Returning for a ninth year, 91.3 WYEP is presenting Reimagination: The Teen Recording Project that Rocks. Reimagination connects teen musicians with professional mentors to record and produce their own original music. Since 2013, the program has engaged with more than 240 area teen musicians, several of whom have gone on to become GRAMMY and Emmy award winners.
The Reimagination 2022 application is now open for submissions through Mid-January at wyep.org/reimagination/
“The Reimagination Project is larger than the sum of its parts,” said Greg Joseph, a Pittsburgh-based musician (The Clarks) and leader of the project. “Often local musicians are led to believe that they are competing with other local artists. A major goal of the project is to mentor our student artists to learn all aspects of the music business. We bring many genres of music together into one room and teach them to work and play together…a goal that all Pittsburghers would like to believe we have in common.”
WYEP’s Reimagination Project exists to make the magic of a “big break” possible for young musicians in Pittsburgh. Participants in the program are selected through a competitive application process, and then they work with a team of professional producers and musicians led by Greg Joseph. They receive studio time at The Church Recording Studio, The YMCA Lighthouse Project, Red Medicine Recording Studio, and other studios to record and produce their track on the cohort’s compilation album, released by 91.3 WYEP.
Reimagination alumni include GRAMMY Award-winning artist Daya, Emmy Award-Winning artist Jessica Bitsura, American Idol Contestant Sloane Simon, and up-and-coming blues phenom,Pierce Dipner. The Reimagination 2021 album was digitally released this June; our artists had the opportunity to play live at the Dollar Bank Three River’s Arts Festival and at an event to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Schenley Plaza, the home of The WYEP Summer Music Festival. Thanks to a viral moment from one of this year’s artists and the winner of the 2020 WYEP Singer-Songwriter Competition, Lindsay Liebro, the Reimagination 2021 album has gained almost 14k streams around the world on Apple Music and Spotify.
With funding from The Grable Foundation, Reimagination works to open a door for Pittsburgh teens to break into the music industry, to plant seeds for a richer local, and national, music scene.
“At The Grable Foundation, we care deeply about supporting young people as they pursue their interests and realize their hopes and dreams,” said Kristen Burns, Associate Director at The Grable Foundation. “Reimagination presents young musicians with unparalleled guidance, mentorship, and opportunities as they continue to develop their talents. We’re so pleased to be a part of it.”