The House of Songs Announces Nonprofit Status, Events This Week, Artspace Partnership and All ATX Program

The international music collaborative The House of Songs announces its new status as a global nonprofit as well as upcoming events and programs in Austin, Texas and Northwest Arkansas. The House of Songs founder and renowned musician Troy Campbell established the collaborative in 2009 as a songwriter exchange that draws artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to collaborate, form friendships and join a network that helps them share music worldwide. In 2017, Campbell applied to have The House of Songs become a nonprofit, and a year later in spring of 2018, the organization was approved to become a 501c3. As a nonprofit, The House of Songs seeks to foster mutually beneficial relationships and a greater understanding of diverse cultures and common humanity with the act of sharing music.

"I'm excited to announce that The House of Songs, after nine years of successfully pairing artists for collaborations, has become a nonprofit with a new global vision and partners," Campbell said. "We have opened a new location in Northwest Arkansas with the support of the Walton Family Foundation after 18 months of research in the area. The House of Songs is broadening its work with outstanding artists from Egypt, Pakistan, Greenland, First Nation and many more. This will lead to new understanding and shared works around the world."

After eight years of work in Austin, the Walton Family Foundation extended an invitation to The House of Songs to bring its program to Northwest Arkansas, offering a one-year operations grant after learning of the House's success in Austin. The Ozarks and Austin branches of The House of Songs have flourished, partnering with 14 countries including Scandinavia, Pakistan and more, earning Grammy nominations, touring worldwide and having their songs chart in other countries. The House of Songs has recently received a grant from All ATX to fund a new program called ATX P2P which focuses on regional artists collaborating in The House of Songs Austin to create, build a better network and to share audiences.

"We have currently developed a new program in Austin which will support regional co-writing," said Campbell. "This program, titled P2P, or peer-to-peer, is supported by a generous donation from All ATX."

In the next six months, The House of Songs aims to expand their cross-genre co-writing to form deeper friendships and more relationships. In pursuit of that mission, The House of Songs is partnering with Artspace to build a home for artists in Northwest Arkansas, as well as one in Harlem (New York City). This program will pave the way for a New York location for The House of Songs.

"Artspace has over 30 incredible locations across the United States providing affordable housing and work space for professional artists," said Campbell. "We hope this New York City location is just the beginning of our partnership."

In Northwest Arkansas, on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, The House of Songs will host a 4:30 p.m. performance in downtown Bentonville with First Nation artist Michel Bruyere. The next day, Saturday, Oct. 6, Cris Derksen is headlining the Crystal Bridges Forest Concert series, and Michel Bruyere will perform as part of Cris' band along with regional artists and native drummers. Later in the year, Australian Aboriginal artist Leah Flanagan will be playing select shows.

Artists accepted for a residency with The House of Songs spend up to 12 days in a comfortable home, co-writing as many songs as inspiration allows and, if they choose, performing their work at an intimate showcase. House of Songs participants have said the experience has transformed their lives; several share their experiences on www.thehouseofsongs.com, where participants, audiences and sponsors can stay in contact and continue building their international connections.

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