It was quite a juxtaposition: INSIDE the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, songwriters from all over the world were putting their minds together - learning, improving, and utilising each other's experience and knowledge to try to improve the art of making music - making beautiful sounds.

OUTSIDE the Convention Centre at Darling Harbour were the combined forces of several thousand people yelling and screaming, and hundreds of plastic horns with absolutely no tuneful quality whatsoever.  By placing the APRA Song Summit right next to the World Cup Celebrations, organisers ensured that all of Sydney's cultural energy came together in one sensational atmosphere.

One of the absolute highlights of my trip to Sydney for Summit was the chance to see New York theatrical songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul performing live at Raval in Sydney. Even though their performance was not a part of the Summit, it was wonderful to see them live. These two guys are sensational songwriters and great performers. They've been mentored by the great Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked) and they have clearly learned a great deal at the feet of the master. A well-developed harmonic structure and tunefully surprising melodies provide support for lyrics that are magnificent. These guys are set to be big players on Broadway, and it was great to see them live in Sydney.