Workshop Series in Songwriting with Katie Melua: The Silk Roads Project

Perhaps more than ever, songwriting deserves the same attention, artistry, and care as the other fine arts. The song is a creative form that combines the lucidity, precision, and attentiveness of poetry with the multiple evocations of music. It can speak as much of personal experiences as it can to collective concerns. It can enlighten us and it can move us in ways unlike any other form of art.

In this series of workshops you will work with acclaimed singer songwriter Katie Melua to create original songs, as part of an experiment in collective writing and creation. Participants will work in groups to work on lyrical and musical composition supported by academic staff from the Faculties of Music, English, History, and Modern Languages, along with selected guests.

The Humanities Cultural Programme invites applications from anyone interested in exploring the canon of western songs and creating new pieces for a concert at the Sheldonian Theatre, in Oxford.

We will treat the art of songwriting with the same respect as Charlotte Perriand gives her field of architecture: ‘work in the services of humanity.’ We will take inspiration from Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads, to write songs that explore journeys through time, geographies, and cultures.

We invite applications from disciplines across the University. You will not necessarily be required to perform the songs you create. The process of songwriting is collaborative and we are aiming to recruit a diverse group of participants with a range of different skill sets.

Useful skill sets could include an acquaintance with lyrical composition, musical composition, philosophy, and design. The main objective of the series is to explore what inter-disciplinary collaboration can bring to the creative process of songwriting, culminating in a live performance at the Sheldonian Theatre.

You will need to commit to all six workshops (dates below) and to a rehearsal and performance on Thursday 28 April 2022.

Workshop dates:

Monday 7 February 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

Monday 14 February 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

Monday 21 February 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

Monday 28 February 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

Monday 7 March 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

Monday 25 April 2022, 5.30pm – 7pm

You will be required to commit to attending every session due to the progressive nature of the exercises and topics included.

To apply, please email hcp@torch.ox.ac.uk with a statement detailing why you would like to take part. We also invite you to include relevant links/demos of your work (poetry, live performance etc.) The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 17 January 2022.

Katie Melua is one of Britain's most successful musical artists, having sold in excess of 11 million albums and received over 56 platinum awards. The 36-year old is originally from Tbilisi, Georgia and moved to the UK at a young age where she studied at the acclaimed Brit School of Performing Arts. 

It is her extraordinary voice, and the ability to truly inhabit a song, that has been her trademark since the young 19 year old school graduate first appeared in 2003 performing The Closest Thing To Crazy. One of the UK’s highest-selling female recording artists of all time, Katie has released 8 top 10 studio albums – ‘Call Off The Search’, ‘Piece By Piece’, ‘Pictures’, ‘The House’, ‘Secret Symphony’, ‘Ketevan’, 2016’s self-produced, critically acclaimed ‘In Winter’ and most recently ‘Album No. 8’ in 2020, which debuted at #7 in the UK’s Official Album Charts.

An accomplished songwriter, composer, and arranger some of Melua's most well-known hits include Nine Million Bicycles, The Closest Thing to Crazy, and her now infamous cover of Wonderful Life. A constantly in-demand touring artist, Melua enchants her audiences worldwide with her uniquely powerful and captivating voice, flawless performances, and charming personality.