Soon, dozens of musicians from across the Coastal Bend will showcase their greatest talents in music during the 2024 Corpus Christi Songwriter’s Festival.
Nearly ten years ago, the group, Corpus Christi Songwriters was created by Jimmy Willden and Garret Weiland, who are also local musicians.
“They started it with the intention of helping to promote, foster and enhance local songwriting,” Annika Gunning, the group’s volunteer organizer said. “So their goal is to support local songwriters and give them an outlet and an opportunity to perform and a community that supports them.”
Annika Gunning is not a musician, however, said she started assisting the group years ago when she saw their dedication to providing growth opportunities to songwriters. In 2018, the Songwriters Festival was created in an effort to showcase the artists involved. She said this is the group’s fifth year hosting the festival and there will be more than 45 songwriters performing in this year’s event.
Within that list of talented artists, 15-year-old, Emma James is one of the youngest taking the stage. She began singing and writing her own music when she was 9 years old. Emma credits her parents for influencing her love for music. She performed at her first gig when she was 14 years old and has been singing her heart out ever since.