Ellis Paul
NESR Founder & Host
Songwriting Instructor
Workshop Instructor
 

Ellis Paul Bio:
Coming soon
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PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP w/ ELLIS PAUL—"Under the Bright Lights"
“Please welcome to the stage … YOU!” There you are. Blinded by the lights. Stepping up to the microphone. Delivering the first note. Who are you? Those of us in the audience want to know! Some of the story of who you are is delivered in the song, yes, but so much of it is in what we see. Your poise, your posture, your clothing. Your banter. Your confidence. How you use the stage. How you move. How you built the set list. How do you create tension and release? Laughter and thoughtfulness? We want you to take us on a journey. And we want it to be true to you. We want to trust you. Who are you? With a combination of exercises and student performances, in this workshop we will explore your unique stagecraft and ways to enhance it.

 

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Laurie MacAllister
NESR Retreat Coordinator
NESR Co-Host
 

Laurie MacAllister Bio:​
Affectionately dubbed "Mama Bear" by NESR IV Students, Laurie handles the logistical aspects of NESR Online. Ask her anything—she's happy to help: newenglandsongwritersretreat@gmail.com. In late 2024, Laurie MacAllister embarked on an exciting new chapter, launching a solo career with a sold-out performance at the legendary Club Passim. Two decades earlier, she co-founded the beloved Americana trio Red Molly, which released seven acclaimed albums and toured both the U.S. and internationally, including appearances at MerleFest, Cayamo, and Boston Symphony Hall. Along the way, ad executives heard Laurie’s voice on the Red Molly album “Never Been to Vegas” and invited her to sing the iconic Folgers Coffee jingle for a national TV commercial. Her 2018 self-produced solo album "The Lies the Poets Tell" is a heartfelt tribute to the contemporary folk music scene, celebrating a handful of its best songs and songwriters. It features duets with six male artists, including the late Americana master Jimmy LaFave. SiriusXM praised the album as “Defining. A curated collection packed with emotional vibrancy.” Laurie’s earlier solo album "The Things I Choose To Do” was produced by folk luminary Cliff Eberhardt and was first released independently. Hearing it, Barnes & Noble re-released it as an exclusive on their label, saying, "MacAllister wholly inhabits these songs as subtly as a chameleon, convincingly taking on the persona's skin, quite simply singing her heart out.” From a young girl with a quiet dream of becoming a singer, Laurie’s journey has unfolded one song at a time. Over more than two decades, she’s made her dream into a reality. Laurie is currently on her Solo Debut Tour 2025, headlining shows across the Northeast, bringing her soulful, loving voice and presence to fans old and new. lauriemacallister.net​​

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Abbie Gardner
Songwriting Instructor
 

Abbie Gardner Bio:
Coming soon
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SONGWRITING w/ ABBIE GARDNER—"Hooked on a Feeling: Memorable Melodies"
We work so hard on our lyrics, yet it’s the MELODY that gets stuck in your head! Over the Rainbow, Crazy, Hallelujah, Eleanor Rigby—iconic songs have memorable melodies that tell the story all on their own. In this course we’ll pay special attention to writing melodies that support your carefully-crafted lyrics. We'll learn about major, minor, chromatic and static melodies and those with steps and jumps. Each can support a different emotion. We'll get into making repeated motifs and intentionally using rhythm in combination with note choices. We'll play with these concepts by writing and re-writing melodies in class, rather than just talking about them. You'll walk away with a melodic toolbox to take home. You don’t need to know music theory for this class, but you might end up learning some!

 

 

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Don Henry
Songwriting Instructor
 

Don Henry Bio:
Coming soon
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SONGWRITING w/ DON HENRY—"The Muse Loves to See You at Work"
It’s a beautiful moment when a wave of inspiration hits you. However, if you’re like most of us, it can be a long time between those moments. Fortunately, the Muse is kind to those who are busy at work! Inspiration never travels without the companion of craftsmanship, and we’re going to use the whole toolbox: Hard and soft rhymes, cadences, chord changes, cut and paste, puns, juxtapositions, and more. In the process, we’ll conquer three distinct challenges: 1) Assignment writing, 2) Writing lyrics without an instrument, 3) Putting music to a co-writer’s lyrics. Come explore how creativity can blossom from boundaries!

 

 

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Natalia Zukerman
Songwriting Instructor
 

Natalia Zukerman Bio:
Coming soon
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SONGWRITING w/ NATALIA ZUKERMAN—"The Lyric Lab"
The heart of a song often lives in the small, specific moments, in the tangible, visual language. In this course, we’ll practice ways of noticing and shaping language to give our voice deeper meaning. Through exercises in object writing, lyric structure, and poetic adaptation, we will explore how vivid, sensory detail becomes the foundation for emotionally resonant lyrics.  This will be a creative playground for your ears, heart, and pen — part songwriting lab, part storytelling gym. Some exercises will be playful, others more introspective. All are designed to help you listen more carefully - to language, to music, and to yourself. Get ready for lots of prompts, lots of writing, lots of discovery and above all else, lots of FUN.

 

 

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Seth Glier
Songwriting Instructor
 

Seth Glier Bio:
Coming soon
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SONGWRITING w/ SETH GLIER—"The Art of Editing"
For some of us, a lyric rushes out into the world before we can think much about it. Other times, a lyric comes in dribs and drabs, and once we have a complete draft, we might be so relieved that we declare it finished prematurely. In both cases, a lyric or melody might benefit from a fresh perspective and a willingness to tinker a little. In this course, we will investigate the art of editing, with an eye toward ensuring that every single part of your song is serving the mission statement. What message are you really trying to convey? Let’s get concrete about it. Let’s define it. We’ll look at stumbling blocks and how to get around them. We’ll explore concepts and techniques like point of view, chord substitutions, and melodic choice. Each element of a song rolls into the other, like a watercolor painting—the art and practice of intentional editing helps define the colors, making our songs brighter, bolder, and better.

 

 

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Tara Shannon
Workshop Instructor
 

Tara Shannon Bio:
Coming soon
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CREATIVITY WORKSHOP w/ TARA SHANNON—"The Creator Within"
In this 90-minute session, you’ll be guided through a reflective and creative journey to deepen your connection with yourself as a creator. Through guided discussion and hands-on exercises, you’ll explore how you experience inspiration, resistance, and creative flow. This session is both playful and revealing, designed to help you better understand your internal creative patterns. You’ll also take a closer look at what you truly want in key areas of your life and uncover the beliefs and emotions that shape those desires. From there, we’ll identify where your creative energy flows freely, and where it may be getting blocked. This session is about understanding the internal systems that shape your creative life, so you can write and live with greater clarity, alignment, and purpose.