by women during the 18th and 19th centuries. So I set off on a musical treasure hunt, searching online, through old collections of music, and in libraries. I have found that good music is getting easier to find as scholars take more of an interest in researching these remarkable women. So, I am constantly refreshing the programme! 

I am also continually fascinated by the stories of the strong women behind the music. These are the women who fought for equal pay as their male colleagues, who insisted that they could also have a life and a career outside of the kitchen, who chose to shockingly forgo marriage to be able to fully focus on their art. These are the trailblazers who are an invaluable part of our journey to gender equality. 

BB: Do you have any teachers or influences you would want to mention? 

Sarah Hagen: A major influence for me has been Jamie Parker, who was my teacher at university for two years a long time ago. We have remained excellent friends and manage to get together either in Toronto or on the west coast (where we’re both from) at least once a year. He is so genuine and funny and grounded. 

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You can find out more about Sarah Hagen’s upcoming engagements via https://sarahhagen.com/concerts