Congratulations to the artists selected for our exciting new Songsmiths program for songwriters who are d/Deaf or disabled. 

Leila Harris, Dave Houston, Rowan Kremer, Sarah Minter, Dean Nash, Carmon, Anna del Rosario, rosarrie, Lola Sola and The Emerald Ruby are the talented NSW songwriters who have been selected for this exciting opportunity.

Covering every stage in the life cycle of writing, recording and releasing a song, this unique program aims to initiate fruitful creative connections between d/Deaf and disabled songwriters in order to strengthen craft, build resilience and increase industry knowledge. Throughout the program, the selected participants will have access to guidance and training by industry experts, along with mentoring, collaboration and support from established songwriters and producers in world-class recording facilities.

Songsmiths Participants

Leila Harris

Leila Harris is a composer, singer-songwriter, musician and music producer. She combines her eclectic training and influences to create innovative works that weave artistic disciplines, bewitching audiences with evocative, ethereal and cinematic soundworlds. Leila is interested in the power of the arts to uplift, empower, move and challenge, carving out spaces for diverse and experimental voices. She has composed for and performed in a broad range of styles, genres, artists, groups and ensembles in Australia and internationally. In 2024, Leila released her debut album, Monstrous Feminine. She is studying a Master of Music (Composition) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. 

Dave Houston

Dave Houston is a musician, performer, writer and producer who has created and toured music-based shows, albums and workshops since 1988 across Australia and internationally. Trained in acting and screenwriting (VCA, RMIT), he blends comedy, storytelling and live music in his work.

At 23, he premiered his first solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Three decades later he created STILL HERE by Dave & the Daves, a depression comedy combining slapstick, character sketches and songs, and is now developing ME vs ME. He has recorded seven studio albums and is writing his third. Dave continues to create entertaining, socially engaged and profoundly human creative performing and musical arts projects.

Rowan Kremer

Rowan is a musician from Eora/Sydney, living and creating in the junction of disability, neurodivergence, and (gender)queerness. Their work explores the ways in which certain aspects of marginalised identity can amplify or complicate others, and the grief and joy alike that arise from these intersections. They play bassoon and guitar.  

Sarah Minter

Sarah is a self taught, legally blind guitarist who is influenced by alternative rock, grunge and nu metal. She is part of the band ‘Murderbirds‘. A comedy punk band that focuses on Australiana themes. Murderbirds have realised an EP and a music video for their song hoonin‘ and are in the process of recording an album.  
 
Sarah also has an individual project called ‘Compos Mentis’. Working with her NDIS music mentor they have recorded and uploaded 3 songs to triple j Unearthed. 

Dean Nash

Dean Nash (he/him) is a singer-songwriter, actor and award-winning theater maker.  Co-writer on the 2021 concept musical ‘The breaths in between’ and Winner of the Commitment and Innovation in Accessibility award at Sydney Fringe 2025 for his most recent work ‘Dean, Don’t Dance!’, a creative access cabaret.

Dean’s EP ‘In the Autumn’ and most recent single ‘Leather wallet’ are available on all streaming platforms.  Dean studied a bachelor of music at WSU (2011) Musical Theatre residency NIDA (2016)  is an alumni of the 2021 AFTRS Talent Camp.  Dean is a sought after Vocal Coach and Creative Access consultant. 

Carmon

Carmon is a Sydney-based neurodivergent indie-folk-pop artist who weaves emotion into melodies with her breathless voice and heartfelt lyrics. Inspired by Lizzy McAlpine and Phoebe Bridgers, she blends smooth, melodic tones while exploring her experiences with Autism, ADHD, and Anxiety. She regularly performs across NSW, and has released 15 songs on Spotify, and is currently planning her debut album ‘All My Life’.

Anna del Rosario

Anna del Rosario is a Filipino-born Australian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer based in Sydney. Since completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Composition and Music Production at the Australian Institute of Music in 2021, she has been exploring the music world as a performer and music producer. In the last five years, she has built a diverse portfolio of published works collaborating with other artists. Primarily a songwriter, Anna has also written, produced, and released music under her artist name, Kaye Palm. She works from her music studio in Leichhardt, NSW.

rosarrie

rosarrie is the music project of singer-songwriter Jesse Rose, a multi-media artist from Western Australian who enjoys writing songs regarding the sensitive topics of the human heart. Intersecting between digital and traditional, illustrative and musical, Jesse’s practice is defined by honest, earnest storytelling and unfiltered methods of giving life to personal experiences. These often sad and somber tones are paired with whimsical, storybook illustrations, creating a multi-sensory narrative that explores grief, identity, and the intimate process of growing through difficult emotions.

Lola Sola

Lola Sola is a neurodivergent, queer multi-disciplinary artist and musician whose soulful, reflective songwriting helps them make sense of the world. Drawing on lived experience of mental illness, disability, and homelessness, Lola explores identity, resilience, love, grief, and connection through her music. With a dynamic, powerful vocal range, emotive and lifting harmonies, and deeply meaningful lyrics, she has toured extensively across Australia and Aotearoa NZ, releasing an album, multiple EPs, numerous singles, and colourful music videos. Much of her work is self-produced, collaborative, and self-funded through community crowdfunding, reflecting a DIY approach to creating and sharing music.

The Emerald Ruby
Award winning flautist, composer and visual artist The Emerald Ruby (Jen Hankin) cares for a nebulous arts practice, materialing whimsical phantasms through sound, sculpture, painting, fashion design, writing, film and photography. Her songs and instrumental compositions defy genre, orbiting musical traditions of folk, baroque, jazz, rock and electronics while her visual fancies are materialised in miniature with embroidery, beadwork, resin and watercolour.

She completed her music studies in 2015 at the University of Newcastle under the tutelage of Sally Walker (flute), Phillip Rutherford (composition), and Colin Spiers (composition) earning a Bachelor of Music (Honors) double major in flute and composition and the Maurice and Betsy Sendak award for outstanding performance. In the decade since she has collected an eclectic list of collaborators, recording and performing extensively with Othrship, Cacti Moon, Ekstasis Ensemble, Captain Earwax, The Button Collective Lachlan x morris and Vanishing Shapes and commissioned by ABC Classic, Backstage music, Musica Viva, Dots and Loops, Allegro music publishing and the National Folk Festival.

In 2023 The Emerald Ruby was commissioned by ABC Classic to write, film and record her debut collection of Flute Duets “Finding Fondness”, which was subsequently included on “Women of Note Volume 7”. She is an alumni of the Australian Art Orchestras Creative Music Intensive and Newcastle Art Space 2025 Mentorship program.

This NSW Songsmiths initiative is proudly supported by Sound NSW, Music Australia, APRA AMCOS, and Create NSW, the principal funding partner of Accessible Arts. 

 

ENDS 

Image Description: Headshots of the 2026 Songsmiths participants (from top left to bottom right): The Emerald Ruby, Leila Harris (photo by Damien Nguyen), Dave Houston (photo by Rory Mangrove), Rowan Kremer, Sarah Minter, Carmon (photo by Chelsea), Dean Nash (photo by Phil Erbacher), Anna del Rosario, rosarrie (photo by Amy Kieko) and Lola Sola.