AN EAGER crowd listened intently to a stellar lineup of singer-songwriters, on Saturday, as part of the third annual Whitsundays Songwriter Festival.
Saturday’s Concert and Conversation event – held in a quiet venue in the event space, at Whitsunday Sailing Club, Airlie Beach – was the pinnacle of the five-day festival.
Concert and Conversation saw the Whitsundays’ Karen Jacobsen perform, alongside luminaries Jude York, Johnny Manuel, Francesca de Valence, seven-time ARIA winner Wendy Matthews and Mark Sholtez.
They were also interviewed live onstage about their creative process and their careers.
“On Saturday [October 12] an intently listening and fortunate crowd of Whitsundays locals witnessed the Concert and Conversation evening, as part of the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival,” festival co-founder Ms Jacobsen said.
“As each songwriter took to the stage to perform, the eager crowd listened in a pin drop quiet venue created in the event space at Whitsunday Sailing Club.
“The audience was delighted by stories of early career synchronicities and wide-ranging experiences, including Johnny Manuel’s recent performance in New York City for President Joe Biden.”
The finale of the night included a song written the day before in the residency by Queensland Music Award winner Jude York, Johnny Manuel and festival Co-Founder Karen Jacobsen.
This was followed by a very special performance by Wendy Matthews, sharing her hit song Standing Strong, accompanied by APRA award winner Mark Sholtez, festival co-founder Francesca de Valence and all the faculty.
Professional songwriters from differing musical genres shared five days of collaborative songwriting in a professional residency at Elementa Whitsundays, on Mt Whitsunday, Airlie Beach, as part of the festival, and then delivered two public events.
The Whitsundays Songwriter Festival comprises a professional Songwriter Residential Retreat (10-15 October), as well as a one-day workshop for Emerging Songwriters (12 October) where local writers were mentored by professional songwriters, also held at the Whitsunday Sailing Club.
Festival co-founders Karen Jacobsen and Francesca de Valence said: “We are grateful to the Whitsundays Arts Festival and our sponsors and partners to be able to continue this life-changing arts program in regional North Queensland, and to fulfill our mission to develop the next generation of songwriters.
“Our events go from strength to strength and we are already excited about 2025.”
Led by the founder of the revolutionary online songwriting club I Heart Songwriting Club, Francesca de Valence, the Emerging Songwriter Workshop provided practical tools for overcoming songwriters’ biggest blocks and barriers and was attended by Mackay and Whitsundays songwriters.
Francesca de Valence said: “As a young songwriter, I struggled to find support and mentorship for songwriting which led me to create I Heart Songwriting Club and lead workshops across the world.”
President of the Whitsundays Arts Festival, Jessica Begun, said: “We are thrilled to facilitate the continuation of this significant and important event in the Whitsundays which will have a lasting impact on the lives of our local songwriting talent and promote Australian stories through song.
“These kinds of events thrive when our local community supports them by inviting friends, buying tickets and attending. We are also grateful to the many local businesses and individuals who have sponsored and donated to make the events possible.”
The 2024 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival and Residency is supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund, a Queensland Government and Whitsunday Regional Council partnership to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
The Whitsundays Songwriter Festival is presented in partnership with I Heart
Songwriting Club, Elementa Whitsundays, Whitsunday Sailing Club, Airlie Beach Music Centre, Aussie Mackay and the Whitsundays Arts Festival which is proud to be auspicing arts events such as the Songwriter Festival in the region in 2024.
