Announcing the second annual Whitsundays Songwriter Festival & Residency
The Whitsundays Arts Festival is thrilled to launch the second annual Whitsundays Songwriter Festival and Residency. The Festival and Residency will take place from 31 August to 4 September 2023 at Yangaro Resort in Funnel Bay, Airlie Beach, made possible with the support of the Queensland Government through Arts Showcase Program and Whitsunday Regional Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund.
The Festival and Residency comprises a professional Songwriter Residential Retreat (31 August - 4 September), a one-day workshop event for emerging songwriters on Saturday 2 September, and an evening performance by the professional faculty at Paradiso on the Airlie Beach foreshore on Saturday 2 September from 5pm.
Festival co-founders Karen Jacobsen and Francesca de Valence say: “We were energised by the feedback from the inaugural festival in 2022, and are over the moon to have received funding to be able to expand this life-changing arts program in regional North Queensland, and to fulfill our mission to develop the next generation of songwriters.”
Mackay-born Karen Jacobsen, international performer, recording artist, and songwriter, and Australian voice of Siri and Google, co-founded the Songwriter Festival with Francesca de Valence as part of their commitment to promote the art of songwriting in Australia.
Emerging songwriters will experience a full day learning about song craft, writing songs, and being mentored by professional songwriters on Saturday 2 September at Yangaro Resort, accessed through application on the Whitsundays Arts Festival website, available soon.
Led by the founder of the revolutionary online songwriting club I Heart Songwriting Club,Francesca de Valence, this inspiring workshop offers practical tools for overcoming songwriters’ biggest blocks and barriers once and for all.
2022 workshop attendee, 13-year-old Noah Robertson, penned an entire song during the workshop and went on to win the Australian National Busking Championship Award just two months later, demonstrating the transformative power of the festival's mentorship and guidance.
Professional Australian songwriters of diverse music genres have been invited to attend the 2023 Whitsundays Songwriters Festival and Residency as part of the mentorship program. Over three days the faculty will participate in a retreat, co-writing songs, networking, and sharing their personal experiences in the music industry. The list of professional songwriters for the 2023 Residency is expected to be announced soon.
