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The Story so far...and Reviews for Sarah Dean

a.k.a The Incredible String Blonde!

"It's Harp, Jim, bit not as we know it!"

"It's one of places I am the most happiest, up on stage...I like to make people laugh too, we're creating magical moments here and it's a two way thing with the audience, I love to feel that connection...I love the lights and dry ice, the thrill of the darkness beyond the stage and the glimmer of the audience just visible, for some reason it always feels so intimate when it's a bigger stage...which sounds weird really!"

"Effortlessly establishing a comfortable rapport with the audience, Dean is a positive revelation.  A harp-playing Victoria Wood, all wry yet barbed humour and bubbly enthusiasm, and equipped with a wonderfully crystalline voice, Dean charms the audience in record time and ends up receiving one of the loudest ovations of the weekend when her short set closes.  There is a sense that most of the audience would be perfectly content if she stayed on stage for hours, and linger she does, as she is part of the live line-up of Luna Rossa, who are next on stage..." ~ Echoes And Dust Magazine

"...A lady came and got me from my dressing room and said 'Martin come and see this, she's playing Leaf and Stream...on the harp!...Bloody brilliant!...Now tell me...how the hell does this harp work..."  Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) 

"Bloody beautiful - thank you Sarah for a great night" ~  Steve Cooper, organiser - Crookes Folk Club, Sheffield 

"...at the end of the day Sarah - we just make a noise for a living!"  ~ Steve Hackett, ex Genesis and Guitar Genius.

"Thanks Sarah! A delight to hear you again...so beautiful!...the song about The Flither Girls really touched me, very close to my heart, as Whitby is where I met Nancy (Kerr) ~ the subtle use of augmentation on the harp gives space for the singing to come through and tell the story... ~ James Fagan

"...That was really really beautiful.  I'm not kidding you!  I was getting a touch of Kate Bush there! ~ Lucy Ward

"Opening the show was harpist Sarah Dean...This was the first time I had heard any harp played live, and she really brought the instrument to life. She sung beautifully too, and the harp and vocal combination worked really well. The solo singer/songwriter thing usually is not my thing but Dean brought something new to the genre (if you can call it that)...Dean joined Findlay and her band onstage for the show singing backing vocals and adding percussion, recorder, and harp occasionally when required...The spiky, gothic chorus with the three voices of Findlay, Gordon, and Dean was extremely rousing, and one of the highlights of the night...Another standout moment during the first part of the show was the acoustic I've Seen Your Star which featured some lovely harp playing from Dean." WhoIsSamLewis review Leicester support for The Heather Findlay Band. Read Full Review Here

"First up is a brace of mini albums (they’re too long to simply call EP’s) by a young lady by the name of Sarah Dean.  The harp, for Sarah is indeed a harpist, is the original rock instrument. King David of Biblical fame was a harpist of some renown and indeed, harpists have held a high place in the cultures of many societies throughout the millennia.  Coupling that with one of the purest voices I have heard in many a day and you have a truly heady mix of musical delight.  Fans of Heather Findlay may have encountered Sarah recently during her UK tour and if you did, then you will know exactly what I am saying when I state without reservation that here is a musician of rare talent.  The two discs here label Sarah as “The Incredible String Blonde” an apt, title indeed!  What about the music?  Well spread over the two discs we have a marvelous mix of Sarah’s own original compositions such as the brilliantly observant look at how mankind’s stupidity is wrecking our Beautiful World and the wistful Stealing Time, a wry look at a relationship gone wrong, to the beautiful elegy for the farming traditions of old in I  Am A Farming Man to some traditional fare including the gorgeous Bonny At Morn and The Ploughboy’s Dream.  The depth and beauty of the music you will hear on these discs is very difficult to put into words (not usually the case for me now is it folks?) but I don’t think I have ever heard the combination of harp and vocals together in such a truly remarkable melding.  Truly music that is good for the heart and the soul and as such deserves its place in the collection of anyone who appreciates truly GREAT music - more please!..." Alan Hewitt, The Waiting Room

"...Accompanying herself on harp, which was an unusual site in the Robin, she’s generally described as a folk singer...although a song she recorded for a Bob Dylan tribute album, ‘The Man In The Long Black Coat’, had a whistling section which brought an interesting spaghetti western feel to the proceedings. She ended the set with ‘Traveller’s Moon’, sung a capella and superbly, which held the crowd’s attention and brought a fine end to a short but very enjoyable set..."  Paul Quinton, The Midland Rocks Magazine. Review of the Robin2 support for The Heather Findlay Band.  Read Full Review Here

"...The show is an all seated affair with candles adorning the Robin, creating a warm, intimate ambiance and in this environment the music of Sarah Dean works wonderfully. She performed solo to her own accompaniment on the harp and it was a lovely experience just to let the beautiful, gentle music wrap around you. I found it genuinely therapeutic and I bought a couple of her CDs from the merchandise stall after her set..." David Waterfield, The Midlands Rocks Magazine             

"I feel like I've really found the place to be, seeing what this beautiful
instrument can do and sharing my thoughts in my songwriting.  It's such a 
personal thing to write, create and then perform these songs.  The reaction 
from the audience is just amazing and makes all the hard work so worthwhile!"

SOLO - WHITE SAIL - LUNA ROSSA - SOUNDSPHERE - THE HEATHER FINDLAY BAND 

Her musical career in groups, duos and as a solo artist has provided a wonderful opportunity for travel and to meet and work with inspiring writers and performers, too many to mention.  Both solo and with her 3 piece a cappella vocal harmony group Soundsphere she has supported wonderful musicians of the calibre of Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson, groups such as Lindisfarne, Gryphon, UISCEDWR and The Poozies, along with the growing talented group of young folk artists such as O'Hooley & Tidow,  Jim Moray, The James Brothers, Lady Maisery, Lucy Ward and Megson.  Introducing the Celtic Harp to the prog rock world has been a lot of fun in recent years!  Sarah was asked to support Pendragon at the Classic Rock Society awards, played at the Cambridge Rock Festival and supported Cairo and in fact her trio White Sail will be supporting Cairo in re-scheduled dates for 2021.  In recent years Sarah has been joining award winners Anne-Marie Helder and Jon Edwards for their beautiful acoustic project Luna Rossa, both performing on their second and third albums, plus doing support and live gigs around the country.  Her work with The Heather Findlay Band both as band member and support in the recent tour of the UK and the Netherlands proves Sarah's versatility as both a singer and a musician.  For the last two years Sarah has been working on original material with alt-folk trio White Sail who describe themselves as 'alt-folk chroniclers of Love, Life, Land & Sea".  Alongside multi-instrumentalists Jane Stockdale and Chris Bartram, they found that they shared a passion for creating soundscapes of texture through various instruments, as well as unique original songs White Sail weave their magic on the contemporary and traditional.   

Sarah has performed in many countries in Europe and the USA and has even taken her harp to teach in Tanzania! 

Sarah plays the Celtic Harp, keys, flute, appalachian dulcimer, woodwind and whistles, percussion and hand drums, and is trying to become a half decent bass player! 

Her cover of the Bob Dylan song 'Man In The Long Black Coat' was chosen to join a prestigious line up including Martin Simpson, Christine Collister & Edwina Hayes, for a double CD 'Younger Than That Now' in celebration of Dylan's' 70th birthday.

Sarah sings her own self-penned songs about happy dogs, life, the world and the universe and her audiences describe this as magical and mesmerizing.   To be able to share thoughts, observations and emotions through song is a real joy and the fact that so many people love to hear these songs with the harp is a bonus.   With a stage presence that is warm and funny, amusing anecdotes abound as does the inevitable collection of growing dog jokes!

Sarah has been playing various instruments,  singing & whistling since about the age of  7.  First it was Grannies piano, a lovely John Broadwood & Sons which now sits proudly in the hall at Wold View.  Then came recorders, lots of them, the bigger the better and then the smaller more irritating ones, much more noisier!  Harmonicas were next until she discovered the Alto Saxophone, then it  really got noisy.  The flute was the next instrument and many an hour was spent at the top of the stairs where the acoustics were best, honing this beautiful instrument.  

The love of the Celtic Harp came a lot later on.  After three years of going back and forth to Hobgoblin in Leeds, Sarah finally wielded the credit card and so it came to pass, the Stoney End 'Lorraine'  29 string Celtic Harp was in her hands.  A few lessons and many many hours of random noodling into the wee hours have created a style that is just quite free, definitely not classically trained as such, but driven more by a need to create atmospheres and musical textures with this amazing instrument.  Added to this collection is a Schruti Box, a wonderful little wooden box, with bellows and keys that slide to allow air to pass through bronze reeds, creates wonderful drones.  A recent purchase is the Appalachian Dulcimer and this will only expand the opportunities for texture and rhythm!

Alongside her growing solo career Sarah has for the last 19 years sung and travelled the world with Soundsphere ~ described succinctly as "Three Voices - One Unique Sound" ~ Soundsphere have 7 studio albums, collections of beautiful songs from around the world and across the ages; from medieval to contemporary.  It's true to say that the three friends enjoy the experimentation and arranging process as much as the live performing.  Soundsphere have also passed on their love of singing through vocal workshops.  Since the sad passing of Angela Michel in November 2013, Soundsphere now consist of Sarah, Judith Simpson and Paula Ryan.

That's all very well me harping on but here's a few more reviews!

"...The show is an all seated affair with candles adorning the Robin, creating a warm, intimate ambiance and in this environment the music of Sarah Dean works wonderfully. She performed solo to her own accompaniment on the harp and it was a lovely experience just to let the beautiful, gentle music wrap around you. I found it genuinely therapeutic and I bought a couple of her CDs from the merchandise stall after her set..." David Waterfield, The Midlands Rocks Magazine

The Midlands Rocks Magazine Review

"...Just a big thank you for the lovely opening spot you did for us last night (supporting The Once). I have been getting some great comments back from people who really appreciated your music.  I don't know if you could tell from where you were sitting, but the harp and your voice sounded great through the PA..."  Martyn & Lesley.

"...The opening act, harpist Sarah Dean, eased in the settling audience with her lilting, minimalist music, her rendition of Bob Dylan’s The Man In The Long Black Coat being a particular highlight..." ~ Robert McKelvey, The York Press review of O'Hooley & Tidow concert at The National Centre of Early Music, March 2014 

It was a fantastic concert! - Read the full review here!

"...at the end of the day Sarah - we just make a noise for a living!"  ~ Steve Hackett, ex Genesis and Guitar Genius.

"...so beautiful!...the song about The Flither Girls really touched me, very close to my heart, as Whitby is where I met Nancy (Kerr) ~ the subtle use of augmentation on the harp gives space for the singing to come through and tell the story... ~ James Fagan

"...That was really really beautiful.  I'm not kidding you!  I was getting a touch of Kate Bush there! ~ Lucy Ward