LA Mitchell appointed inaugural songwriter in residence at University of Auckland
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:56 pm

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L.A. MITCHELL APPOINTED INAUGURAL SONGWRITER IN RESIDENCE AT UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND

Soul songstress L.A. Mitchell is the inaugural Songwriter in Residence 2009 at The University of Auckland's School of Music.

Following the release of her first self-produced album, Debut, L.A Mitchell has been receiving growing critical acclaim for her original form of soul jazz. Her follow-up album, Live at the Matterhorn, featured her six-piece band, Nativa, performing live at one of Wellington’s most popular music venues, The Matterhorn. L.A. Mitchell has performed alongside the Black Seeds, Nathan Haines, Anna Coddington and Karen Hunter, and she has toured with American alt country ensemble, Last Town Chorus. She performs as a member of Dave Dobbyn’s band as well as The Dukes and she has just completed performances as part of the 2009 cast of Fly My Pretties; in late 2008 L.A. Mitchell and the Nativa Band opened for soul legend Stevie Wonder on his New Zealand tour.

As the Songwriter in Residence, L.A. will work closely with students at the School’s Popular Music programme. She will mentor around 40 young performers and songwriters this year and will be available to students to talk about songwriting and performance as well also coaching them on vocal production skills. Such mentoring will be vital for students to prepare for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year 2009 competition, to be held in September.

“It is always important to be able to hand knowledge back. I see this residency as a great privilege, with the potential to inspire not only the students but also myself, ” says L.A. Mitchell.

Stephen Matthews, coordinator of the Popular Music Programme, says L.A. Mitchell is the ideal artist to launch the Songwriter in Residence initiative.

“L.A. Mitchell brings a perfect mix of skills to the role; she is a brilliant vocalist and instrumentalist, a highly talented songwriter and an outstanding communicator,” says Mr Matthews.

The School of Music’s Popular Music major is an ideal environment for aspiring songwriters looking to develop their writing, arranging and performance skills. Students work alongside other songwriters and musicians in a fertile creative setting, where they share ideas and perform each other’s work on a regular basis.

The inaugural Songwriter of the Year competition will be held on 29 September at the Maidment Theatre. Drawn from the Popular Music programme, student competitors will be coached on vocal and performance skills by L.A. Mitchell. The six finalists will each perform three original songs and will be supported by a professional backing band. They will compete for $1500 worth of music vouchers from Musicworks. The winners will be selected by judges Don McGlashan and Daniel Wrightson (Juice TV) and will be featured on Juice TV.

The University of Auckland’s National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries comprises the School of Architecture and Planning, Elam School of Fine Arts, the Centre for New Zealand Art Research and Discovery (CNZARD), the School of Music and the Dance Studies Programme.