songSLAM EVENTS
First premiered in NYC in 2016, the songSLAM has now been co-presented with regional partners in four countries and 13 different cities around the globe: NYC, Toronto, Vancouver, Bloomington, Tallahassee, Rochester, London, Ljubljana, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Waco, with even more growth on the horizon.
Want to bring songSLAM to your city? Reach out for details!
Scroll down for a calendar of upcoming events!
songSLAM Chicago
- Koval Distillery Tasting Room (map)
- Google Calendar ICS
Fourth Coast Ensemble partners with Sparks & Wiry Cries for the SEVENTH Annual songSLAM Chicago on May 7th, 2026 at KOVAL Distillery Tasting Room, 4241 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL.
This year's competition will again be emcee'd by beloved Chicago composer Stacy Garrop and co-host Gretchen Eng. Learn more about this year’s event on Fourth Coast Ensemble’s website!
PAST songSLAM EVENTS
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Fourth Coast Ensemble partners with Sparks & Wiry Cries for the SEVENTH Annual songSLAM Chicago on May 7th, 2026 at KOVAL Distillery Tasting Room, 4241 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL.
This year's competition will again be emcee'd by beloved Chicago composer Stacy Garrop and co-host Gretchen Eng. Learn more about this year’s event on Fourth Coast Ensemble’s website!
Sparks collaborates with Vocal Arts DC to present the first songSLAM in Washington, D.C.
The SIXTH Slovenian songSLAM will be on February 23rd, 2026 at Klub CD in Ljubljana, Slovenia!
With success of the last four years’ added virtual component, we will once again incorporate both recorded and live elements into the 2026 NYC songSLAM. For this hybrid format, all teams will have their entry professionally recorded on February 15 & 16, 2026, AND all teams will perform in the live songSLAM event on February 21, 2026, at 7:30 pm. Both the recording and live performance will take place in the Thalia Theater at Symphony Space. Registration opens on November 17th at 6.00pm ET!
Indiana University hosts its THIRD songSLAM in partnership with Sparks & Wiry Cries on February 21, 2026!
Sparks collaborates with Eastman School of Music to present the second songSLAM at Eastman!
Sparks collaborates with Florida State Univerisity professors Natalie Sherer & Valerie Trujillo once again to present the THIRD songSLAM in Florida!
— CANCELED —
Our entire team at Sparks & Wiry Cries sits in peaceful solidarity with the brave people of Minneapolis and our friends at Source Song Festival. In the midst of horrifying and escalating events, Source was forced to make the important decision to cancel. We are forever grateful for this community of artists, performers, creatives, and passionate administrators who show up for what they believe in every day to make music happen, often resisting through musical expression, but personal safety for all must come first.
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The Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM, in partnership with Source Song Festival, presents the EIGHTH songSLAM in Minneapolis!
Sparks collaborates with Boston Conservatory at Berklee to present the first songSLAM in Boston!
Fourth Coast Ensemble partners with Sparks & Wiry Cries for the SIXTH Annual songSLAM Chicago on May 4th, 2025 at KOVAL Distillery Tasting Room, North Center
4241 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL.
This year's competition will again be emcee'd by beloved Chicago composer Stacy Garrop. Learn more about this year’s event on Fourth Coast Ensemble’s website!
Indiana hosts its SECOND songSLAM in partnership with Sparks & Wiry Cries on March 1, 2025!
Watch via the live stream HERE!
Building on the success of the last four years’ added virtual component, we will incorporate both recorded and live elements into the 2025 NYC songSLAM. For this hybrid format, all teams will have their entry professionally recorded on November 24-25, 2024, AND all teams will perform in the live songSLAM event on February 7, 2025, at 7:30 pm. The recording will take place at the Blue Building in NYC and the live performance will take place at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Registration opens on October 16th at 6.00pm ET!
Sparks collaborates with Florida State Univeristy professors Natalie Sherer & Valerie Trujillo once again to present the SECOND songSLAM in Florida!
Sparks collaborates with Eastman School of Music to present the first songSLAM at Eastman!
The Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM, in partnership with Source Song Festival, presents the SEVENTH songSLAM in Minneapolis!
Sparks collaborates with Lone Star Song, an art song organization directed by Kathleen Kelly, for their THIRD songSLAM in Waco, Texas!
Fourth Coast Ensemble partners with Sparks & Wiry Cries for the FIFTH Annual songSLAM Chicago on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at The Promontory in Hyde Park. Ten composer/performer teams premiere new art songs live for the voting audience who will award $2,000 in cash prizes to their favorite teams. This year's competition will again be emcee'd by beloved Chicago composer Stacy Garrop. Check out the new commission prize and also information about the virtual portion of this SLAM by visiting the Fourth Coast Ensemble website.
The FIFTH Slovenian songSLAM will be on March 2nd, 2024 at Klub CD in Ljubljana, Slovenia!
Indiana hosts its first songSLAM in partnership with Sparks & Wiry Cries on February 24, 2024!
Sparks collaborates with Lone Star Song, a new art song organization directed by Kathleen Kelly, for their SECOND songSLAM in Waco, Texas!
Sparks collaborates with Florida State Univeristy professors Natalie Sherer & Valerie Trujillo to present the or the first songSLAM in Florida!
The Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM, in partnership with Source Song Festival, presents the SIXTH songSLAM in Minneapolis!
Building on the success of the last four years’ added virtual component, we will incorporate both recorded and live elements into the 2024 NYC songSLAM. For this hybrid format, all teams will have their entry professionally recorded on November 20-21, 2023, AND all teams will perform in the live songSLAM event on January 19, 2024, at 7:30 pm. The recording will take place at the Blue Building in NYC and the live performance will take place at National Sawdust. Check back soon to reserve your tickets!
Fourth Coast Ensemble partners with Sparks & Wiry Cries to present the FOURTH annual songSLAM! This event will be emcee'd by Chicago composer Stacy Garrop, whose recent premieres include The Battle for the Ballot for the Cabrillo Festival, The Transformation of Jane Doe for Chicago Opera Theater, and Beacon of the Bay for The Boston Trio.
The 4th Slovenian songSLAM will be on March 2nd, 2023 at Klub CD in Ljubljana, Slovenia!
Sparks collaborates with Lone Star Song, a new art song organization directed by Kathleen Kelly, for the first songSLAM in Texas!
Cincinnati Song Initiative is back with the fourth annual Cincinnati songSLAM! Up to twelve teams each present a single new song for voice and piano. The voting audience — in the poetry slam tradition — then votes for their favorite songs and awards a total of $2,000 in prize money. Don’t miss this fun event that engages both performers and audience members equally, all while bringing awesome new songs into the world and supporting the mission of Cincinnati Song Initiative!
Building on the successful virtual songSLAMs of 2021 and 2022, we have decided to incorporate both recorded and live elements into the 2023 NYC songSLAM. For this new hybrid format, all teams will have their entry professionally recorded on November 20-21, 2022, and all teams will perform in the live songSLAM event on January 13th, 2023, at 7:00 pm. Additionally, last year's songSLAM commission prize winner Shawn Chang will have his new cycle 'Us Now' premiered during the event performed by tenor Daniel McGrew with the composer at the piano. Reserve your tickets TODAY via this LINK!
The Sparks & Wiry Cries songSLAM, in partnership with Source Song Festival, presents the FIFTH songSLAM in Minneapolis!
Sparks & Wiry Cries partners with NATS for a GRAND songSLAM! The SLAM will take place on the opening night of the NATS National Conference in downtown Chicago on July 1st at 8:00 PM. Click for more info.