Announcing The Regional Sessions Western Australia

Free tickets available to events in Albany, Busselton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, and Broome.

Connect with songwriting peers and learn from Kevin Mitchell, Darren Hanlon, Katy Steele, Anna Laverty, Petris Torres, Kav Temperley, Abbe May and more.

Blake Rhodes and Candice Lorrae will lead Music Production sessions, presented in collaboration with NATSIMO.

The Regional Sessions, a locally-themed event series dedicated to the art, craft and connection of songwriting, will take place in March at five musical hubs around Western Australia - Albany, Busselton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, and Broome.

Tickets are on sale now to the sessions, which are presented by APRA AMCOS, in collaboration with the National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Music Office (NATSIMO), with support from the Western Australia's Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

The WA sessions follow from the program winding its way through New South Wales in 2021 and Victoria in 2022, with music creators of all genres and career levels getting together to learn and exchange ideas.

The sessions have been created as a high-impact day to foster creativity, connections and industry knowledge at a crucial time for anyone pursuing music.

The full-day program is tailored to each local area, featuring a keynote 'In Conversation', a songwriter panel and small group workshops.

Attendees will gain valuable insight from keynote speakers Kevin Mitchell, Darren Hanlon, music producer Anna Laverty, Katy Steele and Petris Torres.

In afternoon workshop sessions, attendees have the opportunity to share their work and get feedback from artists at the top of their game like Drew Goddard (Karnivool), Tanya Ransom, Eskimo Joe's Kav Temperley, Elise Reitze-Swensen of electronic duo Feels and more.

The day culminates with a curated performance and post-event networking at a nearby venue.

"I'm really looking forward to being a part of The Regional Sessions in Albany next year in my home state of WA! In a country like Australia and a state like WA, the tyranny of vast distances can be a real hurdle for artists," said Kevin Mitchell, founding member of Jebediah and who performs as solo artist Bob Evans.

"I think it's great that APRA AMCOS is facilitating these kinds of opportunities for people living in regional centres far away from the capital cities. I'm sure we'll all learn a lot from each other!" In addition to delivering the keynote, Mitchell will also lead workshops at the Albany event.

A new addition to The Regional Sessions, curated by the NATSIMO, is the opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creators to develop their skills in Music Production.

Participants will learn from SongMakers mentor and NATSIMO Abbey Road Institute Australia scholarship recipient Blake Rhodes (Mr Rhodes) in Albany and Busselton and from Candice Lorrae in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha and Broome. Lorrae runs her own Melbourne-based independent songwriting studio, Candy Suite, and is in electro-pop duo The Merindas.

Supporting Act's First Nations Community Engagement and Social Worker Cerisa Benjamin will be in attendance providing a session around applying for financial support if you are a musician, manager, crew or music worker in crisis. Cerisa will touch on what services are available for those who are seeking to get support around their mental health and the other programs Support Act has for the music industry. Within this workshop Cerisa will also provide everyone with techniques on how to manage stress and anxiety and what resources are available to empower mob to support their mental health and wellbeing.

"APRA AMCOS’ WA Regional Sessions is a great offering for emerging regional musicians in WA with a strong focus on the craft of songwriting. It aligns well with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ Contemporary Music Fund objective to contribute to the development of WA contemporary music. There is great potential across our State for a diverse range of voices to be heard through Contemporary Music,’ said DLGSC Culture and the Arts Executive Director, Shelagh Magadza.

As the music industry continues to recover from to the impact of COVID-19 and limited opportunities over the last couple of years, the exchange of ideas and the skills development for writing songs are more important and vital than ever.

To register and secure a spot, go to The Regional Sessions website.