Casey Barnes is among the star-studded roster preparing to mentor up-and-coming songwriters and musicians for the New South Wales-based program, The Regional Sessions.
Along with Barnes, speakers and mentors confirmed to attend the 2026 sessions include artists and producers, such as Anna Laverty, GLVES, Kevin Mitchell (Jebediah, Bob Evans), Zeppelin Hamilton (Velvet Trip), Agum, B Wise, Elana Stone (All Our Exes Live in Texas), and Joel Ma. Fellow country singers Loren Ryan and Aimee Volkofsky are also locked in for mentoring positions.
Run by the music rights management organisation APRA AMCOS, with support from the NSW Government via Sound NSW, the one-day events in five locations will feature keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions, live performances, and networking opportunities for beginner, emerging, and mid-career musicians, songwriters, and producers.
In addition to the mentors, a local representative from MusicNSW will attend each session to connect with and support creatives across regional NSW.
Tickets to the 2026 sessions are $40, with limited $30 early-bird tickets on sale now through 23 January 2026. Spots are limited to just 50 attendees per location – find out more on the APRA AMCOS website. You can find the 2026 dates and locations below.
Introduced in New South Wales in 2021, The Regional Sessions support and connect local music creators. It has since made its way to Victoria, Western Australia, and back to New South Wales.
Previous artist mentors have included Ben Lee, Darren Middleton of Powderfinger fame, Jem Cassar-Daley, KLP, Mo’Ju, and Oscar Dawson. Past attendees have gone on to create new music with their mentors, including Loren Ryan with Tim Levinson (best known as Urthboy).
The country singer, who will appear as a mentor at next year’s program, said, “Regional Sessions is key for making connections, and the thought and consideration put into selecting mentors and speakers is above any other event I’ve attended.
“I'm so grateful to have attended this in Tamworth, which was ultimately the reason I've not only connected with Urthboy, but made an incredible friend in Urthy too.”
The 2026 Regional Sessions dates and locations are:
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Monday 9 February – Bega (Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre)
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Thursday 12 February – Broken Hill (Broken Hill Civic Centre)
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Monday 16 February – Kiama (The Pavilion)
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Wednesday 18 February – Port Macquarie (Glasshouse Port Macquarie)
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Saturday 21 February – Lennox Head (Lennox Head Cultural Centre)
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
