Suzanne Savage – Serenade for a City of Music
When you’re in a UNESCO City of Music, you expect to hear some great sounds, which we did when we found our way to the Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts to hear the Belfast singer, songwriter, performer, and musical explorer Suzanne Savage.
Hooked at age seven by an Ulster Orchestra concert, she picked up a violin at age eight. Within a few years, she was practicing classical music by day and gigging with Belfast bands by night.
Suzanne talks about her deep connections with Belfast and its music scene, her varied musical influences, and how she balances her artistic endeavors with practical considerations. Suzanne tells of her jazz influences, international experiences, noteworthy performances, and the important community initiatives she supports in Belfast.
In the Duncairn concert, she was backed by her Savage Five string ensemble for an evening of her contemporary art songs, a reminder that there’s more than Trad to be had in the first UNESCO City of Music on the island of Ireland.
Join us for a journey through the marvelous musical landscape of the stellar Suzanne Savage!
And thanks to the Belfast Music Society for their warm welcome.
Links
Suzanne Savage
- Twitter/X
- Bandcamp
- YouTube
- Performance: Singing Leonard Cohen with RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Savage Five
Seamus Plug - The People's Kitchen, Belfast
- Album: Kindness on the Streets
The Duncairn Centre for Arts & Culture
Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 17; Total Episode Count: 120
00:00 - Introduction
03:45 - Belfast and Music
04:42 - Suzanne's Origin Story
07:33 - Vocals and Strings
08:53 - An Italian Learning Sojourn
13:45 - Defying Music Categorization
15:48 - Singing Styles
17:48 - The Duncairn and Belfast Musical Venues
20:54 - Singing with Strings
23:29 - Collaborating with Hugo Smit
25:29 - Music: I Still Love You
27:40 - Selling a Song
30:23 - Singing on BloomsDay
31:40 - Managing Economically
33:55 - The Missing a Gig Anxiety Dream
35:22 - Seamus Plug
36:43 - Singing Out with Leonard Cohen
37:34 - John and Martin Recap
38:52 - Cedits
Suzanne Savage
Singer / Songgwriter / Violinist
Suzanne Savage is a Belfast-born singer, songwriter, violinist, and dynamic live performer whose musical journey spans continents and genres. Beginning classical violin at the age of eight, her teen years saw her balancing formal training with vibrant gigging in Belfast’s diverse band scene, from heavy rock to funk fusion. While studying music at Queen’s University Belfast—where she trained vocally with Irene Sandford—Suzanne continued performing across styles, deepening her engagement with jazz, drum and bass, and contemporary music.
Her career took a significant leap forward with a scholarship to the prestigious FABRICA MUSICA institute in Italy. There, she collaborated with international artists including William Barton, Andrea Molino, and Hugo Smit, and participated in a German TV documentary on her work. This period cemented her unique artistic voice and global musical outlook.
Suzanne later toured internationally as Principal Soprano Soloist with Riverdance and has since performed or recorded with major artists such as Paul Brady (band member since 2011), Eleanor McEvoy, Roseanne Cash, Van Morrison, Jimmy Cobb, Ernie Watts Quartet, and emerging talents like David Lyttle and Matteo Addabbo. A respected session vocalist, she brings a wealth of stylistic influences to her songwriting. Now based between Belfast and Dublin, Suzanne continues to be a vital presence on the Irish and European music scenes.
