ABOUT
FOUNDED by two time Grammy Award winning recording artist, composer and producer, Sonya Kitchell, The Antidote Workshop is a songwriting workshop, teaching individualized skills in the art of composition through one on one mentorship and small group learning.
Penning her first song after the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, Kitchell began writing songs as a young girl in response to the feelings of helplessness. She found writing to be like a salve for the human experience both in the distillation of thought and the freedom of expression in sharing one’s song. Writing songs came naturally to Kitchell and by the ripe old age of 16, she found herself touring the world in support of her first internationally acclaimed album, Words Came Back to Me (2006).
“‘Words Came Back To Me’ Extraordinary... a remarkably sophisticated collection of songs that belies the age of its creator.”
Over the next 15 years, Kitchell went on to write hundreds of songs and tour the globe many times over in support of her following records, This Storm (2008), Convict of Conviction (2010) and self-produced We Come Apart (2016). Kitchell spent a life-changing year collaborating with the legendary Herbie Hancock on his Grammy Award winning album, River: The Joni Letters, winning two Grammys — the first for her work on River: The Joni Letters as a vocalist and later for her work on Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Revelator as a writer.
Her prolific, illustrious career is marked by collaborations with respected artists, including Joni Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, Jackson Brown, Reggie Watts, Blake Mills, The Barr Brothers, Dap Kings, Ben Harper, Tal Wilkenfeld, Break Science, Stewart Lerman, Malcolm Burn & Damien Rice. In 2012 she became a permanent touring member of legendary Danish shoegaze band, Blue Foundation, penning several songs on their latest release Blood Moon (2017). Kitchell has graced the stage at numerous landmarks & festivals among them; Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Montreaux Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival and Central Park Summerstage. Her televisions appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS Morning Show and Live at Abbey Road.
Sonya began teaching songwriting in 2014. Inspired by the profound support she received as a young girl from places like The Institute for the Musical Arts and its teachers, Sonya wants to help give voice to a generation regardless of their professional ambitions. She loves witnessing the creation of a great song and seeing it fully realized. By sharing her knowledge through The Antidote Workshop, she seeks to support the next wave of artists and help them build the foundation they will need to flourish.
“Sonya has been a great role model for our daughter. She is a successful musical artist in her own right and knows first hand how to increase the skill set that our daughter has while encouraging her love of music. It is rare that someone of her caliber can share her skills and knowledge to young artists so easily. You feel her sincerity and her passion for what she does. As a parent, I appreciate her communication style and flexibility in working together in the best interest of our daughter. You can feel and witness her commitment to our daughter’s growth as an artist. I highly recommend working with her.”
