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.

There are no fees to enter the completion in which songwriters are evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also will be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals in May. Tickets for both the daytime contest and an evening concert are available to the public.

Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information, may be found at songwriterserenade.com. Songwriters are expected to fill out the form and attach four songs in mp3 format, along with titles and lyrics. A link to a live performance — preferably of one or more of the submitted songs — also should be included. All submitted songs must have been written and/or copyrighted within the last three years and each must not exceed five minutes in length.

Songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 3. To participate, they must commit to being present for the entire weekend’s events — including a Friday evening barbecue, the competition on Saturday (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and an evening concert by the four event judges (singer-songwriters Susan Gibson, Josh Grider, Kim Richey, and Walt Wilkins) and the competition winner, as well as a songwriting workshop on Sunday with the judges. All of the semifinalists will be provided with free room and board at the nearby TR Ranch over the weekend.

Songwriter Serenade was established in 2007 to provide performing songwriters with a platform to showcase their skills before their peers, a panel of esteemed singer-songwriters who serve as judges, and an audience of music lovers. Last year’s first-place winner was Brittany Ann Tranbaugh.

The official showcases take place Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:15-10:15 p.m., with each artist/act performing a 15-minute set. Unplugged guerrilla showcases follow from 10:40 p.m. to 2 a.m. Also on the agenda are daytime panel discussions and workshops, a Wisdom of the Elders session, a couple of film screenings and Q & A sessions, several thematic song circles, an open mic, peer group and one-on-one mentoring sessions, an awards presentation, an exhibit hall, communal meals, and plenty of other opportunities to learn, share and network –- including during built-in afternoon breaks in the programming.

SERFA is a regional affiliate 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. Formed in 2002, SERFA (serfa.org) exists to promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts in the southeastern United States. SERFA has produced an annual conference since 2008. Its conference’s move to Black Mountain this year marks a return of sorts. Prior to the event’s move to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2019, it had taken place for eight consecutive years at the Montreat Conference Center, a few miles down the road and also nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted SERFA– like other FAI regional affiliates – to pivot to an online event last year, SERFA in Session: A Virtual Gathering.

Acclaimed Songwriter Thomm Jutz to Deliver Keynote Address

Named Songwriter of the Year in 2021 by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Thomm Jutz (pronounced “Yootz”) has written a number of bluegrass hits and his songs have been recorded by Balsam Range, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, and The SteelDrivers, among others. A native of Germany who has called Nashville home for many years, Jutz toured with such artists as Griffith, Mary Gauthier, David Olney, and Kim Richey; built a recording studio and produced albums for other artists – including Country Music Hall of Famers Bill Anderson and Mac Wiseman. He received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album in 2020 for To Live in Two Worlds, Volume 1 and is featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s American Currents exhibit, which is slated to extend from 2022-2023.

Afternoon Programming Includes Workshops, Film Screenings, Song Circles, Wisdom of the Elders, and More

Nearly 20 workshops and panel discussions will delve into such topics as African-American contributions to Southern Appalachian music and dance, basics of piedmont picking, creating in community: the Jack Hardy Songwriters Exchange method, expanding our folk community, free-range folklore: an introduction to the Music Maker method, getting the gig and being invited back, the magic of collaboration, media coverage and strategy, music off the radar: making money and making a difference, simple measures for drastic guitar playing improvement, social media & fan engagement, songwriter residencies, and trends in folk radio and radio promotion.

Besides the workshops and panel discussions, there will be screenings of two recent music documentaries – The Mountain Minor and Nobody Famous – followed by Q & A sessions, as well as a Wisdom of the Elders session, several thematic song circles (songs of joy, struggle, place, and the environment), and one-on-one mentoring sessions during the afternoons.

The Mountain Minor is an award-winning narrative feature film that provides an authentic and respectful glimpse of Appalachian culture, music and history; of the joys and challenges experienced by the folks who have kept traditional mountain music alive. Loosely based on a true story, the film follows five generations of a family from their roots in eastern Kentucky in 1932 to a stage in Cincinnati, Ohio today as told by a man who yearns to return to his Kentucky home after migrating with his family to southwest Ohio during the Great Depression. Written-and directed by Dale Farmer (himself an old-time musician) and produced by Susan Pepper, a Cincinnati native now based in North Carolina, the film notably features traditional Appalachian musicians in acting roles. Among them are The Tillers, Smithsonian Folkways artist Elizabeth LaPrelle, banjoist and fiddler Dan Gellert, and Pepper herself. Following a series of festival screenings, The Mountain Minor had a limited theatrical run in late 2019-early 2020 due to the pandemic. It has aired on some public television stations and is available for home viewing.

Named Best Documentary in the 2021 New Jersey Film Festival and Best Music Documentary in the Seattle Film Festival earlier this year, Nobody Famous is set against the backdrop of the socially and politically volatile 1960s and traces the quick rise and ready fall of the folk-pop trio Pozo Seco Singers as folk music’s zeitgeist gives way to the heavy rhythm of rock & roll. Nobody Famous features Taylor Pie (Susan Taylor), who helped form the trio with Don Williams in the early 1960s and has been a solo singer-songwriter and musician since it disbanded. As Taylor Pie – then fresh from her first year in college – recounts today, while Williams went on to become one of the most successful country music artists of the 20th century, she shied away from fame and fortune, instead choosing to “go where the folk wind blows” – embracing her own path, her own unique artistry, and her own individual identity in the process.

Dozens of Artists to be Featured in Official and Guerilla Showcases

Following the official showcases (as well as on Thursday overnight), late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various rooms for several hours. AcousticMusicScene.com, which has had a presence at the SERFA Conference since 2011, will host late-night song swaps and a midnight hoot (featuring two-dozen artists/acts – each performing one song) on Thursday, May 12, overnight. The AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap, a three-plus-hour version of which has been a popular staple at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conferences since 2007, will feature two-dozen artists/acts – each performing one song. The Midnight Hoot is intended to provide concert and festival presenters, folk DJs and others with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time on the conference’s opening night. It also enables artists to enjoy each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule:

11 p.m. PuffBunny Records Songswarm: Taylor Pie, Nancy K. Dillon,Nicholas Edward Williams

11:30 p.m. Texas!: Andrew Delaney, Claudia Gibson, Scott Martin

12:00 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot, Part 1:

(one song each, not necessarily in order of appearance)

Antonio Andrade, Ashley & Simpson, Meg Braun, Matt Burke, Cheryl

Cawood, Emerald Rae, Kala Farnham, Alice Hasen, Lara Herscovitch,

Lucy Isabel, Rob Lytle, Karyn Oliver

1:00 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot, Part 2:

(one song each, not necessarily in order of appearance)

Amy & Mike Aiken, Crowes Pasture, Dan & Faith, Paul Helou,

Letters To Abigail, Crys Matthews, Brant Miller, Halley Neal, Sam

Robbins, Hank Stone, Annette Wasilik, Elly Wininger

Editor’s Note: In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com guerrilla showcase and moderating the Q & A session with Taylor Pie following the screening o the award-winning documentary Nobody Famous that features her, I will be assisting PuffBunny Records (Taylor Pie’s label, for which I handle public relations) with its Friday night guerrilla showcase and an exhibit hall table. I will also again be a mentor offering advice and counsel on various aspects of PR, social media and strategic communications. A board member of Folk Alliance International, I’m a past president of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) and continue to serve on its board of directors. I have been an active participant at SERFA conferences since 2011.

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.

Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Finals Take Place during Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival

The 2020 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest is held in conjunction with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 15-17 in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. Singer-songwriters who perform in the acoustic, Americana, blues, Celtic, country, rock, indie, or pop genres are invited to submit recorded songs (two per entry) in mp3 format via email. The application deadline is March 1. Only the first 300 submissions will be accepted.

Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges will choose ten finalists to perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage during the 28th annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The ten finalists, who will be notified by April 14, will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs. The first-place grand-prize winner will receive $1,000 plus two full consecutive days of recording at Audio Dallas Recording Studio and a travel allowance, while both the second-place and Michael Troy People’s Choice Award winners will each receive $500. All performing finalists will receive festival passes for themselves and a guest, lodging, green room access for food and beverages, and the opportunity to perform solo sets on the festival’s Courtyard Stage. The winners will also be featured in a spotlight round on Sunday afternoon.

Recordings submitted must be representative of the artist’s live performance and include only one instrument, the songwriter’s vocal and no backup harmonies. Produced recordings and instrumental songs will not be accepted. Although co-written songs are acceptable, only one of the songwriters may submit an application and perform the song on the recording. Submitted songs must have been written after December 2017 and not exceed five minutes in length. For more information and detailed contest rules, visit http://www.wildflowerfestival.com/songwriter-contest/.

2020 Songwriter Serenade Competition Will Accept Entries Through March 29

Applications are being accepted through March 29 in the 14th annual Songwriter Serenade Competition. From among all entries received, 15 songwriters will be invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at The Parish Hall in Moravia, Texas on Saturday, May 2.

There are no fees to enter the competition in which songwriters will be evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also will be taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals in May. Tickets for the event, to be emceed by singer-songwriter Ken Gaines, will be available to the public.

Online entry forms, along with complete contest rules and additional information, may be found at www.songwriterserenade.com. Songwriters are expected to fill out the form and attach four songs in .mp3 format, along with titles and lyrics. All submitted songs must have been written and/or copyrighted within the last three years and each must not exceed five minutes in length. Those songwriters selected as semifinalists will be notified by April 6 and will be provided with room and board at the TR Ranch. Singer-songwriters Susan Gibson, Josh Grinder and Kim Richey will judge the competition.

Songwriter Serenade 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 enthusiastic crowd of music lovers.

Feb. 29 is Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition Entry Deadline

First reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last December [https://acousticmusicscene.com/2019/12/14/entries-sought-in-2020-kerrville-new-folk-competition/], entries also are now being accepted for the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, 2020, during the first weekend of the 49th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by February 29 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in April.

Six songwriters will be chosen as 2020 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 18 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert is slated for Sunday, May 31.

Official guidelines, along with entry information and forms, are posted at www.kerrville-music.com/new-folk.

South Florida Folk Festival Features a Singer-Songwriter Competition

Since its inception 20 years ago, the festival has been a combination of music fest, family reunion, community gathering, and weekend musical retreat. In addition to the festival’s headliners, a number of Florida-based musicians and other national touring acts are slated to perform. These include Ellen Bukstel, Kate Callahan (Connecticut State Troubadour), Caroline Cotter & Michael Thomas Howard, Jerry DeMeo, Jacob Johnson, Tom Lyman (all the way from Budapest, Hungary), Rod MacDonald, Laurie McClain, Danielle Miraglia, New Middle Class, Angela Parrish, Bill & Eli Perras, Roy Schneider & Kim Mayfield, Doug Spears, Twangtown Paramours, Mare Wakefield & Nomad, and Laura Zucker, among others. Some of the performing artists also will lead workshops, while there also will be a jam area for those who enjoy playing traditional folk and other acoustic styles of music.

Kicking-off the weekend’s musical festivities on Saturday, Jan. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will be the 12 finalists in the festival’s singer-songwriter competition, each of whom will perform two songs. They are Bear & Robert (Jacksonville, FL), Randy Brown (Mineola, TX), Nigel Egg (Minneapolis, MN), Lauren Heintz (Winter Park, FL), Sonya Heller (Calicoon Center, NY), Judy Kass (Tarrytown, NY), Leah Kaufman (Raleigh, NC), Claudia Nygaard (Nashville, TN), Cecilia St. King (Delray Beach, FL), Kray Van Kirk (Arcata, CA), Joe Virga (Cape Coral, FL), and Joel Zoss (West Palm Beach, FL).

Three winners selected by a panel of judges will each receive the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award – a $200 cash prize and an invitation to perform at the 2019 festival – as will 2017 winners Jane Fallon (Brookline, NH), Amber Ikeman (Bozeman, MT) and Austin MacRae (Ithaca, NY) at this event. In addition, all winners and finalists may be afforded the opportunity to perform ‘in-the-round’ during the festival’s second day, on Sunday, Jan. 14.

The annual songwriting competition is co-presented by Reba Heyman. Along with her late husband, Vic, Reba has been an integral part of the folk community in South Florida and nationally for many years. The couple has been known for decades for their generous financial backing of folk festivals and artists. They formerly ran a concert series in Rockville, Maryland known as Vic’s Music Corner, have established a scholarship fund for artists, and served on the boards of several music festivals.

For more information on the festival, which is co-sponsored by Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP), and to order tickets in advance, visit www.southfloridafolkfest.com.

30A Songwriters Festival Features More Than 175 Performing Artists

Now in its ninth year, the 30A Songwriters Festival is set for Friday-Monday, Jan. 12-15. More than 175 artists are slated to perform at two-dozen venues and locations along the Florida Gulf Coast’s scenic Highway 30A in Walton County.

These artists and more will perform at amphitheaters, town halls, restaurants, theaters, bars and covered patios — with capacities ranging from intimate indoor venues that can seat 75 people to outdoor settings that can accommodate a few thousand.

“The 30A Songwriters Festival is one of the most diverse songwriters festivals I’ve ever been to,” says Shawn Mullins, who also will showcase his talents. “The wide range of songwriters performing, the great crowds, the unique venues, and the beautiful location all make for an incredible experience.”

Festival weekend passes, beginning at $280, can be purchased online at www.30asongwritersfestival.com, where you’ll also find more information on the festival, its performers and venues – including a complete schedule when it’s available. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Cultural Arts Alliance’s office in Santa Rosa Beach, The Foster Gallery in Grand Boulevard, and at Central Square Records in Seaside.

NPR’s Folk Alley, a multimedia music service produced by WKSU in Ohio, will be on site throughout the weekend, interviewing artists and filming and recording performances. The Sessions from the 30A Songwriters Festival will later air on the syndicated Folk Alley radio show and also will be archived at www.folkalley.com.

Although Kansas City may be better known for jazz, blues, barbecue and fountains, some 2,500 people from nearly 20 countries are expected to converge on this Midwestern U.S. metropolis for the conference, festival and a Winter Music Camp.

Ranked among the five largest music conferences in North America, the Folk Alliance International Conference will feature several days of panel discussions and workshops (with a few exploring the global and historical role of music in social, political, economic and environmental movements), mentoring sessions, regional and peer group meetings, receptions, an exhibit hall, a health fair, and lots of music and networking.

During four nights (and several afternoons), emerging and renowned touring artists from throughout the world will showcase their talents for hundreds of concert and festival presenters, agents, managers, media, and music industry representatives. There will be 200 juried music showcases in the evenings (each 30-minutes in duration and held concurrently on full-production stages in nine ballrooms throughout the host hotel) and hundreds of private in-room showcases, in-the-round song swaps, and jams that extend late into the night and early morning hours. The Official Showcases, which extend from 8-11 p.m. nightly, will be open to the public for a small fee.

In addition to Bragg’s keynote during the conference, singer-songwriter and social activist Ani DiFranco will speak about her music, activism, and the role of the protest singer in modern times.

International Folk Music Awards Show Opens the Conference

The conference opens on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with a star-studded International Folk Music Awards Show hosted by Grammy Award-winning artist Paula Cole and celebrating excellence, tradition, innovation, and the collective history of the global folk community.

In keeping with the theme of this year’s conference and reflecting its ongoing commitment to honor the socially conscious roots of folk music, Folk Alliance International will introduce two new awards this year. Artist and activist Kris Kristofferson will present the inaugural People’s Voice Award — recognizing an individual who has committed to social and political commentary in his/her creative work and folk music career — will be presented to Canadian folk-rocker Bruce Cockburn, who has highlighted environmental, social and indigenous issues globally over the past 40 years. The Clearwater Award, to be presented annually to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production, will be bestowed by artist and activist Eliza Gilkyson to its namesake, the Clearwater Festival. Launched by the late Pete Seeger and others, The Great Hudson River Clearwater Revival celebrates environmental activism, music and education

Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to noted composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and author David Amram (Living), the late activist songwriter Malvina Reynolds (Legacy), and prolific Canadian folklorist Helen Creighton (Business/Academic).

The Spirit of Folk Awards will be presented to six individuals who have been actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, community building, and demonstrated leadership: Barbara Dane, Chloe Goodyear, Michelle Conceison, Ramy Essam, Si Kahn, and SONiA disappear fear.

In addition, member-voted Best of 2016 Awards for Album, Song and Artist of the Year will be announced that evening, while inaugural members of a Folk DJ Hall of Fame will be inducted. Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Megan Mullally, who is also a singer, will present the member-voted awards.

[AcousticMusicScene.com will report more in-depth on the awards and their recipients following the conference.]

Music Camp Offers Instruction for People of All Ages and Skill Levels

In conjunction with its 29th annual conference, Folk Alliance International also hosts its fourth annual music camp, Feb. 17-19, affording people of all ages, skill levels, and walks of life an opportunity to learn from 20 noted artists and instructors including Gilkyson, Beppe Gambetta, James Hill, Bruce Molsky, Kim Richey, Mark Stuart, and David Wilcox. Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and master classes in old-time banjo, step-dancing, flatpicking guitar, old-time fiddle, African guitar, and songwriting are among the offerings open to the public from 10 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, across the skywalk from the Westin Crown Center, where the conference takes place.

Single-day tickets for the music camp are $60, while a three-day pass is $150. Conference delegates may attend for a special rate of $10 per class. A full schedule of classes, for which there is a Feb. 17 registration deadline, may be viewed online at www.folkcamp.org.

Folk Festival is Open to the Public on Feb. 19

Closing out the conference on Sunday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the second annual Kansas City Folk Festival is free to all conference delegates and open to the public for a small fee. The indoor, family-friendly event will feature performances by national and international touring artists, an artisans market, and a ceili. Performers will include Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush, Grammy Award-winning children’s artists The Okee Dokee Brothers, Latin American emerging artist Ani Cordero, Sam Baker, BettySoo, Orlagh De Bhaldraithe, Ensemble Iberica, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Jimmy LaFave, Steve Poltz, and Wilcox. There will also be musical tributes to Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.

Each of FAI’s five regional affiliates will also present an artist/act. In order of appearance during the day, they are Lula Wiles (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance), Michelle Held (Folk Alliance Region Midwest), Grant Peeples and the Peeples Republik (Southeast Regional Folk Alliance), Rachel Laven (Southwest Regional Folk Alliance), and Scott Cook (Folk Alliance Region-West).

Billy Bragg will close out the afternoon on the festival’s Mainstage from 4-5 p.m.

Tickets for the festival at the Westin Crown Center are $30 for adults, with discounts available for seniors, students, and youth (ages 5-14). For more information and to order tickets online, visit www.kansascityfolkfestival.org.

Kansas City-based Folk Alliance International is a nonprofit organization that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance.

Editor’s Note: An elected member of the Folk Alliance International board of directors, I also serve as board president for its largest regional affiliate — Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), whose boundaries extend from Washington, DC’s northern Virginia suburbs to eastern Canada. I will moderate a panel discussion on “The Art of Adventurous Programming” for presenters, offer some one-on-one mentoring sessions, and lead a regional meeting during the conference.