Sarah Burnell

"With her sophomore album, Celtic fiddler Sarah Burnell shows once again why she was named Young Performer of the Year at the 2006 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Her performances are bright and incisive, respectful of the old sources in which many of them are rooted without being slavishly traditional and, most important, fun. Burnell, an Ottawa native now studying violin and music at McGill University, also sings: buoyantly on "L'alouette et le pinson", commandingly on Stan Rogers' "The Flowers of Bermuda" (Greg Weeks' cello is an inspired addition), and hauntingly on "Will Ye No Come Back Again?"
-Penguin Eggs (2008)

- Penguin Eggs

"Right from the first track, Terri’s Tunes, the band is in full swing and performing as a unit. That said, there is no doubt as to the leader: Sarah Burnell’s finely nuanced fiddle playing is at the centre of each piece, both acoustically and aesthetically. Her tone is rich, her ornamentation precise, and there’s energy in every note. I found the band particularly strong when playing the more driving, uptempo numbers..."

"Burnell has also taken her performances to another level, with more of an edge to the faster numbers (Les reels tziganes, L’alouette et le pinson) and a warmer sound in the more expansive pieces (The Galician Set, Stirling Castle). Her duet passages with cellist Greg Weeks are particularly well done, and I found the worldly Trip to Pakistan really showcases the versatility of The Sarah Burnell Band."

"Both of these albums display excellent musicianship, and serve to announce the arrival of a major new talent in Canadian folk music. While Sarah Burnell has received accolades as Young Performer of the Year (Canadian Folk Music Association, 2006), she is far more than a talented young musician: Burnell can hold her own with musicians of all ages. Both albums highly recommended."
-Dr. Paul Guise

- Fan Review

Capering with youthful exuberance and memorable for its finesse, this album marks the recording début of 17-year-old Ottawa fiddler Sarah Burnell.
Jigs, country waltzes, and hornpipes, many of them traditional tunes, make up Burnell’s repertoire. A mezzo-soprano, she also performs a couple of lovely vocal numbers, one of them sung in English and Gaelic, and both sounding far more mature than you’d expect from one so young.
Burnell, by the way, is a classically trained violinist, which helps explain the control and sheer good taste that flavour her performances, while her background as a highland dancer doubtless accounts for the zip and zest that distinguish her music.
Accompanying instrumentation includes percussion and winds, while Toronto’s Paul Mills lends his impeccable guitar to the proceedings. - Ottawa Citizen Review - Patrick Langston

This effervescent young Ottawa fiddler has a good feel for Scottish, Irish, and particularly Cape Breton music. She wields a mighty bow, and manages a fine touch on what is largely a traditional repertoire of very well-known pieces. Also a dancer, clearly her lively music is intended to get people up out of their chairs and onto the dance floor - Penguin Eggs Magazine - David Ingram

I was listening to CBC Radio Fresh Air this morning and heard 'If you were mine' and I wanted to tell you that it is the most incredibly moving piece of music I have heard. The passion and power of your playing is incredible. It is very rare that I hear a piece of instrumental music that strikes me as being more powerful without lyrics; this piece is one such piece. - C.N - Unpublished