A Trip Through the Heart and Soul of Music
Sarah Craig is an original music artist performer extraordinaire.
With her sunshine of smiles soulful voice and unique keyboard stylings Sarah has been entertaining soothing and nurturing audiences for more than two decades.
Comfortable in intimate club as well as festival settings Sarah reimagines and redefines original and popular tunes inspired by a spectacle of artists and musical genres from the past one hundred years of song including jazz standards blues latin funk reggae rock and pop.
An evening with Sarah is like meeting an old friend.
An invitation into her heart and home she puts all at ease sharing stories and songs gently seducing with bossanova drawing listeners close with a tearful ballad then bringing the room to their feet to shake it out with an instant soul and rhythm and blues revival!
The Beginning
Growing up a pastor’s daughter Sarah was raised immersed in the soul and spirit of music in church where she discovered music’s ability to inspire and elevate bringing support joy and comfort to herself family and the congregation.
Sarah developed a serious love and ear for music piano and performance leading her to pursue studies in jazz theory while at Laurentian University in Sudbury then started regular gigs at The Townehouse - Sudbury’s ubiquitous alternative bar.
Nothing could hold back the personal cultural and inspirational impact of music in her life. Absorbing the waves of popular music through the generations that preceded and surrounded her songwriting was the inevitable melodic and lyrical result for this burgeoning artist.
The Original Music Artist
In 2001 Sarah released Awkward Beauty her first album of original material. The album produced in collaboration with Dick Van Raadshooven was a mirror of the times - an indie alternative pop gem sparking comparisons with Sarah McLachlan and others of the Lilith Fair era.
Balancing study performances and becoming a single mom with daughter Grace it would be awhile before Sarah completed her second album.
In 2008 Sarah released The Threshing Floor. The album produced by Paul Dunn heralded a deep dive into jazz blues roots soul and spirit while keeping things accessible near the folk pop groove.
Since then Sarah added three boys to the brood - Oliver Sam and Asher - and took a short hiatus from her busy music schedule.
Theatre and Musical Direction
Sarah began performing in Sudbury based Theatre Cambrian productions beginning in 1998 playing the lead Maria in 'The Sound of Music' followed by the lead role of Philia in 'Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' the same year. This led to Sarah taking on Musical Band Directorship for the Theatre Cambrian productions of Hair and 'Little Shop of Horrors' in 1999.
In recent years she has performed in pit bands for Yes Theatre including 'Jersey Boys' and 'Joseph’s Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat' as well as in 'Rock of Ages' and 'No Fences - The Music of Andy Lowe' with the Sudbury Performance Group which is presenting the upcoming production of 'Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill: The Musical!'
From 2020 - 2023 Sarah held the position of Musical Director at All Nations Church in Sudbury and has been the Musical Director at Lougheeds Funeral Home since 2006 where she brings her healing and comforting touch to memorial services performing requested selections in Italian French Latin and English.
Writing Performing and Teaching
Despite the challenges of raising a large and highly energetic family Sarah has kept writing original music performing and has released a number of singles and videos.
Presently Sarah continues teaching music privately and for local school boards and has been performing with her group The Sarah Craig Jazz Trio also collaborating recording and performing with a number of Sudbury artists. Most recently she has been found performing with The Northern Jazz Octet and 2V+ a violin pop music review spectacular.
As well since the fall of 2024 she has also enjoyed the position of Résidence artistique at La Slague for the Carrefour Francophone as a Songwriter and Performer in collaboration with mentor Daniel Bedard and professional translator Normand Renaud (Davy Poulin, Steph Paquette).