Pond Lily Project 2026 Artist Cohort

We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Pond Lily Project Artist Cohort.

Rooted in the symbolism of the pond lily — resilience, emergence, and beauty rising from still waters — the Pond Lily Project honors both the spiritual and creative traditions of Lake Pleasant while supporting local songwriters in meaningful artistic growth.

This year’s Artists in Residence were selected not only for their exceptional talent, but for their alignment with the mission and purpose of the Pond Lily Project: a commitment to artistry, authenticity, collaboration, and community. They are powerful individual voices, and together they form a cohort that reflects both musical excellence and shared spirit.

Together, this group represents an exciting blend of emerging and established voices, grounded in community and artistic exploration.

The Pond Lily Project is a program of The National Spiritual Alliance, building a vibrant creative ecosystem rooted in Lake Pleasant’s rich spiritual and artistic history.

2026 Artists in Residence

Vanessa Brewster

Vanessa Brewster is a writer, musician, educator, and community organizer based in Greenfield, MA. She is the Vice President of Looky Here, a community arts nonprofit, and her work centers on publishing experimental and collaborative art books. Vanessa recently released her debut collection of short fiction, No Such Thing as Fiction, and is currently working on her first album of music.

Matt Emmer

Matt Emmer is a singer-songwriter based in Western Massachusetts whose music bridges the many avenues of American folk music with contemporary sounds. Drawing from the deep well of traditional song as well as the raw honesty of indie rock and improvisation, Matt creates music that is both rooted and exploratory.

They have performed at venues including Club Passim, Tarrytown Music Hall, and the Clearwater Festival, and have shared stages with iconic artists like Pete Seeger, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Jackson Browne, Janis Ian, Suzanne Vega, and Arlo Guthrie. Matt’s music is rooted in tradition and guided by a spirit of openness, inviting audiences into a shared community with each song.

Rachel Davis

Rachel Davis is a Florida-born singer-songwriter and music therapist based in Western Massachusetts. A former orchestral bassoonist, she discovered her songwriting voice while living in Appalachia, immersed in the bluegrass and folk communities. For the past eight years, she has worked as a music therapist in mental health and end-of-life care - experiences that quietly shape the emotional depth and honesty of her songs. Davis writes with indie-folk tenderness and a restless sense of longing, tracing love and loss, green places, and the inevitable endings that shape us all.

E. Horace Winston III

E. Horace Winston III performs an unencumbered repertoire of original compositions and songs drawn 1920-30s Tin Pan Alley classics, American rhythm & blues, Jazz Standards, folk traditions, and musicals. He studied under Miss Honey with debts owed to Leon Redbone, Fats Waller, Claudia Cardinale, and the Owl & the Pussy Cat. His combo, Midnight Swerve, has played in venues such as the legendary Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota and the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Carly Lara

carly lara is an indie, alternative folk singer-songwriter performer and multi-instrumentalist based in Western & Central MA, who has mainly been playing solo and also can be seen accompanied by two fellow bandmates. With angsty undertones, and introspective lyrics, carly is relentlessly honest on the interpersonal conflict and emotional turmoil that is often an inevitable part of being in your early twenties, and explores concepts of impermanence, deep contemplation, and externalization in her music. Carly brings vulnerability to different levels, storytelling on themes of family & relationship dynamics, misperceptions, and inhibiting feelings of self doubt, allowing listeners a chance to reflect on their own difficulties in life. As carly begins this new chapter of sharing her own music, the aim is to move away from feelings of indecision and constantly questioning herself, to a self accepting framework of trusting her creative spirit and drive to guide her forward and move beyond life’s hurdles to regain self worth, let go of self doubt, and let curiosity lead her forward to achieve emotional adaptation, acceptance of what is out of her hands.

2026 Artist Mentors

Tobey Sol LaRoche

Host of Voices in the Village (Every 3rd Tuesday of the month)

Luke DeRoy

Facilitator of the Songwriter Development Circle (Every 4th Tuesday of the month)

Whether flying solo or leading his band, RED LOVES BLUE, Luke DeRoy’s songwriting is intimate, raw, and packs a punch. His authentic energy blends with a velvet touch that moves from D’Angelo to the Deftones and back again. From early performances on the Warped Tour to captivating living rooms packed with listeners, DeRoy’s music is about empathy, resilience, and the ways we take care of each other.

Olivia Nied

Host of Jam in the Round (Every 2nd Sunday of the month)

Olivia Nied (she/they) is a queer/trans singer/songwriter, whose music is genre defying, and buoyed by a steady current of radical joy and explosive guitar work. Her music reflects her lived experiences as a neuroqueer weirdo (in the best of ways) and as a self described "hysterical dame", and she has shared the stage alongside artists such as Loudon Wainwright III, Niki Luparelli, and Doctora Xingona. Her 2024 album release "Just Enough" has been featured on queer playlists in The Netherlands, and she has performed internationally in both the UK and France. When not performing solo, she plays drums in local surf/punk band "SexWave" bass in the riot girl punk band "Sunshine and the Rainbows" and guitar/vocals in Punk/Rock duo "Star Lane Sox."

Sponsors & Partners

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and partners who help make this work possible:

Montague Cultural Council
Mass Cultural Council
RiverCulture
PRIA
Shea Theater Performing Arts Center
Sean Byrne Foundation
Simon Says Booking
Susan Paquet Photography
Montague Community Television

We are so excited to launch this next chapter of the Pond Lily Project and to continue building a vibrant creative ecosystem here in Lake Pleasant.

Stay tuned for performances, live sessions, and opportunities to experience this remarkable cohort throughout the season.