Lynette Sawatsky

Lynette Sawatsky is one of our well-known Saskatchewan composers.

The world is filled with beauty, and Lynette attempts to recreate this beauty in her compositions. Her goal is to create music that students will love, and she hopes that they, in turn, will bring the scores to life and communicate something special to those who hear them. Music-making brings joy!

The world is also filled with heartache and sadness. Our students experience this in many ways, too, and it is Lynette’s wish that her music can also be used to process feelings and emotions in a way that provides healing and comfort to those who play her pieces and to those who listen.

Lynette often writes lyrics for her pieces to engage young learners in the musical narrative and to assist with rhythms. Her elementary books include captivating ready-to-colour illustrations by Deborah Alexander and Thérèse Cilia that spark student imaginations.

She has recently been doing some composing for Nicola Cantan’s Vibrant Music Teaching community. Also, her latest collection is O Canada: A Collection of Piano Pieces Inspired by our National Anthem.

The O Canada collection includes arrangements of our national anthem at various levels, from simplified versions for beginners to more expressive renditions for advanced players. The multi-level arrangement, O Canada: Together from Sea to Sea, allows students to play alone or in an ensemble.

In addition to the arrangements of O Canada, this collection also contains two original pieces. Composing them has been a journey of reflections—one marked by sadness and regret, but also by hope. It has been a deeply personal process of trying to understand the profound wounds of the past and the ongoing challenges we still face on the path to healing and reconciliation. Each of us has a role to play in making meaningful connections that allow us to walk together and build a better future for our country.

Check out more about Lynette and her music at https://www.lynettesawatsky.com/.

Take a few minutes to check out and celebrate this Saskatchewan composer!