Grammy winners Ben Lovett, Kelvin Wooten to headline Career & Artist Development Workshop
Published on September 21, 2022
Huntsville is fortunate to have many bright stars within its diverse ecosystem, and two of them – Grammy winners Ben Lovett and Kelvin Wooten – will appear as panelists at an upcoming event.
Lovett and Wooten will share their thoughts about and experiences in the music industry at an upcoming Career & Artist Development Workshop. The event will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the theater of Lee High School, 2500 N. Meridian St., Huntsville.
The free event, presented as part of #hsvmusicmonth, will double as the Huntsville Music Office’s HSV Quarterly Music Meetup.
About the artists
Wooten is an acclaimed musician and producer, while Lovett is a member of Mumford & Sons and the CEO of tvg hospitality. Huntsville Music Officer Matt Mandrella said both Lovett and Wooten were perfect for the panel because of their experience from all sides of the music industry spectrum – writers, performers, producers and business operators.
In addition to producing artists as diverse as H.E.R. and Eric Clapton, Wooten is the founder of WoodaWorx, a production company. Lovett’s company, tvg hospitality, operates The Orion Amphitheater at Apollo Park, recently featured in Rolling Stone magazine.
“It really is an incredible opportunity and a bit of luck that we were able to get both these talented artists together at the same time for this workshop,” Mandrella said. “Kelvin is held in such high regard by so many amazing musicians, which is evident by the caliber of artists who want to work with him. Ben has a wealth of knowledge because he’s not only a musician, songwriter and performer, but he’s also CEO of a successful venue company.”
Building a music city
Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, will moderate the event. Cape, who has lived in Athens, Georgia, New Orleans and Nashville, believes Huntsville has the key ingredients to join the ranks of those music towns.
“The talent is here, and the City is proving that they want to make this happen,” she said. “Just like every engineer creates jobs in finance, human resources, management and administration, every musician creates other opportunities for people to work in this field. This workshop will help show the bigger picture of a music economy and what that means for Huntsville. I’m pinching myself that I get to be a small part of it.”
Mandrella urges attendees to arrive early as seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. He anticipates informative discussions that will provide a wealth of knowledge for newcomers as well as seasoned musicians.
“If you’re a musician, songwriter or working behind the scenes in the music industry, this is really a must-see event,” Mandrella said. “Even better, the only thing it costs is your time.”
