MOVER – Songbirds Take Flight

+ By Jeff Muller  + Photos courtesy of Songbird Collective

“Being with all these creative women has really energized and inspired me musically. It’s a reminder that, at any age, we still have a lot to learn as well as a lot to share.” 

-Leslie Webber 

In late summer 2022, four local women connected about their experiences as female musicians and identified a need that they would set out to address. Their response was to launch first the Songbird Festival, then the Songbird Collective. Both initiatives quickly found their way into the hearts of local woman and nonbinary performers—along with allies and fans—by building an active, inclusive community of musicians in the Annapolis area and beyond.

At the core of this community are what the group calls Songbirds, the musicians who participate in the various performances and activities these platforms host. One of these Songbirds, Madisun Bailey, credits the Songbirds and their allies for having created “safe spaces that make you feel you can be authentically yourself and share your art.” 

The supportiveness that manifests from this approach has positively impacted Songbirds in a variety of ways. Shelby Morgan, who experienced bullying by other girls while growing up, has this to say: “Now that I know that there are women out there who care, and they’re welcoming and wanting to help, [it] is really refreshing for me.” Natalia Carrasco Coa, who was born in Peru, tells the story of going from feeling like an outsider to a member of the community because “[the other Songbirds] were so sweet and made me feel confident and comfortable. It’s so beautiful for me as a woman, artist, and immigrant.”

Throughout all their activities, the Songbirds rely on the power of community to nurture and grow musicians, no matter where they are in their artistry or stage of life. P. J. Thomas shared her belief that younger women can benefit from the experiences of their older peers, saying, “It’s great to have a community you can talk to and get their perspective, get their advice, to support each other.” At the same time, Carly Winter—who is one of the youngest Songbirds—has found that “some people are just starting out and have less experience than me.” While she is working to overcome occasional feelings of imposter syndrome, she has found that her already notable experience as a musician is valuable to many of her older colleagues.

Ultimately, the Songbird community provides a variety of benefits to those who participate. Davonne D’Neil appreciates how the platform has become a professional hub for many. “I’ll be in group chats where somebody’s like, ‘Hey, I’m sick but I have a gig, if anybody wants it,’ or ‘Somebody’s looking for live music on this date,’” says D’Neil. “I love the community that it’s become, because whether or not people can take a gig . . . everybody’s always included.” 

Given the impact they have had, the Songbirds have made significant strides in their less than four years of operation. Their founding is entwined in the DNA of compassion, empathy, and mutuality that have become the hallmarks of these platforms.

Flash back to a sunny August day on West Street in 2022. Local musician Kevin Lebling had assembled a group of female performers to celebrate the completion of a mural memorializing the late Annapolis-based musician Eva Cassidy. Many performed songs associated with Cassidy, and there was a powerful feeling of love in the air. Then and there, the idea for a woman-centered collaboration began. 

It started when singer-songwriters Danah Denice and Laura Brino met and connected. Brino shared her desire to start a women’s festival to showcase the community’s diverse music talent. Denice responded that she, too, wanted to create a festival, one that could provide resources and support for women and nonbinary artists.

Also that day, musician Meg Murray, a friend and musical collaborator of Cassidy’s, was introduced to Denice by P. J. Thomas, musician and president of Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians (AMFM). Denice had expressed that she was not feeling safe as a female performer. “Danah and I started talking about how, as women, we have to create a community to protect each other,” says Murray. Brino adds, “We recognized there was a lack of safe and sober performance venues and spaces [for women who play music]. We wanted to help women feel safer.” Jeanette Lynn, another female musician who had shared similar experiences with Brino, was also part of those initial conversations. 

In September, the four met at Maryland Hall, and the idea for the Songbird Festival was hatched. It was named for the song by Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie that Cassidy had famously covered. At the time, Brino was director of programming and Lynn a teacher at Maryland Hall, and the two received immediate support from the administration to host the event there the following April. 

The group agreed to curate a community festival that would be a platform for women and nonbinary artists to perform their music, creating a safe, inclusive space for people to be heard while providing resources for women and families, nonbinary artists, and survivors of sexual assault and other issues.

“When we did that first festival, we started without any money,” Lynn recalls. Recognizing this need, Thomas and the AMFM board offered to cohost a show at Rams Head On Stage, with the proceeds going to the festival. Fittingly, the show was a tribute to Cassidy, in celebration of what would have been her sixtieth birthday. 

With seed money in hand, the work accelerated. “In four crazy-ass months, we managed to throw the first festival,” says Denise. “That was easily one of the most stressful times in my life, and one of the most rewarding.” 

The inaugural Songbird Festival took place on April 22, 2023, with 14 woman and nonbinary music artists and 6 speakers. There were food and art vendors and organizations that provide community resources for women. Despite pushing the start time up by two hours to account for predicted heavy storms, more than 500 people showed up to enjoy the free, family-friendly community event. 

It was a success, with Denice noting, “[I heard] a lot of gratitude from other women. It was a community that felt like they hadn’t previously been acknowledged or served.” 

The question now was how best to build on this momentum, so the founders started planning. While the festival would remain a main feature, they were also hearing from the community about other ways they could be of service to their artists. By late 2023, they decided to create a second platform to amplify women and nonbinary performers: the Songbird Collective. They launched a website and Instagram page to signal the new offering. 

Over the next two years, the Songbird Collective was busy. The Songbird Showcase debuted on the second Wednesday of the month at 49 West Coffeehouse, Winebar & Gallery to present both new and established artists. An all-ages open mic series was piloted, and Songbird artists produced multi-artist showcases at venues such as Cult Classic Brewing in Stevensville, Annapolis Market House on the City Dock, and Hank Dietle’s Tavern in Rockville. The group also partnered with community organizations, such as participating in a youth retreat for middle and high school girls organized by local nonprofit Community Transitions. 

The woman-centered tribute shows at Rams Head On Stage cohosted by AMFM became an annual fundraising event to cover the costs of the Songbird Festival, thus keeping it free to the public. The festival continued to expand and evolve, becoming a nonprofit subsidiary of AMFM. In 2025, the festival welcomed 1,500 attendees and added a second stage for performers in the acoustic coffeehouse style. 

Approaching four years in, the Songbirds are flying high, even as some things change. Denice and Lynn have stepped back from their organizing roles. With the help of others, Brino and Murray continue working to serve the Songbird community’s evolving needs.

 “People often ask me, what’s [the Songbird Collective’s] mission? And I can read from the website what we are,” says Murray. “But on the street, in the trenches, I feel like our main goal is to amplify [and provide] a place to connect.” 

To achieve this, they are piloting a new model for the monthly Songbird Showcases—one that develops emerging artists while providing a Nashville-style in-the-round setting for established performers. They are working with Angie Miller, Nan-Ana, and SONiA disappear fear to launch a regular Songbird Showcase in the Baltimore area, and are collaborating with women’s collectives in other areas, starting with Jenni Schick and the Women’s Musician Coalition from Wilmington, Delaware. Also, this year’s Songbird Festival will offer three stages and full band performances.

Songbird Collective is also looking at ways to democratize the brand. “The more we can model what it is to build community, what it is to share, the better,” says Murray. To that end, they are empowering Songbirds to lead initiatives of their own creation. “Our hope,” says Brino, “is that there are enough collective members who believe in the mission, and understand the missio,n with integrity, that they can branch off and do their own things using the Songbird title, without our oversight.” 

The group has come a long way in a short time and has been instrumental in offering a clearer path for historically underrepresented female performers. Many of these musicians had very few peers when first starting out. Songbird Collective has helped changed that for some.

Ultimately, the success of Songbird Festival and Songbird Collective can be attributed to the support they offer to and receive from the diverse network of Songbird musicians they serve. Through their art and mutual support, these artists have cultivated and inspired a welcoming community for women and nonbinary musicians and artists, alongside allies and fans of all genders. That’s something to chirp about.

This year’s festival takes place on May 3 at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.