The Songbird Collective, a group made up of local Annapolis musicians Laura Brino, Danah Denice, Jeanette Lynn, and Meg Murray, is excited to announce the inaugural Songbird Festival: A Women’s Experience, taking place at Maryland Hall on Saturday, April 22nd, 2023 from 1-4 pm. The festival aims to connect all women by providing a platform for storytelling, artistic expression, and a safe space to find commonality and community in the shared female experience. The Songbird Festival is committed to reflecting the diversity and multicultural reality of the women’s community in regard to race, ethnicity, religion, age, physical ability, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and strives to reflect that diversity in the programming team, participants, performers, presenters, and vendors.
This inaugural year will feature a diverse group of performers and presenters and many women artists, women-owned businesses, support services and resources for women, and more. While providing a platform for presenters and performers to address issues common to women’s experiences like domestic violence, sexual trauma, access to healthcare, birth trauma, trans rights, discrimination and more, the festival will also uplift women in the arts and in business and celebrate the inspiring work being done in the community.
“The thread that runs through all women-whether it is a silent thread or bright and empowered is one that ties us together through experience. There are cycles of trauma that our mothers and our grandmothers have faced. As artists, it is our responsibility to bring to light the stories so that the very cycle that we are a part of may break and our daughters and granddaughters can live freely, equally and safely,” said Laura Brino, one quarter of the festival founders, the Songbird Collective. “We believe that the Songbird Festival will offer something for everyone and will become an important community mainstay for years to come. Whether you are a woman who has experienced hardship or a partner, family member or friend who is open to becoming educated and learning how to support, there is a place for everyone. Our vision is to make the Songbird Festival a leading example of how the community can come together to not only share stories but to heal and make change.”
Registration is available through Eventbrite and is free.
For more information, visit the Songbird Festival website and follow the festival’s Instagram.
Anyone interested in donating in support of the production of the free community festival can do so on the GoFundMe page.
