‘It’s all about the song’
Today (Thursday 18th June 09) at Glasgow’s City Halls the 2009 Burnsong International Song-writing Contest was launched by Patron Midge Ure OBE.
During Scotland's
Year of Homecoming, inspired by the 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns, the song-writing competition named in the Bard’s honour is looking for new songs of hope and optimism. Burnsong was started in 2005 with the intention of promoting, encouraging and nurturing songwriting in Scotland and has since been held bi-annually.
For the first time, the competition is being opened internationally and is inviting songwriters from around the world to enter. Songwriters will be invited to enter their song in the 2009 Burnsong Competition via the Sonic Bids platform. Songs can be uploaded between 18th June and 28th August 2009 at
www.burnsong.org.
A panel of experienced judges including music and media industry professionals will review all entries anonymously with the 12 winners announced in September.
These 12 winners will then be invited to take part in a week long residential Songhouse hosted by Midge Ure at a rural farmhouse in the Scottish countryside that Burns knew and loved.
The songwriters will be guided and supported by mentor Joe Bennett (UK Songwriting Festival/Bath Spa University) and producer Chris Blanden (Real World Studios) through a succession of tasks and collaborations designed to develop, enhance and extend their songwriting skills.
The results of the week will be showcased along with the winning songs at “The Big Gig" presented by Midge Ure OBE and held in one of Scotland's most prestigious venues at a St. Andrew's Night celebration on November 30th. The songs will be recorded and broadcast nationally, internationally and via the web by Burnsong's media partners, BBC Radio Scotland.
Speaking ahead of the 2009 launch Midge Ure OBE said, “When I was asked to become patron of Burnsong, I jumped at the chance, because I think that it’s incredibly important that songwriters are nurtured and people with raw talent are given the chance to let that talent grow.”
Marie Christie, Project Director Homecoming Scotland said, “Burnsong aims to provide a legacy of new work and talent that Robert Burns himself would be proud of. We are delighted that Burnsong will feature as a key event within the Homecoming Scotland Finale celebrations on St Andrew’s Day.”
Ian Smith, Head of Music at the Scottish Arts Council said, “We have seen some fantastic work produced from the Burnsong Songhouse project, including extremely successful Tune Up tours, and we are proud to be involved in its culmination during this year of Homecoming. Supporting the artist and encouraging collaboration between partners are key priorities for the Scottish Arts Council and Burnsong is a great example of one such project encouraging artists to celebrate Scotland through the arts, while developing and improving songwriting talent across Scotland.”
For more information- Contact:
Gordon@Burnsong.org - 07799731034
Notes to editors:
About Burnsong
- Burnsong is Funded and supported by Homecoming Scotland and The Scottish Arts Council.
- Burnsong was established in 2005 with the aim of developing and nurturing song-writing in Scotland. It has run bi-annually in the build up to the 2009 Homecoming.
- About Homecoming Scotland 2009 www.homecomingscotland2009.com
- Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency. The initiative is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
- Robert Burns is the inspiration for Homecoming Scotland as 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet.
- As well as Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland events are also celebrating some of the other great contributions Scotland has given the world – golf, whisky, great Scottish minds and innovations, and as the ancestral home to millions of people around the world.
- Homecoming Scotland will engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland, to take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.