Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project Returns for 13th Year at Northwestern University

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University are seeking the nation's most talented young songwriters and writing teams for the 13th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. The free, weeklong songwriting workshop will take place June 24 to 30, 2018, on Northwestern's Evanston campus.

The program is accepting applications from aspiring songwriters, between the ages of 18 and 30, working in any popular music style. The applications will be accepted from Monday, Jan. 8, until Friday, Feb. 23. The application form, guidelines and full details will be available online at the Project's website.

Master teachers Stephen Bray, Craig Carnelia, Andrew Lippa and Lari White return to lead the project this summer, which culminates with the Songwriters in Concert event June 30, a program showcasing the talents of the program participants, the master teachers and celebrating Johnny Mercer's life and legacy.

Through the generosity of the Johnny Mercer Foundation, the program is free to selected songwriters who are housed on Northwestern's Evanston campus and receive a stipend for travel expenses and meals.

Last year, more than 130 applicants applied for one of the 12 spots in the prestigious program, which has been a catalyst to the careers of many artists. Among them are Tony, Oscar and Golden Globe Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; Fred Ebb Award winners Sam Willmott and Shaina Taub; Jonathan Larson Award winner Nikko Benson; and Latin Grammy Award winners Obed Bermudez and singer/actress Jennifer Peña.

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 the legendary Johnny Mercer: lyricist, composer, performer, collaborator and producer. The Foundation continues Johnny's legacy by partnering with individuals and organizations dedicated to celebrating and nourishing the disciplines he mastered and the causes he and his wife Ginger Mercer championed.

JMF has created a number of dynamic creative joint ventures with several prestigious institutions to facilitate our goals including: the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, Accentuate The Positive Programs (New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami), The Musical Theater Program at NJPAC, Georgia State University Fellowship Program, Florida International University Fellowship Program, the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project with Northwestern University and the Johnny Mercer Archives at Georgia State University.

In addition, JMF also supports various charitable causes including UCLA's Art of The Brain, Children's Hospital Los Angeles (Mark Taper and Johnny Mercer Artists Program), and the Braille Institute (Johnny Mercer Children and Adult Choirs). For more information, visit the Johnny Mercer Foundation website.

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

The legendary Johnny Mercer (1900-1976) composed more than 1,400 songs, including "Accentuate the Positive," "Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread)," "Any Place to Hang My Hat Is Home," "Too Marvelous for Words" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." He also wrote songs for 100 motion pictures and won four "Best Song" Academy Awards. A top radio personality and recording artist, he was a co-founder and president of Capitol Records and established the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. For more on Mercer, visit the Johnny Mercer Foundation website.

The American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University is a member of the Northwestern Arts Circle, which brings together film, humanities, literary arts, music, theater, dance and visual arts.

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