Bud Bierhaus (Katy, Texas), Charlie Chamberlain (Nashville, TN), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), Gabe Israel (New York, NY), Claire Kelly (Nashville. TN), Sidney Kenley (Austin, TX), China Kent (Lakewood, CO), Lia Menaker (Philadelphia, PA), Giulia Millanta (Austin, TX), Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN), Amanda Murari (Ypsilanti, MI), Natalie Price ((Madison, TN), Teni Rane (Chattanooga, TN), Stephanie Sammons (Dallas, TX), and Alicia Stockman (Heber City, UT) were selected as semifinalists by a panel of judges comprised of Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers. Songwriters had to submit four songs in mp3 format that were written and/or copyrighted within the last three years. They were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport will also be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

Each of the 15 semifinalists will perform two songs before the judges and an audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following an hour-long lunch break, seven selected finalists will perform one different original song between 3 and 4 p.m. Prize money will be awarded to all participants immediately after the finals, while an awards ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter and former longtime host of a songwriters’ series at Houston’s famed Anderson Fair, will be the event’s emcee. Public tickets for the concert may be purchased online at songwriterserenade.com, where more information also may be found.

In addition to prize money, the first-place winner in the Songwriter Serenade will open a concert featuring the judges that evening at the TR Ranch in Halletsville, TX. Tickets for the concert, slated for 7-9 p.m., also may be purchased online.

Free room and board at the ranch is being provided to all of the semifinalists over the weekend. They will enjoy a Friday night barbecue and participate in a songwriting workshop with the judges on Sunday.

Snapp, who also was a Songwriter Serenade finalist last year, told AcousticMusicScene.com that she has always made it a habit to dig deep into the music and musings that have inspired and sustained her. She’s drawn accolades and kudos from those who have found themselves enticed by her accessible fusion of folk, bluegrass, roots and pure pop. Named a semi-finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2019, Snapp was selected by the Tennessee Department of Tourism and the Bluebird Cafe as the 2020 Tennessee Songwriter’s Week Showcase Winner and was listed among Music Connection’s Hot 100 Unsigned Artists of 2020. She was also a finalist in last year’s Songwriter Serenade.

Taking second through eighth place, respectively, in this year’s Songwriter Serenade were Lindsay Foote, Mike Ryan, Shanna in a Dress, Cari Ray, Chris Moyse, Grace Morrison, and Daniel Neihoff. In ninth through 15th place – in alphabetical order – were Campbell Davis, Wyatt Espalin, Claire Kelly, Alicia Stockman, Sara Van Buskirk, and Abbye West Pates.

Prize monies were awarded to all of the finalists, while Snapp was also afforded the opportunity to perform as the opening act during the judges’ show at the TR Ranch in Halletsville in the evening following the songwriter competition.

There were no fees to enter the annual competition that was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed judges (Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins), and an appreciative audience of Americana, folk and roots music lovers.

Chosen from among more than 700 submissions from around the world, the finalists were announced earlier this year. The New Folk Concerts – established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow — are usually a highlight of the annual 18-day-long singer-songwriter-focused Kerrville Folk Festival in late May-June on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country. However, this year’s festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, festival organizers hosted an online festival featuring virtual concerts and campfire song circles that were streamed online on three successive Saturdays in late May-early June. Although the festival was tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 8-18, those plans also had to be scrapped due to the ongoing health crisis.

In its place, a Virtual Celebration will take place online via the festival’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel over the weekends of Oct. 10-11 and Oct. 17-18. Hillary Adamson will serve as emcee of the 2020 New Folk Concerts that will feature videos submitted by each of the 24 finalists. Featured performing songwriters on Saturday, Oct. 10 (in order of appearance) are Eliza Edens (Williamstown, MA), T Buckley (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), Aubryn (Nashville, TN), Andy Baker (Gobles, MI), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Boston, MA), Ryan Davenport (Taylor, TX), China Kent (Denver, CO), Nick Depuy (New Canaan, CT), Louise Mosrie Coombe (Williamsburg, MA), Chad Elliott (Lamont, IA), Justina Shandler (Roanoke, VA), and Russ Parrish (Burnsville, MN). The Oct. 11 lineup features John John Brown (Pawling, NY), Claire Kelly (Nashville, TN), Michael Prysock (Dallas, TX), Shanna in a Dress (Boulder, CO), Daniel Elixir (Brixey, MO), Nancy Beaudette (Cornwall, Ontario, Canada), Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), Anne E. DeChant (Avon Lake, OH), Susan Cattaneo (Medford, MA), Jeremy Facknitz (Colorado Springs, CO), and Abigail Lapell (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

Following the virtual New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2o020 New Folk Winners by a panel of judges comprised of Stuart Adamson, Bernice Lewis and Tom Prasada-Rao. The six, to be announced during the virtual Sunday evening concert on Oct. 11, will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to each perform 15-minute sets during a n online New Folk Winners Concert the following Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, beginning at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

For more information of the Kerrville New Folk Competition and to view a full schedule of the festival’s 2020 October Virtual Celebration – including evening concerts and virtual campfires – visit https://www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/oct2020-virtual-lineup.

“None of us know when it will be possible to responsibly invite you back to Quiet Valley Ranch; we are hoping with all our hearts for October,” The Kerrville Festival Foundation staff wrote in a May 14 email to friends of the festival. “In the meantime, we are doing all we can, using every option available to us to weather this storm, and we will succeed.

What gives us faith is all of you. We are so deeply touched by so many messages of encouragement, love for the festival, and love for the community. And as festival time draws closer, we asked our artists to help us with a gift to our Festival family.”

Kerrville Folk Festival Virtual Concerts are slated for Saturdays May 23, May 30 and June 6 from 7-9 p.m. CDT/8-10 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT. Among the artists set to perform are Marcia Ball, Beat Root Revival, Black Pumas, The Chris Chandler Show, Mikaela Davis, John Elliott, Folk Family Revival, Rebecca Folsom, John Fullbright, Vance Gilbert, Jaimee Harris, Kyshona, Bernice Lewis, The Limeliters, James McMurtry, Tom Meny, Possessed by Paul James, Tom Prasada-Rao Trio, Bruce Robison, Shake Russell & Michael Hearne, Darrell Scott, Texicana Mamas, Verlon Thompson, Trout Fishing in America, Wood & Wire, and more.

The virtual concerts will stream online at https://kerrvillefolkfestival.orgg and on the festival’s Facebook page, where more details will be posted in coming days. Viewers will be afforded the opportunity to tip the artists and donate to the foundation. The two-hour concerts each evening will be followed by Virtual Campfires via Zoom hosted by members of the Kerrmunitty.

Named as finalists in the Grassy Hill-Kerrville New Folk Competition are: Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), Andy Baker (Gables, MI), Nancy Beaudette (Cornwall, ON, Canada), John John Brown (Pawling, NY), T Buckley (Calgary, AB, Canada), Susan Cattaneo (Medford, MA), Ryan Davenport (Taylor, TX), Anne E. DeChant (Avon Lake, OH), Nick Dupuy (New Canaan, CT), Eliza Edens (Williamstown, MA), Daniel Elixir (Brixley, MO), Chad Elliott (Limoni, IA), Jeremy Facknitz (Colorado Springs, CO), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Boston, MA), Claire Kelly (Nashville, TN), China Kent (Denver, Colorado), Abigail Lapell (Toronto, ON, Canada), Louise Mosrie (Williamstown, MA), Russ Parrish (Burnsville, MN), Michael Prysock (Dallas, TX), Justina Shandler(Roanoke, VA), Shanna in a Dress (Boulder, CO), Aubryn Stevens (Nashville, TN), and Alex Wong (Nashville, TN).

After performing the two songs that they submitted during New Folk Concerts slated for Oct. 9 and 10 at the Threadgill Theater during the festival, six songwriters will be selected as 2020 New Folk Winners. The six will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, 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 cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.