Experience an unforgettable evening at STAR's Songwriters in the Round presented by EverGreen Custom Construction, Inc., where acclaimed Nashville songwriters perform their original music and share the stories behind the songs in an intimate, acoustic setting. Held in STAR's indoor horse arena, the evening includes dinner provided by Chuy's Tex-Mex, drinks, and a relaxed atmosphere that brings guests closer to the music and the creative process. This annual event celebrates the power of storytelling, songwriting, and community while supporting STAR's mission of providing equine-assisted services for individuals with disabilities, veterans, and others throughout East Tennessee.

*Each ticket includes dinner and a concert. The event includes an open bar.*

Event Schedule

Buffet Dinner (includes tours of the STAR Facility- 6:00 PM

Concert Begins- 7:30 PM

For more information, contact Angela Bartlett at angela@rideatstar.org or 865-988-4711.

Meet our 2026 Songwriters

Andy Austin is a North Carolina native raised on Southern Gospel and Classic Country. Growing up, Austin sang in church, where he learned the art of harmonizing and established his ability to sing and play guitar. After attending UNCW, where he played 4 years of college baseball, Austin made the move to Nashville, TN to pursue a career in songwriting. Since then, he has written songs for Craig Morgan, Ty Meyers, Bryce Leatherwood and many other notable artists. Austin has played shows every week consistently for 8 years and knows nearly every country song thrown his way. With a wide vocal range and soulful tone, Austin’s ability to captivate a room has established his name in town as one of Nashville’s best vocalists. 

Matt Warren: Chart-topping songwriter with over 70 recorded songs and 12 singles. Solo artist. Multi-platinum award winner. Soul singer. For nearly a quarter century, Matt Warren has played all the parts, building a versatile career that's taken him from the elite writing rooms of Music Row to stages across the country. He turns a new page with Heartbreak Superstar, his first solo release in a dozen years. Inspired by the R&B classics, soul songs, and southern music of his youth, it's a timeless record for the modern age. Warren's songwriting is on full display, showcasing the chops that have already earned him a pair of ASCAP Awards, an ACM Song of the Year nomination, and a Number 1 hit on country radio. Heartbreak Superstar is a singer's record, though, and Warren — who created the album with co-producers Oscar Charles and Cliff Audretch — delivers each song with a voice that's every bit as raw, road-worn, and resilient as his own journey. 

That journey has taken Warren from the top of the Billboard charts — where Gary Allan's "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)" made him one of Nashville's most indemand songwriters during the 2010s, reaching Number 1 the same year Warren received his self-titled solo debut — to rehab, where he found God and rediscovered himself. Fueled by the personal and creative rebirth of his sobriety, Heartbreak Superstar captures the melodies and southern stories that have always fueled his work with renewed clarity. The result is a mix of southern soul, Tennessee twang, and Laurel Canyon country-rock, all glued together by a songwriting veteran who's happy to reclaim his solo artistry.

Nicole Witt is a nationally-touring, award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her soaring melodies and clever turns of phrase. As part of EMI Music Publishing, Curb Records, Capitol CMG, Dreamlined and Wittsong Entertainment, she has written songs for artists such as George Strait, Lee Brice, Rodney Atkins, Aaron Goodvin, Meghan Patrick, Terri Clark, Lauren Alaina, Balsam Range, Mandisa, Ellie Holcomb and many more. In 2011, Witt received the International Bluegrass Song of the Year Award for Balsam Range’s “Trains I Missed.” In 2014, she was nominated for a Dove/GMA award for Country Song of the Year. Her song Brothers of the Highway, cut by George Strait was on his CMA & Grammy winning Album of the Year, Troubadour. She has written for TV and film writing with song credits on shows like “Reign”, “American Idol” and the short film score called Black Mountain. 

Witt is the founding member of the super star act Six One Five Collective. Their song “Kindness” was featured on American Idol in 2023. They just released their 11th single as the 615, a band-penned song called Doozies. They are on the Good Vibes tour in 2025 taking them all across the country. In the past 5 years Witt has played over 200 dates opening for artists like Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Trace Adkins, Billy Currington, Bacon Bros & many more.

Phillip Lammonds is a songwriter and talented instrumentalist from the musically rich mountains of North Carolina. From his childhood in the mountains to his time in the South Carolina Lowcountry, it was this melting pot of sounds and rhythms that formed his musical sensibilities.

After college, Phillip was a founder of The Blue Dogs, a beloved and critically acclaimed bluegrass and rock inspired jam band. He then started his family in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina while working as a fishing guide, a falconer, and the co-owner of the islands Sotheby’s real estate company. All the while, Phillip wrote songs and traveled to Nashville to pitch them. After many years, lots of miles traveled to Nashville, and cuts on major artist -Phillip moved to music city to pursue songwriting full time. He stepped onto the scene with a publishing deal from Curb Entertainment. Phillip’s songs have been recorded by artists like Hootie and the Blowfish, Josh Turner, Lee Brice, Charles Esten, Kellie Pickler, Craig Morgan, Edwin McCain, Jerrod Niemann, Mo Pitney, and Dylan Scott.

After more than 15 years of writing literally hundreds of songs Phillip is releasing his first solo album Cowboy Things, The Lee Brice-produced project features heartfelt, plainspoken tracks from across Lammonds’ career. He boils the big picture down to bite-sized chunks of truth with help from buddies including Brice, Darius Rucker, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Pam Tillis and actor Bill Murray