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Join Livingston for a Retreat this August in Boston!



Greetings from LT Headquarters!

We are excited to announce that Livingston will be hosting his First Annual Livingston Taylor Retreat on the Boston University campus.

After touring for over 50 years, teaching "Stage Performance" for 30 years at Berklee College of Music, and critiquing over 10,000 performances, Livingston is thrilled to be hosting his first ever retreat to bring his vast knowledge and and a skilled team to you! This retreat is perfect for new and established artists and performers alike.

Livingston and his world class team of instructors will concentrate on songwriting, singing, speaking, and confident, fear-free presentations. This will result in a dramatic improvement of the stage experience for both you and your audience. Other topics will include growing a career, promotion, booking, marketing and Music business 101 by experts.

Special guest instructors include Vance Gilbert (nationally touring musician), Melissa Ferrick (Berklee College of Music Songwriting Department / nationally touring musician), Matt Smith (GM of Club Passim / President of the International Folk Alliance), Ralph Jaccodine (Liv's manager, Berklee College of Music professor), and Brittany Bethune (GM of Ralph Jaccodine Management). The retreat begins the evening on Friday, August 17 and runs through the afternoon of Sunday, August 19, with action-packed days of workshops and masterclasses.


Here's what's included:

  • Access to all workshops, master classes, and group activites on stage performance, songwriting, growing a career, music business 101, and more.
  • 2 nights of lodging in a private bedroom, two-bathroom, modern BU quad dormitory with shared living room space.
  • Daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), snacks, coffee, etc.
  • Spectacular views of Boston in BU's high end dormitory overlooking the Charles River.
  • Access to BU's spectacular fitness and recreational facilities, as well as parking are available to those attending for a small fee.


Rates

Overnight Guests:

Early Bird Rate: Register on or before May 1, 2018
$950

Standard Rate: Register after May 1, 2018 through August 10, 2018
$1,250

Commuters:

Early Bird Rate: Register on or before May 1, 2018
$750

Standard Rate: Register after May 1, 2018 through August 10, 2018
$1,050


Meet The Instructors!


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Melissa Ferrick is currently an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a nationally touring singer-songwriter with a reputation of high energy shows and smart, engaging songwriting.

She released her debut and sophomore albums on Atlantic records, three albums on indie label W.A.R. records and two albums via N.Y. based MPress records. In 2000 Ms. Ferrick launched the nationally distributed independent record label Right On Records; she has performed upwards of eight thousand shows internationally. Her publishing catalog is represented worldwide by Raleigh Music Group.

Regarded in the industry and by her peers as one of the most prolific and hardworking artists in the business, Ferrick still performs throughout North America. She has shared the stage with many artists over the years, some of which include: Morrissey, Joan Armatrading, Weezer, Tegan and Sara, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco, k.d.Lang, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, and Anais Mitchell.


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Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking 'em dead at open mics. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vance started out hoping to be a jazz singer, and then discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of acoustic folk music. Once word got out about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her Fat City Tour. Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 12 albums, including 4 for Philo/Rounder Records and a duo album with friend Ellis Paul. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, and Anita Baker, 2006 and 2007 found Gilbert opening 140+ shows for comedian George Carlin. Most recently he’s the opener of choice for Paul Reiser and The Subdudes.

Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, Gilbert's approach to the acoustic singer songwriter idiom is significant. Gilbert's compositions, while frequently employing sophisticated melodies and harmonies that attest to his jazz roots, remain sublime attestations to the storyteller's craft. He even has a tune on a Grammy Nominated children’s album. How rounded is that?


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Matt Smith is the Managing Director of Passim, a non-profit arts organization in Cambridge, MA, and has been working there since 1995. He is also the president of the board for Folk Alliance International. In the past he has worked for Young/Hunter Management and was one of the founders of FolkWeb, an online CD realtor in the mid-late 90s. Matt has been on panels, juries and committees at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Folk Alliance International, and the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. He has worked as a tour manager, sound engineer, and stage manager/MC for various tours and festivals.


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Ralph Jaccodine began his career in music as a musician and concert promoter in Ralph Jaccodine has 4 decades of working in the Music Business working with artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Rush, Kiss to Livingston Taylor, Martin Sexton and Ellis Paul. He started out from promoting concerts, running an independent record label and over 26 years of artist management. He is the founder of the Boston Managers Group, a 100+ professional organization. He is a frequent speaker at industry events including NPR and podcast interviews. Ralph teaches full time on the faculty of Berklee College of Music in the Music Business/Management department.