Applications for the 2023 International Songwriting Retreat are now open

The 2023 International Songwriting Retreat is set to take place at the Irish Institute of Music and Song – the only purpose-built music campus in Ireland – in Balbriggan, Dublin, from July 24-30.

Located a mere 20 minutes from Ireland’s main airport, and five minutes from the stunning scenery of Balbriggan’s coastline and historical castles, this unique, seven-day retreat offers professional songwriters, serious amateurs, and those wishing to pursue a career in songwriting from around the world, an opportunity to work with, and learn from, some of the best songwriting mentors in the industry.

Over the course of the week-long retreat, participants will have the opportunity to meet like-minded people, connect with some of the biggest names in the industry, and develop their skills within this creative, and immersive learning environment.

Speaking to Hot Press, Michael T Dawson, the Institute’s CEO, expanded on this one-of-a-kind environment.

“Things have changed when it comes to producing and songwriting," Dawson began. "Now you can produce a whole album on your laptop. We’re going to have several rooms where people can write. We have microphones and video recording, so they will actually be able to make demos using the different spaces and equipment that we have, and will be able to present those recordings to people on the course as it goes on.

“We could rent out a beautiful big house somewhere in the middle of Ireland and do this course, but we wouldn't have these facilities," he continued. "We wanted to create something that was genuine, sincere and authentic, and we felt the way to do that was to get mentors that have international careers – and provide the facilities for that.”

 

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He also discussed the four mentors set to guide participants during the retreat.

“The four mentors will focus on different aspects of songwriting," he explained. "Rob Wells from Canada is a producer and a songwriter. He’s worked with the likes of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, and he’ll be looking at an overall view of songwriting – including production, writing on your own, writing with a laptop, writing with equipment, the different ways of developing a song and the different types of songs he works on.

“Shridhar Solanki, although originally from London, will be coming over from LA,” Dawson continued. “He's going to be looking at songwriting across multiple genres, and writing for TV and film. He’s had one of his songs feature as a theme song in New Moon from the Twilight saga, and he's written for several Disney TV series, as well as Dua Lipa, and the more popular mainstream songs in the game.”

Maria Christensen – who has written for Jennifer Lopez – will also be working with the participants on "lyrics, song development and craft."

"And how you actually work together," Dawson added. "How you go into a room with people you've never worked with before, and how you learn how to engage with them and work constructively together on a song."

The International Songwriting Retreat has recently added RuthAnne Cunningham to their list of mentors – with the CEO stating that they were "delighted" to get her involved. The Irish singer-songwriter, who is now based in LA has written music for and worked with artists like, Britney Spears, The Corrs and One Direction.

The retreat will be capped off with an opportunity for each artist to perform and record their new songs in the brand new, state-of-the art, 400-seat concert hall, The Lark.

The Lark Concert Hall is Ireland’s brand-new entertainment venue. Located in Balbriggan, Dublin, Dawson stated that “there'll be no other space in Ireland that’s as technologically-equipped as this new concert hall building" – making it Ireland’s “most state of the art performance space.”

“It's going to have 11 4K cameras built into it, and it's acoustically designed – so when the writers and artists are leaving, they're getting top-quality video footage and audio of their performance," Dawson says of the opportunity to record in the special venue. "Even if they're not performers themselves – if they're more the writer-producer type of artist – we’ll be able to find one for them."

Coming to a total cost of €1,490, the retreat’s fees includes seven days working with world-renowned songwriting mentors, seven nights’ on-site accommodation in modern Japanese style pods, all meals from the onsite restaurant (breakfast, lunch, dinner), snacks (tea, coffee and biscuits), access to exclusive VIP rehearsal spaces, and VIP membership to six music industry talks over the duration of the retreat, presented by some of the business’s best-known songwriters in Ireland, including Paddy Casey and Duke Special.

€980 is the cost of the non-residency package, which excludes onsite accommodation and meals. Both options are available to pay in easy instalments, and places are limited.

“We've got people who have applied from America, and the Netherlands,” Dawson told Hot Press, “And it's only launched a couple of days ago!”

IMRO Partners with Irish Institute of Music & Song International Songwriting Retreat with Scholarship Opportunity

Full details >>> https://t.co/6Ifaq2TQtM pic.twitter.com/saIqDKYwrA

— IMRO (@IMROireland) May 8, 2023

Meanwhile, the Irish Rights Music Organisation (IMRO) have partnered with the Irish Institute of Music and Song to sponsor two scholarship places on the retreat – each worth €1,490. Applications for a chance to earn one of the scholarships can be submitted through the retreat's website.

Those who wish to submit an application must outline their songwriting career to date, along with examples of their work. The final date for submission is Friday, June 16, with the recipients to be announced on Friday, June 23.

"We're thrilled that IMRO are so supportive of the course," Dawson told Hot Press. "We brought them out to the campus and they were so blown away by it, the mentors, and the standard of the course.

“The fact that the biggest organisation in Ireland, whose purpose is to look after artists and musicians, are sponsoring two places shows us that they've bought into this, and they believe in the course and can see the value of it.”

IMRO’s CEO Victor Finn echoed Dawson’s enthusiasm, saying: ‘’We are very excited about working with the Irish Institute of Music and Song and supporting their new initiative, the International Songwriting Retreat in July, 2023.”

“A big part of our mission at IMRO is being committed to creators," he continued. "Alongside that, it’s to educate. That’s why we are sponsoring two full scholarship places on the retreat, giving songwriters the opportunity to learn, develop and ultimately grow as songwriters.”

Taking place from July 24–30, submissions for the retreat are now open via the Institute’s website.

“While we have our mentors who are there for the entire week,” Dawson added, “we also have special guests almost every night who we’ll be announcing over the next while.”

Some of those talks will be open for people to buy tickets to, via the new Lark Concert Hall’s website and the Songwriting Retreat website

Check out the 2023 International Songwriting Retreat's video below now.