Enjoy a showcase performance from the 2026 participants in our Girls & Guitars Songwriting course with songwriting mentors Doris Folkens and May Davis! Come out to support budding female songwriters to perform brand new, never before heard songs. We are grateful for the support of Hillside Festival donors and sponsors to allow us to continue to present our Girls & Guitars Songwriting course, in recognition that the music industry tends to be dominated by males who are typically the performers, agents, presenters, promoters, and critics of music.
Amy Jean
Amy Jean is a first-time songwriter, yet a life-long observer of the
beauty and tragedy of this world. She has been singing for years
and collaborating with other artists. Amy is recently enjoying
writing her own songs. You can catch Amy and her guitar around
Toronto and Haliburton Ontario.
Rachel Gouin
Rachel Franco-Ontarian musician is always humming along to her
own inner soundtrack. She’s brought her joie de vivre to Ottawa
bands East of Gatineau, Écho de l’Acadie, and The Corn
Pickers. Wait Up Rachel is a new chapter that blends her love of
country & folk. This time you’ll hear more than her voice. You’ll
hear her stories.
Michelle Munroe Reid
Michelle Munroe Reid is an emerging Guelph-based singer/
songwriter proudly returning to Girls & Guitars. Since 2019, the
experiences in this program have helped her find her voice (and
herself), write her very first songs and perform publicly for the first
time. Now years later, she tenaciously continues to develop her
craft as a songwriter and performer, has formed some
collaborations in the local music community and is currently
working towards her first recording project. Michelle has been
described as an ‘arresting performer’ with a classic alt country
sound.
Shelly Johnston
Shelly Johnston has come east for the weekend from gorgeous
Goderich, Ontario. She teaches instrumental music, guitar, as well
as special education at the local high school there.
Her spare time is spent with her family, playing baseball, writing
music and singing with her girl band of seventeen years – Dames
Rocket. She is so excited to be at Hillside Festival.
Nathalie Kleinschmidt
A nomad at heart, Nathalie has collected thousands of stories
from strangers and friends in Paris cafés and around Prairie
campfires. Early on, creative journaling helped anchor her
experiences and make sense of the chaos. When her words
found melody as a place to land, songs became her healing joy.
As one of the Girls with Guitars, she’ll brave the stage to share
“Tom Power Gets Me” a song where societal expectations, ADHD,
and CBC converge!
Kate Hall
Kate is a gifted songwriter whose music feels both timeless and
entirely her own. Although she has only recently begun recording
and sharing her work, her songs possess the confidence,
craftsmanship, and emotional depth of someone who has been
writing for a lifetime.
Inspired by the quiet beauty and everyday magic of the Haliburton
Highlands, Kate’s songwriting is filled with sweetness, whimsy,
and heartfelt storytelling. Her melodies are effortlessly
memorable, her lyrics sincere and evocative, and her chord
progressions invite listeners into a world that feels comforting and
familiar.
Performing primarily on the ukulele, Kate creates music that is as
warm as a hot cup of tea and as peaceful as a slow canoe ride
down a lazy river. Her songs are instantly singable, lingering in
your mind long after the final note.
Her single “Little Bird” is available for streaming on Bandcamp,
with a collection of beautifully crafted original songs currently in
the works.