"Thomsen remains one of Northern Minnesota's best kept secrets."
The Reader, Duluth
"Thomsen is known for her sumptuous vocals and elegant folk style as well as her activism."
The RipSaw News, Duluth
Sara Thomsen is a singer, songwriter with a soulful voice, thoughtful lyrics and heartfelt melodies. Her music has grown organically from a life lived close to the earth and to the community around her. Her performance style is easygoing, full of humor and depth, welcoming the audiences full engagement. Sara's music gently enfolds and unfolds the listener.
As opening performer, Sara has shared the stage with Dar Williams, Claudia Schmidt, Ferron, and Carrie Newcomer. Her concerts take place in coffeehouses, at festivals, colleges, universities, churches, community spaces, retreat places, homes and haylofts. In the role of song leader, Sara has shared music with people of all ages and in all sorts of places: at the jail, in classrooms, at conferences, places of prayer, and lines of protest.
Sara has produced three recordings of her original music: By Breath (2003), Fertile Ground (1999) and Arise (1995). She is the winner of the 2002 Minnesota Folk Festival's New Folk Songwriting Contest for her songs "Irene Marguerite" and "Keepin' The Peace," off her By Breath recording. Sara's song "Is it for Freedom," on Fertile Ground, brought her a top ten finalist award in the national "Bringing Music to Life Contest" created by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary) and the Public Domain Foundation to recognize songs of sociopolitical concern. It has since been published in Sing Out! magazine and aired nationally on Pacifica Radio's "Democracy Now" program.
Sara grew up with a family that loved to sing. From listening to lullabies to singing in choirs, her life has been filled with music. In addition to her solo work, Sara has been involved with multimedia performances with other artists including dancers, poets, painters, and other musicians. She is the director of the Echoes of Peace Choir, a non-audition community choir in Duluth, MN.
Sara is a staunch supporter of struggles for human dignity and ecological sustainability. Slowing down enough to see and hear the vibrant wonder of the commonplace is her work and play. All this can be felt in her music. Whether it is a song welcoming a newborn, protesting a policy, depicting night falling or describing a loved one, her music is alive and pulsing.
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