Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Bannister. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My husband and I are musicians and recording artists, and we release our original music under the band name Adam & Sara. We love to create soulful, singer/songwriter style music with uplifting and Christian lyrics. We just released a new EP called “I’ll Be There”! The four songs on the EP—some of which I wrote years ago and some more recently—walk through a journey of feeling weary and overwhelmed, confused, and homesick, and then finding that God is with us right by our side through all of it. The entire EP was inspired through my story and experience over the past few years. The title song of the EP is based on a passage from the Bible (Isaiah 43:1-4), and the chorus sings out God’s promise to us:

“When you’re wading through the water, I’ll be there.
When you’re standing in the fire, I’ll be there.
I will pour my Spirit on you.
I will go before and behind you.
When you’re walking through the valley, I’ll be there.”

In addition to the actual meaning behind the songs, this project is special to me because it was the first short album I’ve released of my own original music as an artist.

Check out “I’ll Be there” on Spotify or wherever you listen to music!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! My name is Sara Bannister. I was born and raised in Colorado and now live with my husband, Adam, in his home state of Pennsylvania. Adam and I are both musicians, which comes with many roles. We are singers, songwriters, recording artists, performers, and we also teach private music lessons and lead worship for local churches. We release our original music under the band name Adam & Sara.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a musician. I grew up playing classical violin and piano. My first job was teaching private piano lessons in my home at the age of 14. It was also around that age I started writing songs with the dream of one day recording and releasing them! Despite my background in instrumental music, my passion has always been singing. Ever since I could talk, I’ve wanted to be a singer, and I was constantly singing around the house as a kid. As a teenager, I served on my church’s worship team and choir, which to this day was one of my favorite musical experiences. When I was 18, I started taking private voice lessons to prepare for my college audition, and I ended up receiving several performance based scholarships to attend Colorado Christian University, where I majored in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. I loved studying music at a Christian college and having the opportunity to lead worship on campus as well as performing frequently as a soloist and in choirs and ensembles.

I met my husband, Adam, during my senior year of college, and we got married the following summer. He also is a musician so now we get to do music together!

One of my biggest passions besides music is international ministry and discovering other cultures. I have been blessed to travel to 10 countries and live in 4 of them. In 2021, I spent a summer in Morocco. One day while I was there, I had the opportunity to sing for my Arabic teachers and watch how it moved them to tears. When they asked me afterwards what I was singing about (since I sang in English), I was able to share the lyrics from the old hymn, which described the love and hope found in Jesus. This was one of the first moments I realized that my voice truly could be a source of encouragement for someone else.

After getting married, Adam and I lived in Guatemala where we led worship at a missions hospital, taught music lessons, and directed a children’s choir. Then we moved to Costa Rica and held weekly worship nights for the community in our home. These were always our (and our friends’) favorite night of the week.

After living our first year of marriage overseas, we moved to Pittsburgh, PA where my husband is from. We both started teaching private music lessons at a music school here called Pittsburgh School of the Arts. In God’s perfect providence, the school where we teach shares the building with a full commercial recording studio! We connected with the producer who owns and runs the studio, and have been recording our own music there ever since. Adam and I are both songwriters and had released some original music in the past. (I used a studio, and Adam self produced his music at home.) It is so exciting to now pursue this dream together at the studio here! We continue to write songs constantly—more than we know what to do with! We write some individually and some together. You can find our music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or wherever you like to listen!

Outside of the studio, Adam and I love to perform live. Whether we’re singing our own music or covers, leading worship at local churches, or playing at fundraisers, festivals, and other events, we are always booking gigs! If you need live music at your event in the Pittsburgh area, let us know!

In addition to our work as the band Adam & Sara, Adam and I also run a music ministry called Songs for Revival. Adam started Songs for Revival a couple years before I knew him. It began as a band that recorded, released, and performed original music. When Adam and I met, I joined the band, and we continued releasing music that Adam had written. We had lots of fun recording from our closet in Guatemala, coordinating and collaborating with band members in other countries, and sharing our music through live performances every time we were back in the US! The Songs for Revival band performed two tours in the greater Pittsburgh area. Now we are switching gears into more large scale productions. Our first show, The Moses Project, features a full choir and orchestra as well as soloists and actor/narrators, and it will be premiering in Pennsylvania in March 2025! The Moses Project is based on the Biblical book of Exodus and tells the powerful story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. While the actors narrate and give background, the orchestra and choir will bring the story to life through music! You can buy tickets and find more information about the show at songsforrevival.com/themosesproject!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! I believe that our sole purpose as humans is to know God and make Him known, and that is what I desire to do through music. To know Him—music is something I have always found draws me closer to God as I worship Him through song, singing words that remind me of his goodness, faithfulness, and strength. To make Him known—Adam and I seek to write music that gives an honest expression of the struggles of life while offering hope through the Good News of Jesus and the joy-filled life that is found in Him. Our goal is to create music that would change lives and touch hearts as it inspires people to look to Jesus for their hope, strength, and comfort.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding things about being a singer/songwriter is seeing how the music impacts people. I have personally had many experiences where music (specifically Christian music with encouraging lyrics) helped lift me out of a dark time. It is so fulfilling every time someone tells me that one of my songs touched or encouraged them in the same way. I believe in the power that music and words have on our hearts, and I am so grateful to be able to use my passion to share Jesus—the light of the world—with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/adamandsarabannister?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZP5HEUEB6D9CPZwbukVOuNQxmtZP_AR5ms4RSideH71pFdow1Rlg3ZqFo_aem_Hjq73klfZaSXSgE-eASikA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamandsaramusic?igsh=bjIzZjNsajR3azE%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DzEq44bVc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@adamandsaramusic?si=aNdTDnUdWMIObbvD
• Other: Links for Songs for Revival (our music organization):

  Website:
  Songsforrevival.com

  Instagram:
  https://www.instagram.com/songsforrevival?igsh=MTBwaGtjMjg0bHFwYg==

  Facebook:
  https://www.facebook.com/share/1ETkj7nDbT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

  YouTube:
  https://youtube.com/@songsforrevival?feature=shared

Image Credits

Jen Razete (photos of Adam and Sara)