Burnsong: The Gathering

 Burnsong, in association with Creative Scotland and Bath Spa University, presents

THE UK SONGWRITING FESTIVAL

PUBLIC SHOWCASE EVENTS

16th-17th August, Bladnoch Distillery, Wigtown

This August, the UK Songwriting Festival will host songwriters from all around as they come together to share their talents and create new music. On Thursday 16th and Friday 17th August, we’re giving the public a chance to hear these new songs performed live.

Bath Spa University, the home of Europe’s first Masters degree in songwriting, are bringing the UK Songwriting Festival to Scotland for the first time, in association with Burnsong and Creative Scotland. The festival is a five-day intensive songwriting boot camp that will take place at Shennanton House in rural Galloway between August 12th and August 17th 2012.

Participants, tutors and professional songwriters will spend the week creating new songs and fine-tuning their craft through a mixture of lectures, discussions, workshops and writing sessions.

All participants will then showcase what has been achieved, sharing their new songs during two intimate performances at Bladnoch Distillery on the 16th and 17th of August.

Participants include the winners of Burnsong’s Gathering 2012 – Moira McKay, Robin Adams and Daisy Chute - and the winner of the inaugural Gerry Rafferty Songwriting Prize, Michael Cassidy. Joining them and the other participants at the Showcase Events will be the Festival’s distinguished tutors including Joe Bennett, Boo Hewerdine, Jez Ashurst, Andy White and Ivor Novello-nominated Snow Patrol collaborator Iain Archer.

Tickets to the shows at Bladnoch Distillery will be free, but limited to 100 each night. To reserve a ticket, contact tickets@burnsong.org. Further information on the venue can be found at http://www.bladnoch.co.uk/.
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Please direct any further enquiries to kevin@burnsong.org
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 NOTES
 Featured Artists
Moira McKay - http://soundcloud.com/moira-mckay/
Robin Adams - http://www.facebook.com/robinadamsband/
Daisy Chute - http://www.facebook.com/daisychuteofficial/
Michael Cassidy - http://www.facebook.com/michaelcassidymusic/


About UK Songwriting Festival
The UK Songwriting Festival began in 2004 and is now in its ninth year.
It is a five-day residential songwriting course, held at Bath Spa University every August (but for 2012 will be held at Shennanton House in Scotland).
Festival participants undertake formal and informal songwriting activities including lectures dealing with the process of songwriting, including making lyrics singable, chorus construction, using imagery, melodic shaping, composing with guitar/keyboard etc.
http://www.uksongwritingfestival.com/

About Burnsong
Burnsong was formed in 2003 as a national body providing a creative and contemporary way to celebrate the wide ranging artistic legacy of Robert Burns. Following a Scotland-wide consultation with songwriters, broadcasters, music producers and representative music bodies, Burnsong emerged with the purpose of developing and promoting the art of contemporary songwriting in all its many forms.
http://www.burnsong.org/

About Gerry Rafferty Songwriting Prize
Burnsong in association with the UK Songwriting Festival, Renfrewshire Council and The Year of Creative Scotland this year announced a songwriting award in memory of the talented and widely respected singer-songwriter, Gerry Rafferty, who died in 2011. The prize recognizes songwriting excellence amongst residents of Renfrewshire, the area in which Rafferty grew up.
http://www.facebook.com/GerryRaffertyPrize/