Sara is a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter from The Netherlands. She joined Anúna in 2013 after years of being a fan of the group – 7 years later she not only travels the world to perform with the ensemble, but is also the production coordinator for the group, and one of the facilitators for Anúna’s educational work in The Netherlands. She is the featured soloist on the ANÚNA recording of Enya’s “May it Be” which has been streamed just under 250,000 times on Spotify. In 2022 it was announced that Sara features as soloist on two songs from the hugely anticipated video game Xenoblade Chronicles III, singing compositions by Japanese composer Yasunori Mitsuda.

She is a member of SYSTIR, SeeD Pagan Folk, and Crashing Bats.

When I discovered Michael’s music I was a 14 year old “goth” who spent too much time on YouTube. I fell in love with the pure sound of the music, the mystical atmosphere, the connection to Nature, and the image of a magical place called Ireland. It was a form of escapism from the very non-mystical landscape of my hometown Rotterdam in the Netherlands. I spent weeks analysing every detail - the drones, the haunting melodies, the harmonies, the rhythm, and how every song seemed to be both complex and simple at the same time.

Growing up in a very musical home, singing and playing several instruments was natural to me – however, I didn’t see myself as a singer, because I hadn’t had training at that time. Joining the group and learning about its ethos changed my view on being a musician and being a singer in a way that has motivated me to become the ‘artist’ I am now. One of the things that draws me not only to Anúna but to music in general, is the storytelling aspect of it. The song creates a tiny universe and plot that only exists in the heads of the people who hear it.

I spent my time off from Anúna in between tours developing that aspect, both on my own and with my bands. SeeD comes closest to what Anúna does, even though it involves more instruments and less singing: our music is based around folk lore, both existing and self-written tales. We’re currently recording our 3rd studio album and hope to be able to get back on festival stages around Europe in Summer. Crashing Bats is a rock band whose music was once described by a reviewer as “this is what would happen if Muse’s Matthew Bellamy was abducted by The Queens Of The Stone Age and wrote new music with them.”, and I don’t know a better way to describe it. I’ve sometimes wondered why I do all these things: ensembles and bands in completely different genres, and freelance work for both Film composers, pop artists, and progressive rock and post-metal bands.

But I realise now that genres are arbitrary and music is music, and what I enjoy most about music is creating something, especially with other people. The magic of each person adding something to the whole to create ‘the music’, even more so when each person comes from a different musical background and has their own ideas and influences to bring into the group.

And that brings me back to a final note about Anúna. Musically, it feels like I was raised by this group – from a child who wanted to soak up ‘the magic’, to someone with my own passions and ideas that I can bring into the group and, hopefully, inspire others with.