TUSCANY SONGWRITING RESIDENCY
Become more dangerous to your own clichés.
A focused songwriting residency built around mentorship, recording, and sustained creative momentum in Tuscany.
Late Summer 2026 • Mid Summer 2027
-THE APPROACH
Songs need uninterrupted time.
Most songwriting happens between distractions.
A few hours here. A late night there. An unfinished idea revisited weeks later from a completely different emotional and creative state.
This residency was built around the opposite.
Participants spend five days inside a focused creative rhythm designed to help songs evolve through structure, mentorship, recording, listening, and sustained engagement with the work itself.
-THE RHYTHM
A structured creative flow.
EARLY MORNING
Reflection
The day begins quietly.
Some participants walk the Tuscan hills surrounding the property. Others spend time journaling, stretching, listening, reading, or simply sitting with unfinished ideas before the working day begins.
The goal is not productivity yet.
It’s attention.
MORNING BLOCK
Morning Session
Around mid-morning, the first workshop session begins.
Topics rotate throughout the residency and include structure, melody, harmony, lyric development, complexity, and refinement.
From there, participants move into focused writing time supported by one-on-one mentorship and feedback sessions throughout the afternoon.
The rhythm remains flexible enough for discovery while structured enough to maintain momentum.
MIDDAY
Lunch + Reset
The group regathers for lunch before the second creative block begins.
The pause matters.
It creates space for reflection, conversation, listening, and often unexpected creative breakthroughs between sessions.
AFTERNOON BLOCK
Afternoon Session
The second block continues the daily immersion from a different creative angle, often with another mentor or instructor guiding the session.
Participants return to writing, refinement, recording preparation, and one-on-one development conversations as songs continue evolving throughout the week.
By this point in the day, ideas are no longer theoretical.
They are active.
EVENING
Dinner + Listening Sessions
After personal time and dinner, the group gathers again for evening listening sessions.
Some nights revolve around informal performances. Others center around playback, discussion, feedback, or hearing recordings captured throughout the residency.
These sessions become a vital part of the retreat’s creative momentum.
It's a space where songs continue unfolding through listening as much as writing.
-DEVELOPMENT
The craft behind the song.
Throughout the residency, participants engage with songwriting not simply as inspiration, but as a craft shaped through attention, perspective, structure, restraint, and repeated refinement.
Workshops and mentorship sessions explore the deeper mechanics behind songs that continue revealing themselves over time. Why certain moments hold emotional weight, how tension and release operate beneath arrangement choices, how perspective alters lyric impact, and how revision changes the emotional weight of a song.
Participants also spend time examining how songs evolve through revision.
Learning when to push further, when to simplify, and when to leave space untouched.
Rather than teaching a fixed method, the retreat is designed to sharpen perception and help writers to become more intentional, more aware, and more capable of hearing what their songs are actually asking for.
-Recording
Hearing your music more fully realized.
Each participant records one original song during the retreat.
As songs develop throughout the residency, participants move into guided studio sessions focused on capturing a stronger and more complete version of the work they’ve been developing.
This includes:
- vocal and instrumental recording
- studio mentorship
- focused arrangement guidance
- mixing
- possibility for additional instrumentation if time allows
The emphasis is not volume.
It’s attention.
For many writers, hearing a song move from unfinished idea into a fully recorded performance changes the way they understand the work itself.
-WHO THIS IS FOR
Writers ready to stay engaged with the work.
This retreat is designed for:
- active songwriters
- developing artists
- engaged hobbyists
- musicians already writing consistently
- people looking for momentum and refinement
- writers willing to work with focus and curiosity
Participants do not need to be professionally established.
But the experience works best for people ready to engage deeply and consistently with the process.
-BEFORE ARRIVAL
The retreat begins before the first session.
Before arriving in Tuscany, participants join a pre-retreat Zoom session to discuss:
- goals
- current material
- creative direction
- recording considerations
- expectations for the week
The purpose is simple:
to help everyone arrive prepared, focused, and already connected to the work they want to develop.
-TUSCANY
An environment built for concentration.
The retreat takes place inside the Sonic Alchemy creative environment in the hills of Tuscany.
Participants live and work within the same shared rhythm throughout the residency.
Writing, listening, recording, eating, and reflecting inside one continuous atmosphere.
The environment remains quiet, grounded, and creatively focused.
Tuscany supports the process through pace, beauty, architecture, and distance from interruption. Allowing the work to remain active throughout the day.
-LISTENING SESSIONS
Songs changing in real time.
Evenings are built around informal performances, playback sessions, shared listening, and conversation around the work being developed throughout the residency.
Participants hear songs evolve across the week.
Small changes becoming major breakthroughs,
unfinished ideas beginning to find shape,
arrangements open into a new emotional direction.
These sessions often become the connective tissue of the retreat itself.
-MENTORS
Creators, Collaborators, Coordinators.
Dorian Britton
Composer, Producer, Founder of Sonic Alchemy
Dorian works across songwriting, composition, recording, and production with a strong focus on artistic development and creative process. His mentorship throughout the residency centers on helping participants hear their work with greater clarity through refinement of structure, arrangement, emotional pacing, and perspective.
Throughout the week, he works closely with participants through listening sessions, recording, songwriting discussion, and one-on-one development, helping songs evolve without pushing artists toward a fixed formula or style.
Gianfranco Di Mare
Songwriting Mentor
Gianfranco brings a thoughtful and deeply listening-oriented perspective to songwriting. His sessions often explore the relationship between lyric, structure, musical intention, and emotional movement within a song.
Working through discussion, reflection, and close listening, he encourages participants to engage more carefully with the choices shaping their work while remaining connected to instinct and individuality.
Lisa Bodenstein
Movement & Creative Practice
Lisa supports the creative rhythm surrounding the residency through guided movement and morning sessions designed to help participants arrive more focused, present, and mentally clear before entering the writing day.
Her approach centers on attention, rhythm, and sustained engagement with the process, helping participants reduce distraction and remain connected to the work throughout the week.
Lorenzo Camilletti
Producer & Recording Engineer
Lorenzo approaches recording and production as part of the songwriting process itself. His work during the residency focuses on helping participants shape recordings with greater depth, cohesion, and attention to sonic detail while preserving the emotional center of the song.
Through studio sessions, playback discussions, and recording support, he helps writers better understand how arrangement, performance, and production choices influence the way a song is ultimately experienced.
Danielle and Paco
Environmental Guide
Raised in the Casentino valley, Danielle knows these forests, trails, villages, and mountains with the kind of familiarity that only comes from a lifetime spent inside them. His morning walks and conversations offer participants a quieter way into the day. Shifting attention away from distraction and back toward observation, rhythm, and presence before the creative work begins.
Alongside him is Paco, his border collie and constant companion. Calm, attentive, and endlessly friendly.
Together, they help create a sense of calm focus before the writing day begins.
-UPCOMING SESSIONS
Upcoming Retreat Dates
SEPTEMBER 3–7, 2026
Songwriting Retreat • Tuscany
Long evenings, concentrated writing days, shared listening sessions, and a residency rhythm built around sustained creative focus.
JULY 8–12, 2027
Songwriting Retreat • Tuscany
A midsummer session shaped by open creative pacing, immersive studio work, and extended days spent inside the writing and recording process.
-PRICING
Residency Investment
PRIVATE ROOM
€2500
Private bedroom with private bathroom for one participant.
SHARED ROOM
€2300 per participant
Shared room accommodation for two participants attending together.
*Shared room accommodation is reserved for participants registering together as friends, partners, or collaborators.
-INCLUDED
Included in the residency.
- Accommodation in Tuscany
- Daily meals
- Songwriting workshops
- One-on-one mentorship
- Focused writing sessions
- Evening listening sessions
- Studio access
- Recording of one original song
- Dedicated engineering support
- Track mixing
- Pre-retreat Zoom preparation
- Shared creative spaces
-APPLICATION
A carefully shaped creative environment.
Group sizes remain intentionally small to protect the atmosphere required for focused creative work.
The application process helps create:
- strong creative chemistry
- meaningful engagement
- balanced group dynamics
- an environment built around trust, focus, and momentum
Writers from different backgrounds and experience levels may be accepted, but the strongest fit is usually found in participants who genuinely want to engage deeply with the process itself.
Applications include:
- short questionnaire
- examples of current work
- creative goals for the residency
Questions? Get in Touch
-FAQ
Practical details.
Do I need to be a professional songwriter?
No. But participants should already be actively engaged in songwriting and comfortable working inside a focused creative environment.
How many participants attend?
Groups remain intentionally small to maintain meaningful mentorship access and a strong creative atmosphere.
Is transportation included?
Transportation is not included. Guidance for airports, trains, and local arrival will be provided after acceptance.
Are accommodations private?
The residency includes a mix of private and shared room configurations across the property.
Some rooms are designed for single occupancy, while others may accommodate a couple sharing one larger bed.
Room requests can be discussed during the application process.
Can I bring unfinished songs?
Absolutely. Works-in-progress are often ideal for this environment.
What happens after I apply?
Applications are reviewed personally. Accepted participants receive additional details and next steps directly.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancellation details and payment schedules are shared during enrollment.