The two-day music conference and live showcase returns to Congress Hall and venues throughout downtown Cape May on March 27–28, featuring headliners Pete Mroz and Maya de Vitry, more than 50 industry professionals, and free evening performances across 15 local spots.
If you’ve been to Cape May in the off-season, you already know there’s something special about this town when the summer crowds are gone. The streets are quieter, the Victorian gingerbread glows in the winter light, and the whole place slows down just enough to breathe. Now imagine filling it with live music.
That’s exactly what the Cape May Singer-Songwriter Conference & Showcase does every year — and on March 27 and 28, 2026, it’s doing it again.
The event, headquartered at the iconic Congress Hall on Congress Place, draws songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals from across the country for two days of live performances, panels, workshops, mentoring sessions, and the kind of late-night conversations that can change the course of a music career. After a five-year hiatus that left fans and artists counting the days, the conference made a triumphant return in 2025. This year, building on that momentum, organizers are promising the most ambitious edition yet.
“It Feels Like One Big Music Festival”
One of the things that sets this event apart from any other music conference on the East Coast is its geography. Cape May is walkable — truly walkable — and the Singer-Songwriter Conference takes full advantage of that. While the days are anchored by programming at Congress Hall’s Grand Ballroom and Harrison Conference Center, the evenings spill out across 15 venues throughout downtown: The Boiler Room, The Brown Room, The Rusty Nail, Carney’s Other Room, Delaney’s Irish Pub & Grill, Fins Cape May, The Mad Batter, The Ugly Mug, and more. All evening showcase performances are free and open to the public.
Patrick Logue, Vice President of Operations for Cape Resorts and one of the driving forces behind the event alongside talent buyer and production manager John Harris, says the compact layout is a big part of what makes the weekend feel so alive.
“When you can walk from one incredible set to the next, all within a few blocks, the whole town becomes your concert hall. It feels like one big music festival — and the energy that creates, for the artists, for the audiences, for Cape May itself, is genuinely electric.”
— Patrick Logue, VP of Operations, Cape Resorts
Headliners: Pete Mroz and Maya de Vitry
This year, the conference has partnered with WXPN — the beloved Philadelphia public radio station known for championing independent and Americana artists — to present two featured performances in the Congress Hall Ballroom.
On Friday, March 27, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Pete Mroz headlines. Born in Indiana and raised across 15 states, Mroz has spent years building a reputation for raw, soulful performances and an uncommonly powerful voice. He gained national recognition through a standout audition on NBC’s The Voice, including a memorable reunion with former songwriting peer Blake Shelton. With six independent releases to his name, Mroz brings the kind of authenticity that Cape May audiences tend to respond to deeply. Tickets are $24.
Saturday, March 28 features Maya de Vitry, a Lancaster, PA native now based in Nashville who first came to wide attention as a founding member of the acclaimed roots trio The Stray Birds. Since going solo in 2019, de Vitry has built a devoted following with her folk-and-Americana-inflected sound, her rich voice, and her reputation as a genuine collaborator — she also produces for other artists and contributes to numerous Nashville recordings. Tickets are $30.
The Conference: Real Access to Real Industry Pros
For the artists and aspiring musicians who attend, the daytime conference is the main event. Over 50 industry professionals — publishers, label executives, producers, managers, booking agents, and veteran songwriters — will lead panels, clinics, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring sessions across both days. Topics cover the full arc of a music career: songwriting craft, recording, publishing deals, performance, and how to navigate an industry that keeps reinventing itself.
“What we’ve built here is a place where the real conversations happen,” Logue says. “Decision-makers and dreamers, side by side. For a lot of artists, that kind of access changes everything.”
Two-day conference passes are $135, and availability is limited. A full list of speakers can be found at sscapemay.com/speakers.
Make a Weekend of It
For Shore Local readers who’ve never made the trip down the peninsula for this one, now is the year. Cape May in late March is a different animal from the summer version — quieter, more intimate, and frankly more Cape May. Cape Resorts is offering an overnight package for the weekend so you can stay in the middle of the action, steps from Congress Hall and a short walk from every venue on the showcase circuit.
“For the artists, the showcases offer a coveted chance to perform in front of an audience filled with industry professionals, fellow musicians, and enthusiastic music lovers,” Logue says. “And for the music lovers out there — just prepare to be wowed.”
IF YOU GO
What: Cape May Singer-Songwriter Conference & Showcase
When: Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28, 2026
Where: Congress Hall, 200 Congress Place, Cape May, and venues throughout downtown
Tickets: Evening showcases are free and open to the public. Pete Mroz (Fri.) $24; Maya de Vitry (Sat.) $30; Two-day conference pass $135 (limited availability). Purchase via Eventbrite.
Info: sscapemay.com | Overnight packages: caperesorts.com
