Over the Easter weekend songwriters were challenged to write a brand new song within 24 hours inspired by a work of art in the Threshold Festival visual arts gallery.
When the 24 hours were up 23 songwriters (if only there’d been one more!) had submitted a song, with all of them being made available in a playlist on the Liverpool Acoustic YouTube channel.
Every song was listened to and scored by a panel of judges comprising Threshold Festival co-director Kaya Herstad-Carney,Cellist, composer and Operation Lightfoot musical director Luke Moore, music teacher and multiple Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge winner Alison Benson,and singer, songwriter, and one half of King & Byrne Flamenco Fusion Dr Derek King.
The winner of the Judges’ Award was 17 year old classically trained singer-songwriter Rachel Burnett with her song Rain, inspired by the work of Threshold Festival visual artist Nathan Pendlebury.
Second place was won by Katie Mac with her song The Fix, with Paul Henry‘s song Dancing With Our Chains On taking third place.
All of the entries were put out to a public vote which ran from Saturday 18th April through to Friday 24th. In total 2,007 votes were cast.
The winner of the public vote was 18 year old singer-songwriter Emily Callacher with her song My Circus Mind, inspired by the work of Threshold Festival visual artist Max da Silva Willis.
Second place was won by Tia Morris with her song Scars of Growth, with Sophia and Dave Criddle‘s song Flowers In Her Hair taking third place.
Liverpool Acoustic’s Graham Holland said:-
“Right from the start of the first Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge back in 2011 we’ve made a point of calling it a ‘challenge’ rather than a competition or contest. Yes, I know there’s judging and voting involved, but the primary purpose has always been to inspire songwriters to write something new and original, to be creative under pressure, and to challenge themselves as songwriters. I hope we’ve fulfilled this purpose and that the songwriter have enjoyed the challenge of writing a brand new song within 24 hours and putting it out there for all the world to see, and the public have enjoyed listening to them.”
“Congratulations to our two winners – 17 year old Rachel Burnett and 18 year old Emily Callacher – and to everyone else who took part.”
