Selections open for Between Songwriting Camp 2026, an intensive week-long workshop in Sicily with final concert.
From June 29 to July 5, 2026, the Between Songwriting Camp brings songwriters, singers, musicians and producers under 35 to Piazza Armerina for a week of writing, producing and live performance. The residency will conclude with a concert in the central square as part of the Between Music & Arts Festival programming.
Applications are now open for the third Between Songwriting Camp, the artistic residency organized by Saint Louis College of Music in collaboration with the Region of Sicily and the City of Piazza Armerina. A week immersed in Mediterranean music, with the goal of composing original songs, recording a record product and taking the stage at the Between Music & Arts Festival.
What is Between Songwriting Camp
The Camp is an intensive artistic residency that takes place in the heart of Sicily, within one of the most interesting festivals on the Italian summer music scene. Participants work side by side with professional songwriters, composers, producers and sound engineers, building together, from writing to final performance, unreleased tracks designed to be presented to producers and publishers in the Italian music scene.
The theme of the third edition is Mediterranean Music in a broad sense: jazz, pop, electronic, folk and ethnic sounds meet in a context of open experimentation. An approach that also reflects the international dimension of the project, guaranteed by the participation of artists from the North African Mediterranean area, selected through the Italian Cultural Institutes abroad, and 15 students from European conservatories.
How the week is structured
The residency consists of three phases, designed to take each ensemble from the first idea of a piece to the stage for live performance.
- From June 29 to July 2, we get into creative writing: about 32 hours of small-group workshops at the former St. Anne’s Convent complex in Piazza Armerina (EN), with songwriting and music production workshops led by professionals such as Roberto Giglio e Fabio Balestrieri.
- From July 3 to 5, the focus shifts toarrangement and ensemble rehearsals: 20 hours of work to refine the composed pieces, curate the performance rendition and prepare for the stage with the support of Maria Grazia Fontana for stage presence.
- On July 5 comes the time for the final concert: the original songs produced during the Camp are performed in public in Cathedral Square as part of the Between Music & Arts Festival. An event open to the city and the festival audience.
Who can apply
The call is open to musicians and music students active in Italy, of any nationality, who are under 35 years of age by July 5, 2026. Those sought are authors, songwriters, singers, producers and instrumentalists (pianists, keyboardists, guitarists, bassists, drummers, ethnic and folk instrument players).
Participants are organized into 6 ensembles selected on the basis of each candidate’s artistic characteristics to ensure the consistency and quality of each ensemble.
Application fee and application
The participation fee is € 850 (reduced to € 700 for students residing in Sicily). Travel, board and lodging at selected facilities affiliated with Saint Louis are the responsibility of the participants.
Enrollment in one of the Saint Louis Summer Schools taking place in July 2026 at the Rome and Milan locations, entitles the student to a 15 percent discount. More info on the Summer Schools HERE
For Saint Louis students and alumni, the fee is €300. If also enrolled in one of the Summer Schools in Rome or Milan, the fee for cumulative two-week full immersion is € 500 (instead of € 600).
To apply, you must fill out the online form on this page, attaching biographical data, a brief artistic presentation and audio/video links on YouTube, SoundCloud or similar platforms. Authors and songwriters must upload demos of original compositions; singers and musicians may also submit performances on published songs. Links to download platforms such as WeTransfer are not accepted.
Deadlines to mark in the diary:
- Submission of applications: by May 30, 2026 – Deadline extended to June 15, 2026
- Notification of those selected: by June 20, 2026
Before filling out the form, please carefully review the Call for Papers 2026, available in pdf by clicking below!
