Andrew Lippa to Lead 2012 Mercer Songwriters Project With Craig Carnelia and Lari White

Broadway composer Andrew Lippa ("The Addams Family," "The Wild Party") is among three master teachers leading the 2012 Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project at Northwestern University. Lippa will be joined by Tony Award-nominated composer and lyricist Craig Carnelia and three-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter Lari White to conduct the weeklong program for emerging songwriters.

Talented young songwriters and writing teams working in any popular music style are encouraged to apply for this no-fee program presented by The Johnny Mercer Foundation and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University from June 18 to 23.

The intensive six-day Evanston campus program of master classes and workshops will culminate in a showcase of new works by participant songwriters and a star-studded celebration concert. 

Emerging songwriters in pop, music theatre, hip-hop, folk, Latin and country music are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is March 30. Applications may be completed online. Songwriters or writing teams can learn more at http://www.mercersongwriters.org.

Alumni from the project include Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, writers of the musical "A Christmas Story" which is now touring nationally; Latin Grammy Award-winning songwriter Obie Bermudez and Jennifer Pena; Fred Ebb Award-winner Adam Gwon and Jonathan Larson Award Winners Peter Lerman, Michael Kooman and Chris Dimond.

Thanks to the generosity of The Johnny Mercer Foundation, there is no workshop fee for the writers and writing teams selected to participate. On-campus housing is provided, and a stipend covers a portion of travel expenses. 

Johnny Mercer

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.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation

The Johnny Mercer Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and celebrating the work of Mercer and other great American songwriters, and to introducing their music to a new generation of listeners through educational programs. The foundation also supports charitable organizations through royalties from Mercer's songs. To learn more, visit http://www.johnnymercerfoundation.com/intro.html.

American Music Theatre Project

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; 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.