Aeolian’s Second Annual Songwriting Contest

Celebrating London’s UNESCO City of Music Designation

Competition Begins June 11TH, 2023

In support of Canada’s Songwriters and to London, Ontario as a UNESCO City of Music, The Aeolian is running a National Songwriting Contest.  Songwriters need to record and submit a song in any genre (country, classical, jazz, popular etc.) with themes of freedom, hope and justice.

The contest is designed to offer a platform and showcase for artists to celebrate their creations, gain support through prizes and showcase London as a UNESCO City of Music.  It is also a way  to celebrate Canada’s talented creatives and focus on inspiration during this especially challenging time.  

“We’re thrilled to open this contest up to all of Canada to support our talented songwriters and celebrate Freedom, Hope and Justice.”

Clark Bryan, Executive and Artistic Director

Marc Jordan

Marc was born in Brooklyn, NY, son of singer Charles Jordan, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. Jordan’s music career really took off in 1978 when he was signed to Warner Music in Los Angeles and began writing songs for and with the likes of Diana Ross, Chicago, Kansas, Manhattan Transfer, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, Olivia Newton John, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Josh Groban, Cher and Rod Stewart, including the world wide #1 hit “Rhythm of My Heart.” Jordan has won numerous ASCAP, JUNO, SOCAN and Smooth Jazz awards over the years.

His songs have been on 35 million CDs and he has recorded 16 albums of his own material. In his forty plus year career he has been a hit solo artist (‘Marina Del Rey’, ‘Survival’), a sought-after songwriter, and in the last decade, he took up a paintbrush and became an amazing visual artist.

Céline Peterson

Producer and Artist Representative, Céline Peterson, manages some of the most exciting jazz artists on the scene today, including JUNO Award winner Robi Botos, 2018 Ellis Marsalis Piano Competition winner Ben Paterson, and Member to the Order of Canada, Dr. Dave Young. Céline has also presented concerts and given inspiring speeches all over the globe (including Canada, The United States, Denmark, Barbados, Switzerland, and South America), and was host of the digital and radio broadcast program, No, I Do Not Play Piano, on JAZZCAST (2019-2022) and JAZZ.FM91 (2022).

Céline’s career began over a decade ago when she started working in Social Media Management, a field in which she is still active today. Her efforts and successes have put her at the top of the list for many artists who want to expand their online presence. “Céline is an absolute delight to work with. I trust her implicitly to accurately represent me in Social Media. She has always impressed me.” – Dr. Oliver Jones   OC.CQ – Doc of Music

To be announced soon!

contest rules

Open to amateur and professional songwriters.

As this contest is intended to support musicians, there is a $20 fee per song to apply to cover admin expenses. Fee must be paid via e-transfer (sent to accounting@aeolianhall.ca) or cheque (mailed to Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas Street, London, ON N5W 2Z6).

This contest is a celebration of London’s designation as a UNESCO Music City and the wealth of talent we have here and throughout Canada. As such, songwriters must be official residents of Canada or pursuing resident status. The contest duration is:

June 11th-September 30th, 2023

Songs must be recorded and provided in audio or audio/video format. A phone recording is sufficient. Artists need not incur any cost in the production of their submission as judging will be based on artistic quality of the song – not production quality of the audio/video.

Songwriters may ask a musician to perform their work if they are not technically able to do so on their own.

Co-writing is permitted with prize money being shared equally.

A maximum of two songs may be submitted by each songwriter.

Though we appreciate all entries, neither The Aeolian or the competition judges are able to provide feedback or review of content received.

Songs must be have one or more of the following these:

Freedom
Hope
Justice

Submissions must be accompanied by lyrics.

Though the songwriter retains ownership of the song, the songwriter must agree to the Aeolian using the song for all purposes without licensing fee.

Judging will be completed by a jury of music professionals.

Songs must be new (during the period of the contest), unpublished and previously unrecorded or performed.  If there is evidence that the song was written/published/recorded before the festival, the entry will be disqualified.

Submissions must be received by September 30th, 2023

Submissions may be sent via email to aeolianperformingartscentre@gmail.com using a Google drive link or a private, unpublished YouTube link or dropped off at the Aeolian Hall on a USB drive. Entrants will be notified that their entry has been received successfully in a viewable format.  Entrants are welcome to follow-up with the Aeolian by phone or email should they not receive a confirmation within 2 business days.

FIRST PRIZE

 

  1. A $5000.00 cash prize.
  2. A professional audio recording of the song at the Aeolian’s state of the art recording studio Installed with support from The Ontario Trillium Foundation.*
  3. A multi-track video recording (40 minutes) to be broadcast as an Aeolian Phoenix Session production.*
  4. Aeolian will produce at no cost to the artist a live show featuring the artist’s music.  In the case that there isn’t enough music for a live show, arrangements will be made to feature the artist as an opening act to another Aeolian production.*
  5. A guitar.
  6. Marketing of artist through Aeolian’s social media, website, and e-newsletter for 3 months.
  7. A consultation and support in the development of an Electronic Press Kit to include a photoshoot, video content and support with artist branding with a professional expert. two hours of professional marketing consultation to help with career growth.
*The Aeolian does not pay for transportation, meals or accommodation costs for recordings or concerts as part of this prize.

second PRIZE

 

  1. A $1000.00 cash prize.
  2. A professional audio recording of the song at the Aeolian’s state of the art recording studio Installed with support from The Ontario Trillium Foundation.*
  3. A multi-track video recording (40 minutes) to be broadcast as an Aeolian Phoenix Session production.*
  4. Marketing of artist through Aeolian’s social media, website, and e-newsletter for two months
  5. A consultation and support in the development of an Electronic Press Kit to include a photoshoot, video content and support with artist branding with a professional expert. one hour of professional marketing consultation to help with career growth.
    *The Aeolian does not pay for transportation, meals or accommodation costs for recordings or concerts as part of this prize.

Third PRIZE

 

  1. A $500 cash prize.
  2. A professional audio recording of the song at the Aeolian’s state of the art recording studio fInstalled with support from The Ontario Trillium Foundation.*
  3. Marketing of artist through Aeolian’s social media, website, and e-newsletter for one month
  4. One hour photo session for promotional photos at The Aeolian Site*
  5. One half hour of professional marketing consultation to help with career growth.
*The Aeolian does not pay for transportation, meals or accommodation costs for recordings or concerts as part of this prize.

ENTER the contest

  1. Complete the application so that we have your information.
  2. Submit your song using google drive (see below).
  3. Submit your lyrics in pdf format by email or google drive.
  4. Fee:  $20 per submission.  Two Song maximum. FEE MUST BE PAID BY E-TRANSFER (sent to accounting@aeolianhall.ca) OR CHEQUE (MAILED TO AEOLIAN HALL, 795 DUNDAS ST, LONDON, ON N5W 2Z6).

To enter the Aeolian Songwriting contest, complete the application below and submit your audio or audio/video.

You may complete the form now and submit your video anytime before the deadline if you plan to enter.

Audio or audio/video submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. on September 30th, 2023.

Video submissions may be sent via email to aeolianperformingartscentre@gmail.com using a Google drive link or a private, unpublished YouTube link or dropped off at the Aeolian Hall on a USB drive.  Lyrics must be included for a complete application.

Entrants under the age of 18 must have parental permission to participate.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
Max. file size: 50 MB.
Is the entrant 18 or over. If under 18, please provide parent/guardian name and contact information below.(Required)
Parent/Guardian Name (if under the age of 18)

UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES NETWORK

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network strives to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.

This website presents the Cities of Music and key projects taking place in them. At the same time, it is meant to be an invitation to cooperate, communicate and launch further activities within the network.

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While particularly renowned for its acoustic/live music presentations, the Aeolian is a versatile facility and can also host conferences and fundraisers.

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