Philly Songwriters In The Round is always full of soul, always full of heart, always full of harmony, and always different!
It was an honor to host this beautiful night of music making and story telling, featuring Ross Bellenoit, Zoe Mulford, and Ciara Grace. These artists are sweet and talented, and we all got to blend our unique voices together last night. Thank you for coming out to sing with us, and thank you for supporting live homegrown original music at The Royal Music & Arts Center, and our monthly songwriter concert series.
I love our Philly music community. See you again for our next season in the fall!
Philly Songwriters In The Round!
Spring marks the return of a new season of my concert series to the The Royal Music & Arts Center in Glenside PA. These shows have been incredibly fun, and some unexpected musical collaborations always happen. Announcing the line up for Philly Songwriters In The Round, Thursday April 4: Zoe Mulford, Ciara Grace, Ross Bellenoit, joined by your host Avi Wisnia. Don’t miss it!
Come experience a unique showcase of incredible songs, storytelling, collaboration and community. This concert series brings you 4 talented songwriters curated by Aaron Nathans, Avi Wisnia, and Meghan Cary. Each month, a different line up of stand out artists share the stage, taking turns performing an eclectic variety of original songs, sharing the stories behind those songs, and speaking to the unique perspective that comes with having strong connections to the Philadelphia music scene.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Zoe Mulford is known for her vivid storytelling, humor, and deep compassion. She accompanies her clear voice with guitar, piano, and claw-hammer banjo. She has been hailed for her composition “The President Sang Amazing Grace,” an account of the 2015 racist attack at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. The song was covered by Joan Baez in 2018 and by Kronos Quartet in 2019, winning an International Folk Award for Song of the Year, and was transformed by illustrator/animator Jeff Scher into a video and a picture book.
Ciara Grace grew up surrounded by music. She spent much of her formative years in a studio with some of the top most session players as mentors. It’s no wonder that by a young age, she was already churning out songs to make even the most seasoned songwriters take note. She has performed at premier venues such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Bitter End, Sellersville Theater, Laura Mann’s Living Room, Sala BBK in Spain, and the Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room in the UK. Her unreleased tracks (recorded and produced by Grammy Award winner, Glenn Barratt) are already creating an industry buzz.
Ross Bellenoit has forged quite a career path, racking up impressive credits as a guitarist, composer and record producer. After moving to Philadelphia in 2003, Bellenoit quickly became the leading axe-man for a thriving singer-songwriter scene that spawned Amos Lee, Birdie Busch, and Chris Kasper. Since 2010, he’s been making his mark as a songwriter himself, having released several of his own albums of original material, including three full-length LP’s in 2015, and his most recent Americana-tinged album, “Where Does The Light Go?”
Avi Wisnia is an award-winning singer/songwriter, finding inspiration in 1950’s west-coast jazz, acoustic American folk, Brazilian bossa nova, and contemporary piano pop. Avi’s clever lyrics give a knowing nod to his contemporaries, while his smooth vocals and deft piano skills assure you that this is truly something new. He tours in support of his newest studio album, “Catching Leaves,” performing in prestigious venues around the world – from the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC to The Kennedy Center in DC to concert tours in Japan, Poland, and Brazil. His single “Sky Blue Sky” was recorded via satellite between Philadelphia and Brazil, winning recognition from the Philadelphia Songwriters Project and Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. In addition to being a performing songwriter, he has given a TED Talk and performed with The Moth storytellers and organizes the Philly Songwriters Circle collective. “Avi Wisnia represents the best of the singer-songwriter genre: great voice, great songs, exciting stage presence. He plays piano like he was born to it.” – The Minstrel Acoustic Folk Project
It’s a brand new season!
The Philly Songwriters In The Round monthly concert series returns in 2024 to The Royal music venue every First Thursday. Join me & my partners in rhyme: Meghan Cary & Aaron Nathans, as we host these nights of entertaining and powerful songs & stories in Philadelphia.
Upcoming Dates for the Spring Season: Feb1, Mar7, Apr4, May2
See tour schedule for tickets & details.
“Come experience a unique showcase of incredible songs, storytelling, collaboration and community. Each month, a different line up of 4 talented artists share the stage, taking turns performing an eclectic variety of original songs, sharing the stories behind those songs, and speaking to the unique perspective that comes with having strong connections to the Philadelphia music scene.”
Philly Songwriters In The Round returns to The Royal Glenside!
Experience a unique showcase of incredible songs, storytelling, collaboration and community. This concert series brings you 4 talented songwriters curated by Aaron Nathans, Avi Wisnia, and Meghan Cary. Each month, a different line up of stand out artists share the stage, taking turns performing an eclectic variety of original songs, sharing the stories behind those songs, and speaking to the unique perspective that comes with having strong connections to the Philadelphia music scene. November’s concert features: John Faye, Erin Fox, and Nicole Zell, joined by your host Avi Wisnia.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Since his time fronting 90’s alternative rockers The Caulfields, John Faye has been a fixture in the Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic music community, with projects like the John Faye Power Trip, IKE (whose song “Into Philadelphia” is a perennial staple on WMMR), John & Brittany, and his solo work. John won five trophies at the 2023 Homey Awards including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for his collaborative single “Lightning In A Bottle” with Sug Daniels. Faye can now add published author to his list of accomplishments, as his memoir The Yin & the Yang of It All, released by Advantage Books in April of 2023, is a certified Amazon Best Seller.
Erin Fox performed in various outfits in the Philadelphia music community for nearly two decades before stepping out to record and create her own unique flavor of experimental chamber pop music. Her latest solo EP “For Your Loss” is a story of the stages of grief encapsulating the essence and struggle to find a silver lining after a steady cascade of tragedies. She remains hard at work on new music with her mini-orchestra of a backing band, The Hounds.
After touring nationally with American Wolves, fronting THRILLCHASER, and receiving notoriety on numerous press outlets such as Billboard, Fuse TV, and TODAY with Hoda and Jenna, Nicole Zell finally found her own voice with her debut solo album, Asleep To My Own Magic. Undoubtedly Zell’s most mature, enlightened work yet, the album starts with “7 Years”, an apology for not believing in her younger self, and then embarks on a journey of confronting childhood abuse, religious trauma, generational cycles, toxic relationships, and more; ultimately culminating with self-worship song “Magic” which powerfully proclaims: “I am safe, I am loved, I am healing, I am light… because I am the magic.”
Avi Wisnia is an award-winning singer/songwriter, finding inspiration in 1950’s west-coast jazz, acoustic American folk, Brazilian bossa nova, and contemporary piano pop. Avi’s clever lyrics give a knowing nod to his contemporaries, while his smooth vocals and deft piano skills assure you that this is truly something new. He tours in support of his newest studio album, “Catching Leaves,” performing in prestigious venues around the world – from the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC to The Kennedy Center in DC to concert tours in Japan, Poland, and Brazil. His single “Sky Blue Sky” was recorded via satellite between Philadelphia and Brazil, winning recognition from the Philadelphia Songwriters Project and Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. In addition to being a performing songwriter, he has given a TED Talk and performed with The Moth storytellers and organizes the Philly Songwriters Circle. “Avi Wisnia represents the best of the singer-songwriter genre: great voice, great songs, exciting stage presence. He plays piano like he was born to it.” – The Minstrel Acoustic Folk Project
