Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Top 10 Finalists To Compete At Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival

Wildflower! Songwriting Workshop features Gretchen Peters on May 16 at the Courtyard Dallas Richardson at Spring Valley from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

RICHARDSON, TX, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The top 10 singer songwriter finalists for the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest have been officially announced and invited to compete at the 2025 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival. Storytellers from across the country submitted their entries and the esteemed judges selected the following finalists:

• Chris Baron – Portland, Oregon
• Bud Bierhaus – Katy, Texas
• Daniel Boling – Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Mary Broussard – Scott, Louisiana
• Linda Dunnavant – Nashville, Tennessee
• Jesse Garcia – Glorieta, New Mexico
• Christine Hand – Dallas, Texas
• Michelle Raybourn, - Nashville, Tennessee
• Erin Ash Sullivan – Harvard, Massachusetts
• Lindsay White – San Diego, California

The finals are scheduled for Saturday, May 18 at 12:30 p.m. on the Singer Songwriter Stage in the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts. The award-winning Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest supports the art of independent performing songwriters as a grass roots program launched more than 20 years ago. The finalists compete to be among the top three winners that will receive the following cash prizes: $1,000 1st Place, $500 2nd Place, $500 People’s Choice Award, and also receive a one-year premium Broadjam membership, plus a performance set on Sunday, May 18 on the CityLine Stage.

The Wildflower! Songwriting Workshop will be held on Friday, May 16 and features “Storytelling with Gretchen Peters,” from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Courtyard Dallas Richardson at Spring Valley. The workshop explores the process of songwriting, the art of the craft, how to work through writer’s block, and learn that only through the specific do you achieve the universal, also known as the holy grail in songwriting. Registration is $50 per person, limited to 30 participants and includes lunch and a single-day general admission ticket to Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival.

“Many people can write a song; however, it is a truly brave person who will expose themselves by putting their song down on paper, then stand in front of the world and sing it for all to hear,” said Al Johnson, founder of the program, a longtime supporter of the songwriting community, and the Wildflower! contest is named and continued in his memory.

More than 80 bands are booked on a total of six stages, including the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Stage, Texans Credit Union Stage, CityLine Stage, Karbach Love Street Stage that feature headliners such as Young the Giant, NEEDTOBREATHE, PARMALEE, Moon Taxi, The Revivalists, Cold War Kids, Sugar Ray, Spin Doctors, and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears.

The Patterson & Associates Performance Row is outside in front of the Eisemann Center and the show consists of Bolly Rhythms Dance Academy, Dallas Mavericks Drumline, Richardson High School Eaglettes, Lake Highlands High School Folklorico, The Ramazinis, Berkner High School Ramblers, and more.

VIP packages are sold out for Friday and Saturday; however still available for Sunday. General admission ticket pricing valid through April 30 is $65 for the three-day pass, $30 for general admission one-day on Friday or Saturday, and $15 for Sunday. Richardson residents may purchase up to eight tickets for $15 online. Kids age 12 and under receive free admission.

The festival hours are:
o Friday, May 16, 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
o Saturday, May 17, Noon - 11:30 p.m.
o Sunday, May 18, Noon - 6 p.m.

Complimentary parking is available within the nearby surrounding area. Festivalgoers are encouraged to take advantage of the DART Red Line light rail, which stops at the Galatyn Park Station, located immediately adjacent to the west side of the festival grounds.

About Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival began in 1993 and is produced by the City of Richardson Parks & Recreation Department. Follow Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival on social media with the official hashtags #WAMFEST25 #RichardsonRocks or visit www.wildflowerfestival.com for more information.

Dianna Lawrence
City of Richardson
+1 972-744-4583
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