14 Emerging Songwriters Set for 2013 Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, Now thru 6/29

From today, June 23 to June 29, 14 emerging professional songwriters will participate in The Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project at Northwestern University -- an intensive weeklong program on the Evanston campus that has produced 2013 Tony Award-nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (nominated for "A Christmas Story, The Musical"), Fred Ebb Award-winner Sam Willmot, and Latin Grammy Award-winners Obed Bermudez and Jennifer Pena.

The annual program is a collaboration of The Johnny Mercer Foundation and the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University.

The weeklong program of master classes and workshops will culminate in "Songwriters -- In Concert," a showcase of new works by the program's participants that will kick off the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University's 2013 SummerStage season at8 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at the Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus.

The 2013 emerging songwriters will share the stage with three-time Academy Award-winning lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who have collaborated with everyone from Barbra Streisand to Quincy Jones during their 50-year career in film, television and stage and whose treasured songs in the American songbook include "The Way We Were" and "The Windmills of Your Mind." Single tickets are $10 to $30 and are available through the TIC Box Office at (847) 491-7282 or www.tic.northwestern.edu/summerstage.

For more on the Bergmans, visit www.alanandmarilynbergman.com.

The 2013 Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project participants are David Are, Jake Brunger, Pippa Cleary, Matt Deitchman, Jed Feder, Luke Hawley, Peter Jericho, Jillian Kelleher, Heather Robb, Jean Rohe, Sarah Rogo, Justina Shandler, Simon Scheuer and Allison Strong. For more information and full bios, visit www.mercer.soc.northwestern.edu.

A variety of genres of music -- folk, pop, music theatre, American roots, alt-indie, R&B, Afro-soul, bluegrass and country -- will be represented. Thanks to the generosity of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, participants attend the program at no charge and housing and travel are covered.

Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants, this year's participants -- three of whom come from as far away as London -- will work with master teachers Jon Lind, award-winning songwriter and senior vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) at Hollywood Records; Tony Award-nominated composer and lyricist Craig Carnelia; and three-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter Lari White. For more information and full bios, visit www.mercersongwriters.org.

The legendary Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) composed more than 1,500 tunes, including "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Accentuate the Positive" and "Moon River." Throughout a long career he was dedicated to the development of young songwriters and singers. For more on Mercer, visit www.johnnymercerfoundation.org/johnny-mercer/.

The mission of The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) is to support the discipline of songwriting in the tradition of the Great American Songbook as exemplified by the life and work of Johnny Mercer: lyricist, composer, performer, collaborator and producer. In addition to The Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project at Northwestern University, the JMF supports a number of unique educational programs through special partnerships across the country including The Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, a collaboration with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center aimed at seventh graders, the Accentuate the Positive educational initiative with the Kaufman Center in New York City the Johnny Mercer Collection and fellowship at Georgia State University; and various charitable causes championed by Johnny and his wife Ginger Mercer. For more information on these programs and the work of the foundation, visit www.johnnymercerfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/.

The American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University brings together the nation's leading artists in music theatre to work in collaboration with Northwestern's faculty and students. AMTP's goal is to nourish and invigorate American music theatre by developing and producing new musicals by music theatre's leading artists; increasing opportunities for education and training with Northwestern's theatre, dance and opera programs; and creating new connections between the professional and academic communities. To learn more about AMTP, visit www.amtp.northwestern.edu.