Sarah Bassingthwaighte

Sarah Bassingthwaighte composes music that draws from lived experience to connect people to each other and to the natural world. Through vivid compositions, capitivating flute performances, and engaging teaching Sarah’s approach of cultivating curiosity has garnered international attention, including an ICMA (International Classical Music Awards) nomination in 2025, podcasts and radio programs, and reviews in publications in the US, Canada, and the EU.

In July of 2025, Sarah was artist-in-residence at The Arctic Circle Residency, with 29 artists and scientists, and in response, has created several works. The Svalbard Symphony will be premiered by the West Virginia Symphony and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. Her choral work We Were Witness was premiered in Toronto in 2026, and her composition wave is the soundtrack to a film by Nina Bouchard in Montreal.

Spurred by her interest in the natural world, Sarah recorded an album of her orchestral works, Orchestrating the Wild, which was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestrain 2025 and featured as the CBC Album of the Week. Textura writes “Bassingthwaighte’s pieces register as vivid tone paintings that in myriad ways call the mystery and magnificence of the natural world to mind.” Music Map describes the “deep, introspective, and adventurous soundscapes” of her works.

Sarah’s awards include the European Classical Music Awards Composer of the Year 2025, National Association of Composers USA 2025 Prize, and more. Her works range from chamber to choral to orchestral music. Residencies include the VICC residency inS weden, the Arctic Circle Residency in Svalbard, and the Uncool Residency in Switzerland.