This year’s Kerrville New Folk Finalists are AJAYE (Nashville, TN), Caitlin Cannon (Nashville, TN), Cheyloe (Birmingham, AL), Robert Deitch (Polk City, IA), Bill DiLuigi (Nashville, TN), Sarah Golden (Houston, TX), Melody Guy (Nashville, TN), Helena Hallberg (Zurich, Switzerland & Nashville, TN), Sammie Hershock (Marshall, MI), Taylor Lansdale (Lexington, KY), Charlotte Morris (Philadelphia, PA) Hudson Mueller (Houston, TX), Matthew Payne (Dripping Springs, TX), Rebekkah Powell (Boulder, CO), Michelle Raybourn (Nashville, TN), Natalie Royal (Nashville, TN), Monty Russell (Ruston, LA), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), Liam Slater (Nashville, TN), Casli Stephan (Tulsa, OK), Allison Strong (Union City, NJ), Cat Terrones (San Pedro, CA), Robert Thomas (Monncton, NB, Canada), and Logan Vath (Norfolk, VA). They will showcase their talents and songwriting skills at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio, beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT. The New Folk Concerts will also be livestreamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website,https:// kerrvillefolkfestival.org.

After performing the two songs that they submitted during the New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2026 New Folk Winners by a panel of judges. As in the first round, the finalists’ songs will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft. Each of the six performing songwriters chosen as 2026 New Folk Award Winners, to be announced during the evening concert on May 24, will be invited to perform a 20-minute set as part of a New Folk Award Winners Concert on Saturday, May 30 that will also be livestreamed.

Established in 1972 at the urging of the late Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2026 fall “Welcome Home” Fest, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Kerrville New Folk winners also are invited to participate in a New Folk Winners House Concert Tour in Texas.

Extending for 18 days, the Kerrville Folk Festival is set for May 21 to June 7 and will feature more than 100 artists and acts. Besides concerts each evening, it features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, as well as songwriting and instrumental workshops, a canoe trip on the Guadelupe River, and wine tasting excursions for additional fees.

Finalists Named in Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists also have been named in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest and have been invited to showcase their talents during the 2026 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival that takes place May 15-17 at the Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas — located just a few minutes north of Dallas. The finalists are Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Paul Demer (Dallas, TX), Jerome Goosman (Nashville, TN), Jeff Hewitt (Garland, TX), Michelle Raybourn (Nashville, TN), Ben Reneer (Phoenix, AZ), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), Branlin Shockey (Rockwall, TX), Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT), and Reed Waddle (Phoenix, AZ). As noted earlier, Raybourn and Sammons are also Kerrville New Folk Finalists.

Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges chose the finalists who will perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage inside the Eisemann Center during the annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The 10 finalists will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs – with originality, lyricism, melody, harmonic structure, and overall songwriting craft among the criteria. Each of the finalists will also be afforded an opportunity to perform a set of songs on another stage as well during the festival. Visit https://www.wildflowerfestival.com for more information.

Sullivan –- whose songs draw inspiration from her own life experiences — was cited for her dedication to the craft, storytelling, stage demeanor, and immersion in the folk community. She beat out finalists Allison Strong and Us! (a trio comprised of AcousticMusicScene.com co-creator Glen Roethel, Judy Kass and Amy Soucy) in a competition that drew more than four times the number of applications than it has in previous years. The number of entries and quality of them made the listening- and decision-making process both time-consuming and challenging for judges Ron Olesko (a folk DJ and creator of Folk Music Notebook), Tina Ross (a singer-songwriter who won the award in 2022), and Debby St. Charles.

“I’m just so happy and grateful,” said Sullivan of receiving the award from the predominantly volunteer organization that that provides performance opportunities for and presents concerts by emerging and nationally touring singer-songwriters, and folk and acoustic musicians in DC, Maryland and Virginia. “To get that vote of confidence from the Focus Music judges has just felt so good. It comes at a time when I’m embarking on a third album and to have that message of support from the organization is really heartening and an encouraging reminder to keep on going,” she told AcousticMusicScene.com.

Sullivan — who primarily performs in the northeast U.S. and along the eastern seaboard —  describes her music as “story-driven folk.” She notes that the kind of songs that she personally loves are those that have a really vivid story attached to them – like ones penned by singer-songwriters Lori McKenna and Patty Griffin. “If you’re someone who likes music that’s going to immerse you in other people’s perspectives and stories, then my songs might be interesting to you,” she said.

In addition to McKenna and Griffin, she cites singer-songwriters Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert as major inspirations. Sullivan has participated in Ellis Paul’s New England Songwriter Retreats for a number of years. “Those experiences have been game changers for me in terms of inspiration and building community for songwriters,” she said. “Another inspiration for me has been Vance Gilbert,” whom she calls “a real honest and loving mentor.” Noting that he’s someone who doesn’t pull punches, she said: “He just pursues everything with honesty and joy, and I’d like to do that too.”

Music has long been a major part of Sullivan’s life. She recalls taking piano and voice lessons from her grandmother during childhood. However, she didn’t start playing guitar or writing songs until after graduating from Amherst College. While living in and teaching elementary school in New York City, she and Amy Speace, a college friend who is also a noted singer-songwriter, formed a band, Edith O. that performed at venues across the city and released an album called Tattooed Queen. Although marriage, children and her career in education (as both a teacher and an administrator) prompted her to put music on the back-burner for years, Sullivan resumed writing and performing in 2018 and released her debut album in 2021. Entitled We Can Have Each Other, it reached #10 on the monthly Folk Alliance International Folk Radio Charts, and was followed up in 2024 by Signposts and Marks, which reached #4 on the top albums chart during the month that it was released.

Sullivan was named the winner of the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Award during the 2025 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival in Richardson, Texas and looks forward to performing at the festival in May. She also was voted a “Most Wanted to Return” Artists by festival attendees following the Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase at the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, won the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition that year, and has been a finalist in a number of other songwriting competitions.

Beyond providing recognition and support, the Heyman Rising Artist Award includes $1,000, which Sullivan plans to use towards producing her third album with Doug Kwartler at Hollow Body Studios near Boston, Massachusetts.

The Heyman Rising Artist Award is named for Vic and Reba Heyman, who were widely viewed as “folk angels” for their staunch, decades-long support of artists – especially those early in their careers. Reba Heyman, who passed away in June 2021 2021 at age 84, grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland and lived in Rockville, MD for decades. Along with her husband Vic, who died years earlier, she was an integral part of the folk music community in Maryland, South Florida and nationally for many years. The couple was known for their generous financial backing for folk festivals and artists, and also formerly ran a concert series in Rockville known as Vic’s Music Corner. They also launched and ran Heyman Mailing Service for many years (a godsend for artists in the pre-Internet days), served on the boards of several music festivals, and established a scholarship fund for performing artists. In her later years, Reba Heyman spent considerable time in Florida and co-presented the South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition, whose winners received the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award – including a cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the festival.

Besides several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps/in-the-rounds, open mics and informal jam sessions, the NERFA conference will also feature, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer & affinity group sessions, communal meals, awards presentations, an exhibit hall, a very special film screening, a reception, communal meals, a community meeting with NERFA’s volunteer board of directors, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. Singer-songwriters Flamy Grant and Janis Ian (best known for her early hits “Society’s Child” and “At 17”) will keynote the conference on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.

Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the conference; and many presenters and folk DJs do scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections, building community, and taking advantage of learning opportunities that can help enhance and enrich your professional and personal lives.

The conference’s programming committee, under the leadership of Ron Olesko, a NERFA board member and the creator and director of Folk Music Notebook (a 24/7 online radio station and community hub), has arranged a diverse array of workshops, panel discussions and special events.

“We are excited to present a special pre-release screening of a new film You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine,“ said Olesko. Filmed during a star-studded two-night tribute to the legendary songwriter at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium in October 2022, its national theatrical release is slated for later in November. Prine’s widow, Fiona Whelan Prine, president of Oh Boy! Records and a producer of the film will engage in a Q & A session following the screening. Anna Canoni, president of Woody Guthrie Publications, will give a presentation about her grandfather and the newly released Woody at Home: Woody Guthrie’s Home Recordings, 1951-1952. Buskin & Batteau, Christine Lavin, John Forster, and Carla Ulbrich — who occasionally perform together as the April Fools –will share some very funny folk songs. Also slated is a Friday morning production of Ms. Music: The Jackie Alper Story, a folk musical written and directed by Andy Spence and Sarah Dillon, that honors the late folk music legend in the New York Capital Region and an influential figure in the folk revival.

Also on the conference schedule are the ever-popular On the Griddle instant critique session during which a panel of folk DJs listen to the first 60 seconds of a number of songs and provides snap feedback. Sonny Ochs, a longtime folk DJ and sister of the late troubadour and activist Phil Ochs, will again host a Wisdom of the Elders session. It will feature acclaimed singer-songwriters Janis Ian and Tom Chapin a, along with Terry Thai (Bob Dylan’s first manager and former wife of Dave Van Ronk). Olesko joins Ochs in posing questions to them in a conversational format. A number of workshops and panel discussions designed to help artists and presenters as they try to navigate the challenges currently faced by the folk community are also on the agenda.

Juried Showcases Slated for Friday and Saturday Nights      

Taking center stage during the conference will be 14 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges from among more than 160 submissions – with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set on Friday and Saturday nights – the most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Showcasing their talents on Friday night will be Phil Henry, Judy Kass, Weary Ramblers, Connie Kaldor, Taylor Abrahamse, Elise Leavy, and Cassie and Maggie. Saturday night’s featured artists include The Levins, Sadie Gustafson-Zook, Beecharmer, Louie Lou Louis, Mystery Loves Company, Paul Colombino, and The Honey Badgers.

Judges for this year’s official juried showcases were Richard Cuccaro (publisher of Acoustic Live! in New York City & Beyond), Aaron Nathans (singer-songwriter and recording artist), and Mary Stewart (artistic director of Hugh’s Room Live in Toronto, Ontario)

On Thursday evening, the conference’s opening night, a Presenters Showcase will feature short performances by 14 artists/acts chosen by select folk DJs and concert & festival presenters. Listed in order of appearance, they are Haunted Like Human, Nico Padden, Christine Baillargeon, Nora Meier, Selena Tibbert, Halley Neal, Mirabelle Skipworth, Marc Apostoides, Sam Edelston, Ben Diamond (AKA Son Stone), Allison Strong, Francesca Panetta, Sam Berquist, and Mark & Jill.

Following the juried and curator’s showcases each evening, a number of presenters, performers and others will host private showcases in first floor hotel rooms that extend from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com will host a series of song swaps in place of its longtime popular Midnight Hoot on Thursday overnight.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com Showcase lineup:

10:30 p.m             Songs of Social Justice: Dan & Faith, Hank Stone

11:00 p.m.            Reggie Harris & Pat Wictor

11:30 p.m.            Long Island Sounds: James O’Malley, Roger Street Friedman

12:00 a.m.             Americana Folk: Lynn Crossett, Susan Kane, Carolann Solebello

12:30 a.m.             Mixed Bag: Miles & Mafale, Arielle Silver

1:00 a.m.                Funny Folk: Mark Allen Berube, Barry Rabin, Carla Ulbrich

1:30 a.m.                Tunes from Texas: Claudia Gibson, Mystery Loves Company

2:00 a.m.              Doug Mishkin, Stuart Markus

NERFA Leaders Share Their Thoughts on the Conference

“We are thrilled about our new location, nore central to our region in a beautiful and spacious hotel that offers ample opportunity for gathering on a single floor, which will encourage interaction and socializing,” Olesko told AcousticMusicScene.com. “It’s perfect for encouraging collaborations and sharing of best practices.”

Echoing his sentiments, Cheryl Prashker, president of NERFA’s board of directors, said:

“I am excited that we have brought the conference to Albany, New York for the first time. The Desmond Hotel is a perfect space for our community that gathers each year to share their music, their knowledge, and their passion for giving to each other. I cannot think of a more important thing at this time.” Expressing gratitude for a music community of which she’s been a part for more than 25 years, she said: “It has shaped who I am as a musician and a person. All I hope to be able to do is offer the young musicians coming up some love and support as they navigate the business of folk music.”

NERFA is one of five North American regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International (folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. Although folks from throughout North America attend its annual conference, NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. More extensive information on the organization and its annual conference may be found online at www.nerfa.org and www.nerfaconference.org. The four other North American regions – Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Folk Alliance Region – West (FAR-West), Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), and Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) already held their 2025 conferences. Folk Alliance International’s next conference is set for January — — in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Editor’s Note: Besides hosting a late-night song swap-style artist showcase during the conference, as I have under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com most years since the online publication’s inception in 2007, I will be assisting two of my artist PR clients (Lynn Crossett and James O’Malley) and offering some one-on-one mentoring sessions on artist bios and one-sheets, EPKS, social media promotion, and various other aspects of public relations and strategic communications. As president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington (a nonprofit presenting organization on Long Island, NY), I also curated and will co-host a private showcase under its banner on Friday overnight. As a past president and former 15-year board member of NERFA who was not at last year’s conference, I really look forward to this one.