Tickets are live — Jeffrey Foucault · Sat Sept 26 · The Matthews
Sep 25–26 2026

Spearfish, South Dakota

Original Voices.
Authentic Stories.

Every song carries a story, and every story deserves to be heard. So we build the rooms where that actually happens — small, quiet, and close enough that the story lands.

The weekend

Fri 11:00 AMDaytime rounds beginDowntown venuesSix rounds, on the hour
Fri 7:30 PMSongwriters ShowcaseThe Matthews Opera HouseFree
Sat 11:00 AMDaytime roundsDowntown venuesThree writers, one hour
Sat 7:30 PMJeffrey FoucaultThe Matthews Opera House← 2026 headlinerTicketed

Tickets are live for Saturday night — Jeffrey Foucault at The Matthews, September 26. Daytime rounds are free to walk into.

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Songwriter performing on The Matthews Opera House stage during the Queen City Songwriters Invitational
The Matthews Opera House · Saturday night, the Invitational

What this is

Where songwriters come to be heard

Queen City Songwriters Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering the art of songwriting. Through our annual Invitational, year-round songwriter rounds, and community partnerships, we're building something real in the Black Hills — a place where artists are supported and entire communities are enriched.

The record

100+Songwriters in our network
6Songwriter rounds a day, scattered around downtown
300+Attendees annually
3Years running

September 25–26, 2026

A weekend unlike any other

The Queen City Songwriters Invitational is a two-day celebration of original music across downtown Spearfish. Intimate daytime songwriter rounds at local venues, plus a Friday night Songwriters Showcase and a Saturday headliner — both at The Matthews Opera House.

No covers. No setlists. Just original voices sharing the stories behind their songs in the most intimate listening rooms the Black Hills has to offer.

Songwriters performing at the Queen City Songwriters Invitational with an engaged audience

Rounds run every thirty minutes, venue to venue

Jeffrey Foucault, 2026 Queen City Songwriters Invitational headliner

Photo: Joe Navas

Announcing our 2026 headliner

Jeffrey Foucault

One of the most distinctive voices in American music — “contemporary and timeless” (The New York Times) — headlines The Matthews Opera House on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Two decades on the road have refined a sound recognizable for its simplicity and emotional power.

On that stage before

Past headliners

Artists who have graced The Matthews stage for our evening showcases.
Jonathan Byrd at the Queen City Songwriters Invitational
Jonathan Byrd2024
Jami Lynn at the Queen City Songwriters Invitational
Jami Lynn2024
Andrea von Kampen at the Queen City Songwriters Invitational
Andrea von Kampen2025
John Fullbright at the Queen City Songwriters Invitational
John Fullbright2025

From the room

What people are saying

Allison MooreVenue Owner

This event is a great way to get them all in one area to be heard and experienced.

Jami LynnHeadliner, 2024 Invitational

As a songwriter, it brought inspiration, camaraderie, and the overwhelmingly strange sense of being heard and understood among my peers and the incredible community that supports us.

Joanna MechaleyThe Matthews Opera House

The Invitational brought original music to life in a way Spearfish has never seen before.

Get involved

Be part of something real

Whether you write songs, love live music, or want to support the arts in your community — there's a place for you here.