Cardinia Shire Music Residencies 2024

Supporting emerging musicians with the skills to connect with broader audiences as well as the experience they need to progress their career.

Opening date: Monday, 4 March 9:00am
Closing date: Sunday, 31 March 11:59pm
Apply: Application form 

About the opportunity: 

The 2024 Music Residencies program will give three local emerging musicians vital industry knowledge and experience to advance their individual careers. Through a tailored program delivered by Cardinia Arts and local industry whiz Daniel Kelaart, each musician will record a new song in Dan’s professional studio and partake in a series of professional development activities.  

Participants in the 2024 program will: 

• Record a song in the studio with Dan, 
• Have access to the Hills Hub arts space throughout the residency period, 
• Attend Music in the Hills, three music workshops delivered in collaboration with Music Victoria, 3MDR, and Burrinja, and 
• Be given the opportunity to perform at Cardinia Cultural Centre. 

How it works: 

The main component of the mentorships will take place between Monday 22 April and Monday 13 May 2024 (excluding public holidays), where each musician will have three days to work with Dan in his studio to record their song, followed by two days in the studio in the second half of the year. Each artist will receive $500 to compensate them for their time. 

The three participants will also have access to new sound equipment in the Hills Hub Arts Space in Emerald to work on their music during this period. A meet and greet with Dan and the Cardinia Arts team will be facilitated at Dan’s studio to induct participants into the space. 

All mentees will participate in three exciting professional development workshops delivered in collaboration with Music Victoria. Topics, locations, dates, and times below: 

• Marketing, branding, EPK and artist management (Tuesday 23 April, 6pm at Hills Hub) 
• Radio, APRA (Tuesday 30 April, 6pm at 3MDR) 
• Gigs, funding (Tuesday 7 May, 6pm at Burrinja) 

Once each mentorship has taken place, the team at Cardinia Arts will work with each musician to facilitate a paid gig at Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham.  

About your mentor: 

Daniel Kelaart has had over two decades of experience working within the music industry, notably as an independent artist and as an acclaimed producer. He has been recognised as one of Australia’s work horses of the industry, having toured as a session musician for several ARIA nominated artists, fronted his own group ‘Remission Theory’, produced and written songs that have featured in the iTunes Top 40 charts, as well as work with international talent. 

Whilst this skill set has successfully led to him working alongside Australia’s premier artist and management groups, Daniel remains most passionate about young aspiring artists and his local community. Dan opened the doors to his recording studio ‘Clique’ in 2005. The studio has since become a very popular tracking and mixing facility for the musically inspired. 

Dan’s Officer-based studio features a newly installed and refurbished SSL4000 E/G+ mixing console. The recording studio is fully equipped with a tracking room, providing access to a vast selection of microphones, amplifiers, and instruments. 

To apply: 

Applicants must complete the expression of interest form by Sunday, 24 March at 11:59pm to be eligible for consideration. Please note that this opportunity is suitable for musicians aged 18 years and over. 

Further information: To discuss the program, please contact the Arts team at [email protected] or phone 1300 887 624. 

Image: 2022 Cardinia Shire Music Residencies participant, Olivia Mae with mentor Liz Drummond