Johnny Mercer Foundation Celebrates Success of Inaugural Songwriters Project

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) is celebrating the success of moving their annual Songwriters Project to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. After 17 great years at Northwestern University, JMF relocated the program in 2024 and reinvigorated it in Nashville, the current “songwriting capital of the world.” The move allows participants to benefit from blending Nashville expertise with JMF’s long-standing goal of elevating the craft of songwriting.

Because of Belmont’s ability to reach the best young songwriters in the U.S., the talent of the 2024 JMF participants proved exceptional. Belmont, located in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row, gives students the opportunity to dig deeper into their songwriting with the guidance of master teachers, Victoria Banks, Stephen Bray and Craig Carnelia. In attendance from JMF were Chairperson John Marshall, Executive Vice President Jonathan Brielle and Education Chair Dianne Thurman. At the conclusion of the program, students and teachers got a first glimpse into the quality of writers this new partnership will bring.

 “Victoria Banks, Nashville hit songwriter and Belmont master teacher, fit right in with veteran JMF master teachers, Craig Carnelia and Stephen Bray,” said JMF Executive Vice President Jonathan Brielle. “It was wonderful watching our program take off so naturally in Nashville.” 

“Songwriters are a gift to the world. We are thankful for the partnership with the Johnny Mercer Foundation to help foster and fuel the next generation of songwriters in a place where so many creators began – Historic Music Row,” said Caroline Rupard, Strategic Partnerships & Projects, Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Belmont University.

Looking ahead, the 2025 Songwriters Project will be held June 22-29. The age range is 18-30. Applications are now open online. The ending date for acceptance of applications will be March 1, 2025. Participants who are accepted to the program will be notified by the end of March.

ABOUT THE Johnny Mercer FOUNDATION

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.  JMF has created a number of dynamic creative joint ventures with several prestigious institutions including the JMF Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, Accentuate the Positive Programs in Southern California and New York’s Kaufman Music Center, the JMF Musical Theater Composition Residency at the Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), the JMF Songwriting Initiative at Snow Pond Center for the Arts (Maine), the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project at Belmont University (Nashville), the Georgia State University Fellowship Program,  and the Johnny Mercer Archives at Georgia State University. JMF also supports the Johnny Mercer Music Program at the Braille Institute, Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.johnnymercer.org.

ABOUT BELMONT UNIVERSITY

Established in 2024, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project at Belmont University is a week-long intensive course for emerging songwriters and writing teams (ages 18-30) across all musical genres. Each summer, the chosen songwriters gather for instruction and mentorship under our accomplished faculty, as well as creative collaboration with each other. The program culminates in a concert featuring the participants’ new work.