Three-day Whitefish Songwriter Festival set for September
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 3 months, 1 week AGO
The Whitefish Songwriter Festival returns in the fall, focusing on original songs and the writers behind them.
On Sept. 19, 20 and 21, seven venues in downtown Whitefish will host three days of original music, featuring 20 performances, 21 songwriters and the stories behind more than 100 hit songs. The festival will also feature unreleased music and interviews.
“We create a platform where original artists — from Nashville legends to Montana locals —share their music and their stories. Our audiences laugh, cry, and connect with the artists in ways you don’t often get at larger concerts,” said festival Producer Cari Klepper.
“This is a community event that brushes with the fame of the artists who wrote the songs you grew up on or are climbing the charts on the radio today. You may hear a song at the festival that down the road hits No. 1, but you heard it in Whitefish first,” she said.
The lineup includes six visiting Nashville hit songwriters, many of whom have penned hits for some of the biggest names in music, such as Lady Gaga, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Rogers.
A showcase of rising stars and local favorites scheduled to perform includes Natalie & Kyle Archer, Kalyn Beasley, Big Sky City Lights, Hannah Belle, Sterling Drake, Tommy Edwards, Jess Jocoy, Haley Johnsen, Hannah King, Rylee Mix, Mike Murray, Halladay Quist and Tomara.
The festival caters to an audience of music fans who want to understand the inspiration and meaning behind great songs.
“The festival has changed my relationship with music,” festival Board President Shelley Johnson said. “Now when I hear songs — old or new — I think of the person who wrote them and what they shared on stage here in Whitefish. It’s magical.”
People may purchase festival passes at whitefishsongwriterfest.org.
The Whitefish Songwriter Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting original music and fostering community connection through storytelling and song.
“The music culture in Whitefish is exploding,” said Zak Anderson of Explore Whitefish. “This festival gives our community and visitors access to the original artists behind the music we all know.”
Nashville hit songwriter Wyatt McCubbin performs at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. (Photo by Cari Klepper)