Sarah Hagen is no stranger to Campbell River audiences. The Courtenay-raised now Vancouver-based pianist has brought her classical music series and collaborations to community venues many times.
On Tuesday, she performs once again in Campbell River this time at the Tidemark Theatre and she is eagerly anticipating her appearance there. First of all because she will be performing with two personal friends from Vancouver – viola player Jennifer MacLeod and her husband, clarinet player Keith MacLeod.
“We’ve been wanting to play together for a long time,” Hagen said.
But in addition, she also gets to put her hands on the Tidemark’s piano, an instrument that has stuck with her since she played it in a performance a few years ago.
“They have a really gorgeous piano,” Hagen said. “It’s a Yamaha that just has a magical sound board.”
She was playing a solo Tchaikovsky piano piece for Jeff Hyslop’s Nutcracker performance with local dance group and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the piano.
“I was determined from that point to get back to the Tidemark,” she said.
Well she’s back on Tuesday at 1 p.m., a somewhat unusual time for a concert until you realize that the audiences for classical performance don’t necessarily want to be restricted to going out in the evening.
“A huge percentage of my concerts are in the morning,” Hagen said. “Because people who listen to classical music like to do things in the day time.”
So afternoon performances fit with classical audiences’ desire to have alternatives to night time shows.
“It’s a nice feeling to have music in the daytime,” Hagen said.
Hagen, Macleod and Macleod will perform a recital of classical music for piano, viola and clarinet.
A visionary and an idealist, Hagen’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 B.C., sharing the stage with artists from around the world.
So, head down to the Tidemark on Tuesday, March 3 at 1 p.m. for A Classical Afternoon with Sarah Hagen, sponsored by the Campbell River Mirror and Coast Discovery Inn Tickets are $22 for Members and $27 for Non-Members (plus applicable taxes and fees) and can be purchased at the Box Office Thursday – Saturday between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Tickets are also available online at: tidemarktheatre.com.