Sparks & Wiry Cries is set to present its first ever songSLAM Festival this January.

The event, which will take place between Jan. 17-20, 2019, aims to engage audiences in current conversations throught contemporary art song. There will be a competition that features 10-12 art song premieres by emerging composer/performer teams with audiences voting on their favorite new work and winners.

The event will be hosted by composer Tom Cipullo and will also present a few theme-based recitals. Among those to be spotlighted will be mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and librettist Mark Campbell.

Jan. 17, 2019 will feature the third annual songSLAM competition. A day later, Mark Campbell will be showcased in “Word of Mouth: Mark Campbell in Song.” The concert will feature performances of songs written by the librettist.

On Jan. 19, 2019, Stephanie Blythe will present a recital of song “Expressions of Love” with soprano Maggie Finnegan and pianist Dan Overly.

Finally, on Jan. 20, 2019, the event will close with “MeToo: Pathways to Healing” which will feature sopranos Jennifer Holloway, Karen Slack and Kamala Sankaram, mezzo-sopranos Naomi O’Connell and Margaret Lattimore, and pianists Lydia Brown and Kathleen Kelly.

“For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to both the intimacy of poetry and the ability of classical music to move its audience,”says Sparks & Wiry Cries co-founder and soprano Martha Guth in a press release. “Sparks & Wiry Cries was born out of a passionate desire to keep the genre flourishing, to provide opportunities for those in its community and to support the growth of new art song, because the stories we tell, and the connections we make are critical to our humanity.”