Irish Institute of Music & Song | International Songwriting Retreat
July 22 @ 8:00 am - July 28 @ 5:00 pm
The Irish Institute of Music & Song are hosting an International Songwriting Retreat from 22-28 July in Balbriggan, Dublin, Ireland. After the demand seen in 2023, this year they will also run a new Youth Songwriting Retreat for aspiring musicians aged 14-18 years old from 15-21 July. Both seven-day retreats are held on the Irish Institute of Music & Song’s purpose-built music campus in Balbriggan, Dublin, only twenty minutes from the airport and five minutes from sandy beaches and historical castles. This amazing retreat, unique in Ireland, is a rare opportunity offering aspiring and established songwriters from around the world, an opportunity to work with and learn from, some of the best songwriting mentors in the world. On this retreat, songwriters and musicians get the opportunity to relax, unwind, meet like-minded people, and develop their skills in a creative and immersive learning environment. All genres and styles are welcome, whether it’s solo songwriters, songwriting duos, or bands.
The 2024 International Songwriting Retreat mentors include Maria Christensen from Los Angeles, who wrote Jennifer Lopez’s worldwide hit “Waiting for Tonight” and has also worked with Celine Dion. Other mentors include Rob Wells from Canada, who has over four billion streams on Spotify and has written songs for Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Irish Artist Ryan Sheridan who has had number-one songs in both the Irish and German iTunes Singles Charts will join the retreat as a mentor. The final mentor to be announced is an award-winning Irish Artist who has toured the world with his music. Attendees on the retreats will get to work with internationally acclaimed platinum-selling mentors who have written music for some of the world’s biggest record labels, including Universal, Warner and Sony.
The International Songwriting Retreat residential package costs €1,650, while the non-resident package costs €1,080. The resident package includes seven days working with world-renowned songwriting mentors, seven nights’ on-site accommodation in modern Japanese-style pods, and all meals from the onsite award-winning restaurant. Also included is access to private rehearsal spaces and VIP membership to a series of guest speaker talks in the evening. Last year’s guest speakers included Paddy Casey and many more. At the end of the week, all artists get to perform and record their new songs in Ireland’s new state-of-the-art, 400-seat Concert Hall, ‘The Lark’ which has just been named ‘Ireland’s Favourite New Building’. The Youth Songwriting Retreat costs €500. All spaces are very limited. Please visit internationalsongwritingretreat.com to find out more and register your interest today.
IMRO have partnered with the Irish Institute of Music & Song to sponsor two scholarship places on each retreat. Scholarship places are worth between €500 to €1,650 depending on the retreat. If you are a songwriter, musician or band and would like to be in with a chance to be awarded a free scholarship to the International Songwriting Retreat or Youth Songwriting Retreat please visit internationalsongwritingretreat.com and submit your application through the ‘Scholarships’ page. Applicants must outline their songwriting experience to date and send examples of their work. The closing date for scholarship applications for the Youth Songwriting Retreat (ages 14-18) is Tuesday 9th July 2024 with winners announced on Wednesday 10th July 2024, while scholarships for the International Songwriting Retreat closing date is Thursday 11th July 2024, with winners announced on Friday 12th July 2024. Get your applications in now!
Michael T Dawson, CEO Irish Institute of Music & Song: “We are delighted to host the 2nd Annual International Songwriting Retreat at the Irish Institute of Music & Song. The first year was a huge success and people visited from all around the world. We are very excited to bring it back again this year and are delighted to be partnering with IMRO again this year on the retreat which will be sponsoring two scholarship places on both retreats. This provides the opportunity for new songwriters to hone their songwriting skills, network, and ultimately put them on a path in songwriting. It’s fantastic to see our purpose-built campus is becoming a destination for artists and to connect and develop their artistry”
Victor Finn, CEO IMRO: “We are delighted to once again be partnering with the Irish Institute of Music & Song supporting their International Songwriting Retreat this coming July. A big part of our mission at IMRO is a commitment to nurturing the creative skills of up and coming songwriters and , alongside that, it’s to educate. That’s why we have taken the opportunity to sponsor scholarship places on the upcoming retreat, giving songwriters the opportunity to learn, develop and hone their craft.” IMRO CEO, Victor Finn.
