This year marks the 10th anniversary of 10 years of the Girls & Guitars Songwriting Course at Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario, a unique program that supports women in developing their songwriting skills through mentorship, creative collaboration and live performance opportunities.
To celebrate the milestone, this year’s eight participants will be hitting the Lake Stage at Hillside Festival, performing original songs on Sunday, July 19, at 12:00 p.m, followed by an Open Jam and Singalong at 5:00 p.m.
Hillside Festival is a three-day music and arts festival held annually at Guelph Lake Conservation Area, in Guelph, Ontario, about two hours north of Buffalo. The festival brings together established and emerging artists from Canada and around the world. This year’s festival will take place from July 17 to 19.
Founded in 2016 by songwriter Doris Folkens and Hillside Festival’s former executive director Marie Zimmerman, the program was created to address the gender imbalance often seen in the music industry and encourage more women to pursue songwriting and performance.
“Women often step away from music after high school, and we wanted to create a welcoming space where they could reconnect with their creativity and confidence,” said Folkens. “Over the past 10 years, it’s been incredible to watch participants grow as artists and individuals.”
For participant Michelle Munroe, the workshop has been transformative. Now taking part for the fourth time, she joined the program at age 39 with no previous songwriting or performance experience.
“I had never written a song before or performed,” said Munroe. “I never thought I could write something that people would want to hear. Signing up was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
For more information including lineup, schedule and ticket sales for the festival, visit hillsidefestival.ca
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