Pro Songworks
Pro Songworks is the premier Canadian professional songwriting camp hosted by the Songwriters Association of Canada. For almost two decades, this program has brought together some of the country’s most influential and up-and-coming talent for multi-day intensive co-writing sessions in ally-led professional recording studios. Pro Songworks has a national presence in Canada and partners with provincial music associations to curate and support regional communities.
Songwriters, beatmakers and producers interested in participating in a Pro Songworks camp must complete an application to be considered. APPLY HERE.
Pro Songworks helps songwriters expand their network and catalogue of work by facilitating a positive and respectful environment for songwriters to connect and build intrinsic professional relationships. The aim is to foster a friendly, diverse, and inclusive community of music creators. By facilitating relationship building within the music community, Pro Songworks encourages participants to continue collaborating with each other after the camp. These multi-genre camps include electronic, country, acoustic folk, pop, rock, r&b, and rap. Briefs are often provided to connect participants with music supervisors and A&R representatives resulting in many syncs and other placements.
Some past camp partners include: The Remix Project, Kilometre Music Group, Universal Music Studio A, Manitoba Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony Music Publishing Canada, Warner Chappell Music Canada, and CCS Rights Management, Daytripper Music Publishing, Reliant Music, and Spinnin’ Records.
In 2023, the S.A.C. fostered an environment to connect 108 participants who created 131 songs.
Some notable participants of past Pro Songworks camps include:
Wondagurl
Friyie
Adria Kain
Liz Rodrigues
Niiva
NEFE
Denise De’ion
Chis LaRocca
Idman
Aaron Paris
Faouzia
Sadye
Olivier Dion
Leila Dey
Good Grief
Tilsen
Josh Bogert
Successful songs from past songwriting camps include:
- “One Night” written by Andrew Allen, Mikhail Cronin, and Justin Toito released as a single by Via Barcelonia on Flying Colours Music, Inc. (Toronto SW)
- “Suspicious” written by Greg Johnston, Nick Fowler, and Jonathan Pike released by FWLR feat. BRDGS on Monstercat Records. (Moncton SW)
- “Stay” written by Arun Chaturvedi, Andrew Allen, Craig Smart released by Universal Germany artist Mario Novembre as the title track of his newly released album “Stay” (Vancouver SW), also recorded as a single by UK recording artist Ronan Parke (Britain’s Got Talent).
- “Lights On” written by David Spekter, Justin Toito (Toito), and Ryan Cranston recorded and released by Toito via HRM/Sony Canada (Moncton SW)
- “Nos Amours A La Croie” written by David Nathan, Desiree Fauteux, Guatier Marinof, recorded and released as a music video by Desiree Fauteux, to be released as a single on her first album (Quebec City SW)
- “Together We Are One” written by Jasmine Denham, Murray Daigle, and Bobby John released as the official song of the 2015 Pan Am Games (Toronto SW)
- “Shine As One” written by Karen Kosowski, Dennis Ellsworth, and Sophia D’aragon Krim released as the official ceremony song of the 2015 Pan Am Games (Toronto SW)
- “Can’t Make It Back Home” written by David Leask, Patrick Bouchard, and Lora Ryan released and performed as the feature song for the “Support Our Soldiers” fundraising concert at Glen Gould Studio/Band Of The Royal Regiment of Canada, finalist in the International Songwriting Competition in the “Social Causes” category, and has been added to the Apple Music Canada’s Country playlist (Montreal SW)
- “Be Anybody” written by Sam Drysdale, Terra Lightfoot, and Devon Lougheed released in trailer for “Raising Expectations” on the Family Channel (Toronto SW)