Award-winning musicians set to inspire at exclusive workshops

Australian musicians Troy Cassar-Daley, Barney McAll, Áine Tyrrell and Sara Storer will take to the stage at the Lismore campus to perform, reflect on their songwriting process, share stories about their career and answer questions from the audience.

Leigh Carriage, senior lecturer in the contemporary music program at Southern Cross, is the coordinator and host of the Songwriters’ Workshop series.

“I’m grateful to have received funding support from APRA AMCOS; the workshops continue to be an invaluable part of our music program at Southern Cross,” Ms Carriage said.

“Each workshop provides our students with the opportunity to connect face-to-face with high-calibre songwriters. The artists are always very generous with their time and willing to engage and interact with the students.

“Each songwriter offers insights into their unique career pathway, as well as strategies and inspiration for students to develop their songwriting, composition, and arranging and production skills.”

The Songwriters’ Workshop series, a unique offering of Southern Cross University’s music program, is now in its 13^th year. It is open to all Southern Cross University students.

The general community is also welcome to attend. Attendance at the workshops is free of change.

Troy Cassar-Daley: Wednesday March 6, 3pm-5pm

Troy Cassar-Daley has come a long way from the 12-year old Grafton boy busking on Peel St at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Throughout his 30 years of making music, Troy has been awarded numerous accolades including four ARIAs, 37 Golden Guitars, two APRA Country Song of the Year awards, nine Deadlys (Australian Indigenous Artist Awards), four CMAA Entertainer of the Year awards plus two NIMAs. In 2017 Troy was honoured as the 50th inductee into the prestigious Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown. With numerous gold and platinum records, Troy has achieved a staggering 31 number one chart singles.

Barney McAll: Thursday March 7, 10am-12pm

Barney McAll is an ARIA award-winning jazz pianist and composer. He was the musical director for Australia’s international chart-topping vocalist and songwriter Sia from 2011 to 2012. McAll has recorded or performed internationally with many other musicians including Dewey Redman, Roy Ayers, Kenny Garrett, Maceo Parker, Jimmy Cobb, Eddie Henderson, Aloe Blacc, Peter Apfelbaum, Billy Harper, Daniel Merriweather and Vernel Fournier. He was the 2015 recipient of the Peggy Glanville-Hicks composer residency in Sydney. In the same year McAll won Best Jazz Album for ‘Mooroolbark’ at the ARIA Music Awards.

Áine Tyrrell and Mark Stanley: Thursday March 28, 10am-12pm

Áine Tyrrell’s unique musicianship and an equally deft touch with a killer hook or a heartrending lament has attracted the attention of many celebrated musicians in Ireland and Australia including Glen Hansard (Irish songwriter, actor, vocalist and guitarist for Irish group The Frames) who mentored her 2017 EP release ‘Fledgling Fall’. The past two years have been huge for Tyrrell. In addition to her own massive touring schedule, she joined Paul Kelly, Shane Howard, Pauline Scanlon, Declan O'Rourke, John Spillane and her father on the national concert tour Exile, a line-up of outstanding Irish and Australian artists who came together for a celebration of Irish influence in Australia. Tyrrell has performed at Woodford Folk Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Mullum Music Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival and Electric Picnic in Ireland.

Mark Stanley has worked as a drummer and tour manager and producer with the likes of Shane Howard, Glen Hansard and many other US artists.

Sara Storer and Jeff Chandler: Thursday May 9, 10am-12pm

Sara Storer is one of Australia’s most-loved singer/songwriters; a multiple Golden Guitar winner whose crisp observations of the Australian landscape and its people provide the foundation for her music. In 2014 she took out three major Golden Guitar awards at the Tamworth Country Music Awards. In 2016 Storer won Country Album of the Year at the ARIA Music Awards and a few months later was voted 2017 Female Artist of the Year at the Country Music Awards.

Jeff Chandler has more than 30 years’ music industry experience, both as an artist manager – for acts including Sara Storer, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Drew McAlister and Shane Nicholson – and as program director for the Gympie Music Muster.

APRA AMCOS Songwriters’ Workshop series

The Songwriters Workshops have been a feature of the contemporary music degree at Southern Cross University since 2006.

The workshops give students real-life opportunities to connect and engage with professionals in their field. Some workshops see students perform with artists - like Jim Moginie and Lisa Parrott - or share their own work and songs – with the likes of Iva Davies and Mia Dyson – to gain direct feedback.

Presented by APRA AMCOS and the School of Arts and Social Sciences, the workshops are held in performance space Studio One29 in the D Block music building at the Lismore campus. 

A selection of the ‘who’s who’ appearing at the APRA AMCOS Songwriters’ Workshop series over the past 13 years:

Bernard Fanning, Vince Jones, Lior, Iva Davies, Katie Noonan, Mia Dyson, Blue King Brown, Nerida Tyson-Chew, Hiatus Kaiyote, Husky, Rob Hirst, Tex Perkins, Kerrianne Cox, Joseph Tawadros, Vince Jones, Marialy Pacheco, Neil Murray, Husky, Sandy Evans, Jim Moginie, Elana Stone, Jaaleekaay, Inga Liljestrom, Scott Aplin, Shellie Morris, Caitlin Yeo, Rai Thistlethwayte, Lisa Gerrard, Charles Jenkins, Felicity Urquhart, The Stiff Gins, Lisa Parrott, Murray Burns, Sara Tindley, Brendan Clarke, Kirstin Beradi, Jack Britten, Lucie Thorne, Gian Slater and Invenio Choir, Darren Percival.