OTTAWA SINGER-SONGWRITER CAMP
July 7-11, 2025
Host instructors
Libby Hortop (Elizabeth Bruce) and Clarissa Fortin.
Guest Coaches
Greg Kelly, Naledi Sunstrum, and Christine Graves
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About
Give voice to the songs that are already inside you, with like-minded creative spirits. Revel in the luxury of a quiet songwriting space, just for you and your ideas. Enjoy daily opportunities to perform and receive valuable feedback on your singing, playing, lyrics, music writing, and stage presence.
Your instructors will guide you through the landscape that all performer-songwriters need to navigate: finding your muse, pulling a song together, and performing it effectively. Through hands-on creative activities and lively brainstorming sessions, you’ll gain useful insights into establishing and sustaining a songwriting routine.
The camp will feature one guest coach each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We’ll finish the week with a student concert in which everyone will perform one solo song and one group song.
Whether you are working on your first song or your fiftieth, your creative spark will ignite in this supportive environment.
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Registration:
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July 7-11, 2025
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9 am to 4 pm
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Age: Adult
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Registration Fee $500, (non-refundable)
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Deadline June 13th
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Enrollment limited to ten participants.
​Registration Form choice:
MSWord download, print and fill
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FAQ's:
Do I need to play an instrument?
It helps, but you can also sing a cappella, or use beats and loops on your digital device.
What if I've never finished a song?
We've had lots of people write their first song ever at OSSC. And feel free to bring along your partially completed stuff.
Do I have to sing my song?
It's a good idea. Gives you the chance to work stuff out in a safe and supportive environment.
What about accompaniment?
You will hone your singing and playing skills at camp. And we can usually find some musicians around here somewhere.
What should I bring?
Your instruments(s) other than piano, your lunch (or signed permission to leave the premises and purchase lunch nearby), snacks, refillable water bottle, notebook, pencil, eraser, your idea journal if you keep one, your creative mind!
We supply: overnight instrument lock up, piano, inspiration, and creative space.
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Questions? contact us through email info@alcornmusicstudios.com or phone 613-729-0693
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Singer-Songwriting Coaches
​Libby Hortop has been writing songs since the late 1990s, when she would rush home after school to sing and play piano while the house was quiet. Her love of music led her to Montreal, where she earned a BA in music and recorded her first album. In 2007, she returned to the Ottawa area and began teaching voice and piano at Alcorn Music Studios. In 2013, she released an ambitious 21-song concept album based on the tarot. After discovering the autoharp, she joined forces with a 12-string guitarist to form Libby & Cal. They are releasing their third album, The Hagstrom-Schmidt Affair, in May 2025. Libby’s songs have been described as unique and surprising. She believes all musicians should try their hand at songwriting!
Visit libbyhortop.com
Clarissa Fortin is a singer-songwriter, teacher, and performer with a decade of experience guiding young and old musicians alike. As a teacher she's committed to exploring many different genres and styles beyond her classical background. Clarissa believes in focussing on the goals of each individual student, whether that means belting out showtunes, preparing for exams, or assisting them in writing their own original songs. She endeavours to create a safe encouraging space for her students to try new things and express themselves. She aims to give them the tools to develop a strong, unique, sustainable singing voice. She also loves directing students towards open mic events, bringing them to Kiwanis Music Festival, and guiding them through auditions. Clarissa also teaches at Alcorn Music Studios.​
Youtube Clarissa Fortin
Facebook @ClarissaAnneFortin
Guest Coaches
Christine Graves is an award winning songwriter who returned to touring and performing music in 2022 with an LP called Everyday Life. During the pandemic, working in a mental health hospital brought Graves back to the recording studio as an avenue to joy, building her self-belief in her gift of making music. From 2006 to 2008, Graves was artistic director at Blue Skies Music Festival. She released four independent CD’s from 1995 to 2006 and toured Canada extensively. Graves has performed festival stages with Buffy Sainte-Marie, the Blacksheep Inn stage with Feist, and living rooms from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island. Her songs are contemporary folk, personal and political art without the lecture. Her voice is remarkable.
Visit Christine Graves
Greg Kelly is singer songwriter in the Country-Folk tradition based in Ottawa, Ontario. He has recorded four CDs of original songs: Broken Windows (2008), Slow Horses (2012), Ghosts (2016), and Hearts Collide (2021).
His songs focus on people and situations, loves and lost loves, addiction and recovery. You know…human stuff.
Greg is well known in the Ottawa area as a promoter of local, and some not so local, performers. Presenting them at his weekly music series, “Tunes After Noon with Greg Kelly and Friends”, he treats his audiences to a wide variety of musical genres with a focus on original music.
In 2017, Greg was the inaugural winner of the Spirit of Tony Turner Award. This award is presented annually in recognition of someone who has made a special contribution to the Ottawa folk music community.
Greg has been writing music for decades. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that he decided to step outside his comfort zone, share his work, and in turn, bring together a large community of musical talent who are both heard and unheard.
Visit Greg Kelly
Naledi Sunstrum is an Ottawa based musician-producer who fronts the high energy, Queer, Afro Fusion music project OK Naledi. Featuring traditional sub-Saharan clean guitar lines, classic deep bass and movement-inspiring beats, OK Naledi's compelling lyricism and catchy melodies showcase them as an exciting up and coming group to keep tabs on in the Canadian music landscape. Naledi writes and composes music on the guitar and piano and expresses her craft through multiple mediums — music, video, poetry, graphic arts. This multifaceted expression exemplifies the themes in OK Naledi's music in ways that make them more widely accessible and attainable.
Visit OK Naledi