About the event
The Minnesota Original Music Festival is looking for Minnesota songwriters and composers to create and perform new music for the 2025 Minnesota Original Music Festival’s program, The Songwriters Stage, in Saint Peter, MN, over the weekend of July 19-20.
We are providing stipends of $500 to two songwriters to write and perform 4 new songs (about 10-12 minutes of music each), and two stipends of $1000 to two composers to write and perform 15 minutes of music each (approximately).
Date and time commitment
All music will be performed at the 2025 Minnesota Original Music Festival on July 19 or 20, 2025, by the songwriter/composer and backed by the MOMF Songwriters Stage Band. The MOMF Songwriters Stage Band is composed of professional musicians that have performance history in many different music genres. They also have backgrounds in education and can act as mentors if needed. There are two required rehearsal dates, Wednesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 16, times to be determined, both in Saint Peter, MN. The live event will be recorded on audio and video by Triple Falls Productions of Mankato. MOMF reserves the right to use the performance recordings of your music. You retain all rights to your songs.
Stipends are paid by check on completion of the performance on the weekend of July 19-20, 2025, in Saint Peter. Artists are required to sign an agreement and provide a W9.
Songwriters & Composers
Songwriter: an artist creating music intended to be performed by a solo musician. Although, we generally think about songwriters writing songs with lyrics, they are not required. You will perform your new music with our Songwriters Stage Band, so you will likely want to provide the band with the chords you’re using and some kind of road map so they can perform the music.
You do not have to write out their parts unless you want to.
Composer: an artist creating music intended to be performed by an ensemble of instruments. The composer can create a single 15 minute piece, or multiple compositions of lesser duration equivalent to 15 minutes. Compositions can have lyrics but don’t have to. You will perform your new music with our Songwriters Stage Band, and will need to communicate their parts.
MOMF Songwriters Stage Band
Dan Neale – Guitar
One of the Twin Cities’ most adored pickers, Dan has played with Bo Diddley and as a guest artist and fill-in for Pat Donohue on “A Prairie Home Companion.” He also performed with Chuck Leavell (keyboard player, The Rolling Stones), Hutch Hutchinson (bass player, Bonnie Raitt) and Kenny Arnoff in the 50th Anniversary Buddy Holly Tribute, backing such greats as Graham Nash and Wanda Jackson.
Craig Matarrese – Bass
Bassist Craig Matarrese is Professor of Philosophy at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He has been teaching electric & upright bass for the Music Department for the past ten years. Matarrese plays bass in a variety of ensembles and contexts, for MSU and around Minnesota, including Steely Ann, a Steely Dan cover band based in Mankato and Saint Peter.
Larry McDonough – Piano
Larry McDonough is an award-winning St. Paul jazz composer, pianist, singer, and teacher, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. When not playing jazz, he performs jam fusion in Quantum Mechanics, funk in Funkin’ Right, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, and punk in Saint Small.
Ryan Rader – Drums
Ryan Rader is a music educator and performer from southern Minnesota. He teaches private drum and percussion lessons at Scheitel’s Music in Mankato as well as Martin Luther College in New Ulm. His performance credits include The Mankato Symphony Orchestra, Jazz 10, and The NintenTones: Video Game Jazz Orchestra among many others.
Email mnoriginalmusicfest@gmail.com with questions!