Mclachlan shares ‘fantastic’ life
Superstar songstress Sarah Mclachlan took a break from her mom duties and music-school responsibilities to come to Ottawa to star in the National Arts Centre’s golden-anniversary gala last Saturday, an annual fundraiser for the NAC’S Youth and Education Trust.
Lynn Saxberg caught up with the 51-year-old musician to talk about playing with symphonies, the rewards and challenges of running a music school, and how being happy makes it tough to write introspective songs. Here’s an edited version of the interview.
Q: You are no stranger to symphony shows; in fact, you did some over the summer. Do you enjoy presenting your music with the ultimate wall of sound behind you?
A: Yeah, it’s such a fun way to present my music, to have that immense beauty and power behind you when you’re performing. It feels pretty spectacular.
Q: The National Arts Centre has been commissioning charts so that emerging artists can play with symphonies. How many of your songs have charts? What do you think of that idea?
A: Probably about 25 of my songs are charted, including about eight Christmas songs. It’s a great hybrid. If theatre and symphonies want to continue to live, they need to be able to engage different audiences. I think the idea of stepping away from purely classical music, and delving into the pop world, or different genres, to get new audiences in and become aware of the beauty and amazingness of it, is great. We need to figure out new, innovative ways to keep bringing people in and growing as artists. It’s all part of the big picture.
Q: Do you have formal training in your background?
A: Yeah, I spent 12 years studying classical guitar, six years of piano and eight years of theory. I went to the Maritime Conservatory of Music. It was the only thing available. I stuck with it until I was 17.
Q: Now you run the Sarah Mclachlan School of Music, which provides free musical training to at-risk children and youths. How is that going?
A: It’s amazing, thank you. We have three schools now. Vancouver is the mothership, and Surrey and Edmonton are smaller — they’re after-school programs. We’re in our 18th year and we serve over 1,000 kids over all our programs. It’s an amazing thing to be part of, to be able to create a culture and space for kids to be able to experience what it is to play music, not only by yourself but together with other people. There’s persistence and resilience in working hard at something and having that sense of achievement, and also going out in front of your peers and performing a song that you’ve written yourself. It creates empathy, understanding and inclusivity and it’s a beautiful thing to be part of.
Q: You must have some success stories after 18 years.
A: Absolutely. We have lots of successes that are musically driven but we also have sometimes more powerful stories, like when a kid is transitioning, has no friends and hasn’t really been able to speak about it. Then three years later, they’re graduating, standing up in front of a room singing a song that they wrote about their experience, and saying, ‘There’s no way I would have survived if I didn’t have this place, this support, this second family of kids and teachers who believed in me and let me be me.’ I get goosebumps. I’ve got so many stories like that.
Q: Do you have any plans to expand the school to other cities?
A: Right now in Edmonton and Surrey, we’re still in regular schools. It’s amazing to have that space but it’s a little more limited. So we’re looking for permanent space in both of those locations. Another thing we’re really trying to do is build a different kind of fundraising model because up to now, I’ve been doing most of it and it’s just not sustainable. There’s only one of me and there are three schools. But, for the first time, we did a fundraiser this year where we netted enough to cover our annual operating budget a year ahead. Which is huge. We’ve never been in that position before.
Q: What about your music career? Are you working on anything these days?
A: Yes. I’m slowly chipping away at writing for a new record. I don’t feel any burning need to finish it. I always have a bit of a block when it comes to making a record because I know when you make a record, it means leaving. It means going on tour, going to promote it, and having two teenagers at home, one doesn’t want to leave for very long. You need to be around if s–t hits the fan. Things can go south pretty quick. I just feel like I want to be home. I’m really happy right now, too. So that doesn’t really help. Maybe next year.
Q: Being happy is a problem?
A: Unfortunately and fortunately, when I’m in trauma or something terrible is happening, or I’m sad or upset, there are always lots of opportunities to mine that and write about it, and figure out a way through it. But there’s not a lot of that going on right now. Nobody’s dying, I’m healthy, the kids are healthy. Life is absolutely fantastic.
Q: You don’t mind being in your 50s?
A: Other than my body pissing me off because it doesn’t work as well as it used to, it’s pretty amazing. I love psychologically where I’m at. Things that used to bother me just don’t matter now, and I’m way better at looking at what’s important, and how to spend my time. I feel incredibly lucky. I want to suck the marrow out of every day, especially the days that we are feeling good and healthy and strong. I just want to make the most of it.
Q: Last question: There’s been some reflection on the impact of Lilith Fair recently. Would you consider reviving it?
A: People are always asking me to bring it back but again, it’s bandwidth. I was 27 years old and didn’t have any kids, and had way more time on my hands. I think it would be great for a lot of reasons to bring it back but I honestly think it would take someone of a younger generation to spearhead it. I feel like if Taylor Swift or Lizzo wanted to take on something like this and be all about women’s empowerment and equality and inclusiveness, then hell yeah. I could get on board with that. I just don’t know if I could spearhead it.