July 10-13, 2025, the fourth annual Lutsong Music Festival will be held in Lutsen, Minnesota, presented by Lutsong Productions, Caribou Highlands, the North Shore Winery, Music Mission, and the Cook County Home Center. But this April, from the 24th to the 27th, a songwriting retreat will be held at Cascade Lodge, featuring a weekend of “masterclass songwriting instruction”.
The retreat tagline is introduced as an invitation to “join us for a creative cold plunge into writing great songs! Our veteran instructors will help you say what you want to say, and guide you to a deeper understanding of what makes a great song. Draw inspiration from the rocky shores of Lake Superior and unlock your creativity!” Classes will be held at Cascade Lodge, and a dinner will be held Saturday evening at the Surfside Resort, followed by a concert presented by Lutsong instructors and students, and open to the public. Master classes will cover a variety of topics, including lyric writing, inspiration, singing, open tuning, performance techniques, and more.
Lutsongs – A Songwriters’ Retreat has invited four musicians and songwriters to teach classes at the retreat. Steve Seskin has written seven “number one” songs, including “Grown Men Don’t Cry”, recorded by Tim McGraw and nominated for a Grammy. He is the head of faculty at the Kerrville song school in Texas, and has taught at many places, including Sisters Academy (Oregon), Swannanoa Gathering, Summersongs, and the West Coast Songwriters.
Mary Bragg’s album Violets as Camouflage was named by NPR Music as one of the best albums of 2019. An alto, Bragg tours with her band and solo across the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is an adjunct professor at Berklee School of Music.
Sarah Morris has been a finalist in multiple songwriting contests, including the NewSong Music Contest, the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition, the International Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville New Folk Competition, and the Telluride Troubadour contest. Morris has been named Midwest Country Music Organization’s Songwriter of the Year three times.
Molly Maher is the co-founder of Lutsong Music Festival, Lakeside Guitar Festival, and Music Mission, as well as the award-winning concert series “Real Phonic Radio Hour”. Her music is influenced by Americana and world music.
Lutsongs is made possible in part by Visit Cook County. More information and registration can be found at www.lutsongmusicfestival.com/lutsongs-writers-retreat.
