Nurture the Future is this year’s conference theme. “It was something we felt needed to be communicated as our world is changing every second of the day,” says Jill Kettles, SERFA’s board president. “We aim to uphold the past, mold the present, and project it for future generations; this is not just important but vital.”

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. 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. It has produced an annual conference since 2008. This is SERFA’s third consecutive year at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.

The official showcases take place Friday and Saturday evenings, with each artist/act performing a 15-minute set. Unplugged private 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 few thematic song circles, open mics, 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. Informal jams and song circles also are apt to break out in the lobby and outside (weather permitting).

Rachael Sage, Award-Winning, Prolific Singer-Songwriter and Boutique Label Owner to Deliver Keynote Address

Daytime Programming Includes Workshops, Song Circles, Think Tanks, and Mentoring Sessions

Besides the workshops and panel discussions, there will be moderated, interactive “think tanks” on House Concerts and Small Venues and Hey, What’s Your Problem, one-on-one mentoring sessions, several thematic song circles, several thematic song circles, and a Wisdom of the Elders session during the daytime hours.

Wisdom of the Elders and SERFA Awards are Among Conference Highlights

The Wisdom of the Elders conversational panel session provides a structured opportunity for conference attendees to learn from and about veteran leaders in the folk community and for the elders to talk among themselves as well. Participants this year are Scott Berwick, Wayne Erbsen and Taylor Pie.

Berwick has long been active in American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 1000 (the traveling musicians union), has been attending SERFA conferences for the past decade, and has also been involved with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Hudson Valley Folk Guild, and the Ashokan Center, as well as an informal, weekly song circle near his home in upstate New York.

Erbsen has been engaged in traditional American music for more than 50 years as a musician, recording artist (with nearly 20 albums to his credit), professor at Warren Wilson College and the University of North Carolina at Asheville, author and publisher (who has written and published 40 books), and a public radio DJ.

A Tennessee-based traveling folk minstrel and Americana artist, Taylor Pie (Susan Taylor) helped form the Pozo Seco Singers with Don Williams in the early 1960s and has been a solo singer-songwriter and musician since the folk group disbanded. Many notable artists have covered her songs, while Pie was inducted into the Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. Along with her friend Kathryn Harrison, she launched PuffBunny Records in 2007 to share her music and that of other artists she admires. Taylor Pie, who now handles A &R for the label, also stars in Nobody Famous, an award-winning music documentary that was screened during the 2022 SERFA conference.

Menius, who currently hosts “The Revolution Starts Now” on Hillsborough, NC-based WHUP, has hosted radio shows on four stations since 2007. The first executive director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), from 1985-1990, Menius also served as Folk Alliance International’s initial board president in 1990 and manager from 1991-1996, prior to serving as associate director of MerleFest for a decade and then as executive director of Appalshop in Whitesburg, Kentucky and The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC. He’s also produced concerts, festivals and conferences and worked as a fundraiser, marketing director, emcee, stage manager, and writer.

Dom Flemons, an Arizona native and Chicago area-based musician who has earned the moniker “The American Songster” since his repertoire covers more than 100 years of American roots music, records for Smithsonian Folkways. He is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones), music scholar, actor, slam poet, record collector, and the creator, host and producer of American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. Earlier this year, he was named the grand-prize winner as well as first place honors for Best Folk/Americana Roots Album (for American Wildfire) in the International Acoustic Music Awards. In 2020, he received the prestigious United States Artists Fellowship Award in the Traditional Arts category. Two years later, he received a degree as Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater Northern Arizona University and was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony or the Class of 2022. Flemons was a founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, a Grammy Award-winning African-American old-time string band.

Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. (jamkids.org) is the nonprofit parent organization for more than 50 afterschool programs for children ages six and up. JAM provides communities with the requisite tools and support to teach children to play and dance to traditional old time and bluegrass music. Its program model introduces music through small group instruction on instruments common to the Appalachian region and provides youth with opportunities to learn traditional music with their peers from local teaching artists and to perform in their communities and regionally.

Taylor Caffery, the longtime host of “Hootenanny Power” on WRKF in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the recipient of this year’s Kari Estrin Founding President’s Award. His weekly radio show incorporates musical styles and cultural influences from Caffery’s five decades on radio that began when he hosted his first show while in the U.S. Navy and continued with his college radio station KCSL. To that musical gumbo, he mixes in new discoveries from Folk Alliance International and SERFA conferences.

Dozens of Artists to be Featured in Official and Guerilla Showcases

Slated to present official showcases on Friday evening, May 10 are (in order of appearance) Sue Horowitz, Chris Haddox, Ron Fetner, A Tale of Two, Dustin Gaspard, Nicholas Edward Williams, Helene Cronin, and Admiral Radio. Saturday’s official showcase lineup features Jess Klein, Wes Collins, Bett Padgett, Cast Iron Bluegrass, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Stone & Snow, Couldn’t Be Happiers, and Ordinary Elephant.

Here’s a link to a Spotify playlist that features one song from each of the official showcase artists.

Following the official showcases on Friday and Saturday, as well as an open mic on Thursday, late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various meeting rooms for several hours. AcousticMusicScene.com, which has had a presence at SERFA conferences since 2011, will host a couple of late-night song swaps and a midnight hoot (featuring more than two-dozen artists/acts – each performing one song) on Thursday, May 9, overnight. The AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged round-robin song swap that 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 and each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com Showcase schedule:

10:40 Brooklyn in the House: Carolann Solebello and Pat Wictor

11:00 Long Island Sound: Hank Stone and Jim Whiteman

11:30 Midnight Hoot, Part 1 (one song each):

Antonio Andrade, Max & Ruth Bloomquist, Dan & Faith, Katie Dahl, Annie Stokes

12:00 Midnight Hoot, Part 2 (one song each, not necessarily in this order)

Taylor Pie, The Farmer & The Crow, Amy Speace, Annie & Rod Capps, Marc Douglas Berardo, Karyn Oliver, Lindsay Whiteman, Miles & Mafale, Rachael Sage, Emma Frances, Nicholas Edward Williams, Noah Zacharin

1:00 Midnight Hoot, Part 3 (one song each, not necessarily in this order)

Jon Shain & FJ Ventre, Erin Ash Sullivan, Robert Bidney, Rob Lytle, Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus, Meg Braun, Alice Hasen, Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean, Couldn’t Be Happiers, Reckless Saints, Siena Christie

Along with the other four U.S.-based regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, SWRFA felt compelled to cancel its annual in-person conference this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, “Dalis Allen, SWRFA’s executive director, and our board members wanted to create a virtual version of our yearly gathering to keep a sense of continuity and gather our community together in these challenging times,” said Brian Kalinec, its board president.

Singer-Songwriters Nancy Beaudette and Laura Zucker lead a workshop based on information and insights contained in their book, SongC.R.A.F.T. – Writing in Your Authentic Voice, while Elaine Hayden leads a concurrent session for concert presenters on Friday afternoon. Neale Eckstein, Jeska Forsyth, Jerod Rivers and Eric Schwartz will delve into new techniques in the virtual world. Fosyth and her husband Guy also lead a breakout session on performance, while artist manager Charlie Stewart offers demo evaluations, Emily Pickrell will discuss performing in Mexico, and Jana Pochop explores social media. Liz Sunde of Music to Life will conduct a special presentation prior to the Friday night showcases. She and her father, Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, co-founded the national nonprofit organization that connects activist artists of all genres with the resources they need to revitalize their communities through music. Veteran folk DJ Rich Warren, who recently stepped down as the longtime host of The Midnight Special, a nationally syndicated radio program emanating from WFMT in Chicago, and others will conduct one-on-ones.

It has been customary during the annual SWRFA conferences for all registered artists to be given a random song topic/prompt. They are expected to write about these during the weekend and perform their songs following Sunday brunch. SWRFA will seek to replicate this song-sharing event virtually on Sunday afternoon.

SWRFA 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. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico. For more information on SWRFA, visit https://swfolkalliance.org. To register online (free) for its virtual conference, click on https://swrfa.wufoo.com/forms/m1uhtpbn08y5xmz/.

Appearing in this year’s Emerging Artist Showcase are (listed alphabetically by last name or name of group, not in order of appearance): Answer the Muse, James Lee Baker, Suzie Brown, Wes Collins, Scott Cook, Corner House, Karen Dahlstrom, Sarah Eide, Roger Street Friedman, GoldenOak, Hawthorn, Lara Herscovitch, Kaiti Jones, Travis Knapp, Grace Morrison, Mosa, Zoe Mulford, Karyn Oliver, The Promise is Hope, River Run, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Ellen Shae, Deborah C. Smith, and Dan Weber. Named as alternates were South for the Winter, Shawna Caspi, Jim Allyn, and Banjo Nickaru. Although there is no compensation for showcasing artists, each will receive full admission, on-site camping and meals for the festival, plus one guest pass per act.

The Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase is not a contest, and artists won’t be judged per se, although the audience is surveyed as to which showcase artists they’d like to see return the following year to participate in a Most Wanted Song Swap. This year’s Most Wanted Song Swap will feature Quarter Horse, Solebello and Justin Farren.

An opportunity to be seen and heard in a large amphitheater setting, with hundreds of folk fans, presenters, agents, media and other music industry professionals in attendance, the showcase was open to all performing artists who have not previously showcased their talents at Falcon Ridge in the last two years and who will not be appearing on its stages in any other capacity this year. In evaluating submissions, a panel of three judges looked for high-quality performances of interesting, well-crafted, acoustic-based material that need not be original. This year’s judges were Bruce Swan and Louise Baker from Baker Booking and WPKN (Bridgeport, CT) working as a team, Bruce Martin from Blues Café in Southbury, CT, and Pam Robinson from The Folk Project and curator of he New Jersey Uke Fest.

Artists slated to perform during the festival – in addition to those in the Most Wanted Song Swap — include Michael Allman & the Mile High Band, Annie & the Hedonists, Bettman & Halpin, BoDeans, Buddy System, Jim & Madeline Christensen, Emma’s Revolution, The Gaslight Tinkers, The Ivy Vie Players, Martyn Joseph, Stephen Kellogg, Low Lily, G,eorge Marshall with Wild Asparagus, Crys Mathews, Pamela Means Band, Mid-City Acres, Beth Molaro, Mustard’s Retreat, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Patti O’Brien Melita, Pete’s Posse, Kerri Powers, Paul Rosenberg, Rowan Brothers, Ryanhood, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, The Storycrafters, Tame Rutabaga, Andrew VanNorstrand, Kathryn Wedderburn, and Annie Wenz. The Falcon Ridge House Band — featuring Rad Lorkovic, Mark Dann and Eric Lee –also will be on hand to accompany a number of other artists.

Those camping at Falcon Ridge and staying up through the early morning hours can enjoy an array of informal jams, mini-showcases and after-hours song circles that help foster a sense of “folk” community and a different kind of festival experience at the Big Orange Tarp, Budgiedome, Pirate Camp and elsewhere. Singer-songwriters Terry Kitchen and Tony Kearney host the Nite Owl Swap and Nite Owl Hoot.

More information can be found and tickets for the festival may be ordered at www.falconridgefolk.com.

Editor’s Note: I have attended the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival each summer almost since its inception. It was an honor to serve as an Emerging Artist Showcase judge last year. For nearly a decade, I also arranged and hosted late-night song swaps at Falcon Ridge under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com in partnership with Tribes Hill and, later, Pirate Camp. While I continue to camp with friends at Pirate Camp, I have enjoyed visiting various campsites and checking out a number of artists who are new to me over the past several years.

The finalists, chosen from among nearly 300 entries, are Clara Baker (Portland, OR), Cecilia Castleman (Nashville, TN), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Jeff Cramer (Denver, CO), Connor Garvey (Portland, ME), Billy Huston (Boulder, CO), Tim Ostdiek (Longmont, CO), Emily Scott Robinson (Greensboro, NC), Alexa Wildish (Boulder, CO), and Ira Wolf (Nashville, TN). Liv Greene (Boston, MA) and Kimberly Townsend (New York, NY) were named as alternates.

Last year’s Telluride Troubadour winner was Garrett Owen of Dallas, Texas.

Each of this year’s finalists – who were judged on the basis of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery, and the overall presentation/performance — will perform two original songs in the preliminary round at the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride on Thursday afternoon, June 20, while the top five finalists will perform two different original songs in the final round the following afternoon. In addition to a complimentary four-day festival pass, each finalist also receives an in-the-round performance slot in Elks Park and an opportunity to perform a “tweener” song on the festival’s main stage. The winner performs a 15-minute set on the festival’s main stage on Saturday evening.

Here’s a link to listen to a Soundcloud stream of songs by each of the finalists:

https://soundcloud.com/planetbluegrass/sets/2019-telluride-troubadour-finalists

More information on the 2019 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.

Delaney, who lives in Dallas, also was afforded the opportunity to open a concert that evening at The Bugle Boy in La Grange for fellow Texas-based singer-songwriters Susan Gibson, Walt Wilkins and Carrie Rodriguez, who judged the competition. Emceeing the semifinals and finals that took place earlier in the day was Ken Gaines, an award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer.

Entries in the Songwriter Serenade competition were evaluated based on lyrics (imagery, story, creativity, and originality), melody (structure, phrasing, and rhythm), and performing ability (vocals, musicianship). Stage presence/audience rapport also was taken into consideration during the semifinals and finals.

In addition to Delaney, the following singer-songwriters placed second to eighth, respectively: Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Jaimee Harris (Austin, TX), Chase Gassaway (Austin, TX), Nathan Evans Fox (Houston, TX), B. Sterling Archer (Austin. TX), Lindsay Foote (Boston, MA), and Keith Larsen (Grove City, OH). Rounding out the list, in alphabetical order, were Jordi Baizan (Houston, TX), Ben Bochner (Eugene, Oregon), Joel Curtis (Louisville, KY), Jen Hajj (Idyllwild, CA), Phillip Lee (Augusta, GA), and Alice Wallace (Fullerton, CA). Susan Cattaneo (Medford, MA) and Tara Williamson (Austin, TX) also were semifinalists but were unable to participate.

Songwriter Serenade (www.songwriterserenade.com) 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.

A regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, SERFA (www.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. Its annual conference is a primary means of doing that. This is the sixth consecutive year that it is being held at the same location — a beautiful and tranquil spot nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This year’s conference opens with a barbecue, followed by a barn dance and an open mic on Wednesday night, and concludes on Sunday morning with a farewell breakfast.

Peggy Seeger is Conference Keynoter

Others to be honored for their contributions to music and culture in the Southeast include Jim Magill. founding director of the Swannanoa Gathering and outgoing SERFA board member, Jennifer Pickering, founding and current executive director of LEAF Community Arts, and Phil Jamison, who has dedicated more than 40 years to calling and researching dance.

Workshops Organized by Tracks; Controversial HB2 Legislation to be Discussed

A number of 75-minute workshops during the conference will be organized by tracks: Business, Dance, Motivational/The Road, Performance/Accompaniment, Promotion/Gigs, Recording and Songwriting. Seeger will lead one entitled Songwriting – Those Controversial Issues.

Controversy has swirled around the state of North Carolina of late with the recent passage and signing into law of the Public Facilities and Private Security Act, HB2, which discriminates against people based on sexual orientation and gender status. The SERFA board of directors recently unanimously adopted a statement that reads in part: “The backroom politics that created and passed HB2 is a blight on the face of North Carolina, and SERFA is proud to stand with the majority of not only North Carolina citizens, but the American people in general, businesses, artists and religious leaders who are advocates of equal rights for all, and against HB2. SERFA will continue to welcome all regardless of sexual preference, identity or gender, without regard to religion, nationality or race. We encourage unity and decry legislation that fosters discrimination, prejudice and fear.” During the conference, activist singer-songwriters Tret Fure and Si Kahn will facilitate discussions on Collaborative Songwriting: Writing a Social Justice Song Against HB2 and Local Voices for Justice: SERFA and HB2.

Besides the workshops and panel discussions, there will be a house concert presenters peer group meeting, yoga sessions led by singer-songwriter Caroline Cotter, communal meals, and, of course, a lot of music.

Official and Guerilla Showcases Abound

A number of artists have been selected by a panel of judges to present official showcases on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 7:15-10:30 p.m. Slated to perform on Thursday are Si Kahn, Sam Gleaves, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Bruce Michael Miller, Tish Hinojosa, Martyn Joseph, Christie Lenee, BettySoo and Victor & Penny. Friday’s official showcase lineup features No Fuss and Feathers, Lipbone Redding, Kirsten Maxwell, Lyal Strickland, Jon Shain & FJ Ventre, The Gather Rounders, Clint Alphin, Letters to Abigail and Rebecca Loebe. Saturday’s showcase artists include Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards, David Roth, Gene and Gayla Mills, Ian Foster, Bob Sinclair and the Big Deals, Lowell Levinger – Banana from the Youngbloods, Dave Curley and Mari Black World Fiddle Ensemble. Persons not registered for the conference can attend these showcases on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for $12 each night or $25 for all three nights.

Following the official showcases, late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various meeting rooms between 10:40 p.m. and 2 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com, which has had a presence at the SERFA Conference for the past five years, will host late-night showcases on Thursday and Friday, May 19 and 20, overnight. These will take the form of song swaps.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule:

Thursday Night, May 19:

10:40 Mass. Appeal: Dan & Faith, Rob Lytle, Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards, Steven Pelland

11:30 Women’s Voices: Meg Braun, Caroline Cotter, Judy Kass

12:00 A Trio of Duos: Fraser & Girard, Victor & Penny, The YaYas

12:30 Young Folk: Erika Kulnys, Kirsten Maxwell, Mike Tedesco

1:00 Strings & Songs: Dave Curley, Eric Lee, Kristin Rebecca

1:30 Last Round: Lorraine Conard, Karyn Oliver, Jeff Talmadge

Friday Night, May 20:

10:40 O Canada: Bob Ardern, Shawna Caspi, Ian Foster, Suzie Vinnick (with Cheryl Prashker on percussion)

11:30 NY/NJ Artists: Robin Greenstein, Mara Levine, Dennis McDoNoUgh!

12:00 Carolina Guys: Eric Bannan, Wes Collins, Todd Hoke

12:30 Austin Songwriters: BettySoo, Steve Brooks, Tom Meny

1:15 Nashville Cats: Clint Alphin, Anne E. DeChant, Claudia Nygaard, Becky Warren

Also during the conference, a number of artists will visit a local elementary school to share songs with youngsters and give them a chance to play instruments and learn about the various types of folk instruments and the styles of music they create.

SERFA conference programming is designed to afford participants opportunities to have some downtime, meet other attendees in informal situations such as meals and impromptu jams and even take naps, yet still get a lot out of it, said Estrin. “Last year, many commented on how refreshed and energized they felt leaving SERFA, which was one of our goals.”

Editor’s Note: In addition to hosting an AcousticMusicScene.com showcase, I will be part of two workshop panel discussions in the Promotion/Gigs track: Making Technology Work for You – Creating an Internet Identity, and Music Journalism – What Makes You Interesting. I will also again be a mentor offering advice and counsel on public relations, strategic communications, artist bios and one-sheets, website content and social media, and other topics of interest to performing artists and presenters. I am a Folk Alliance International board member and also serve as vice president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) board of directors.

Slated to perform in the ballroom on Friday evening, from 7:30-10 p.m., are Ryanhood, Lyal Strickland, Friction Farm, Hardin Burns, Freddy & Francine, Justin Farren, Clint Alphin, Lisa Sanders and Brown Sugar, and The Flyin A’s. Saturday night’s lineup features Mt. Thelonious, Thad Beckman, Susan Cattaneo, Wes Collins, Amy Kucharik, Andrew Delaney, Rebecca Folsom, Heather Styka, and No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow. Rich Warren, host of the nationally syndicated “The Midnight Special” radio show that emanates from Chicago’s WFMT-FM, emcees both nights.

Besides the official showcases, the conference will feature open mics, in-room showcases extending into the early morning hours, and daytime panel discussions and seminars that address many facets of the music business, according to Dalis Allen, who produces the conference, as well as the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. “We eat meals together, form wonderful new relationships and renew old ones,” she notes. “And we are certain to have fun.”

Following a popular pool party and open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Butch Morgan on Thursday night, Charlie Stewart of Handshake Management will emcee the Official Alternates Showcase in the hotel’s Elm Room. Set to perform short sets beginning at 10:30 p.m. are Berkley Hart, Chase Gassaway, Nancy Beaudette, Michael Braunfeld, George Ensle, Katie Marie, and Ordinary Elephant.

Conference registration is $195 if paid by Sept. 15 and rises to $225 after then. Included with registration are five meals and a cocktail party. The official showcases are also open to the public for a $10 cover charge each night.

SWRFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a nonprofit organization that aims to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community — traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional — through education, advocacy and performance. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its 16th annual conference is expected to draw performing artists, presenters, managers, agents and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music.

For more information, visit www.swfolkalliance.org.

David Berkeley (Santa Fe, NM), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Amy Kucharik (Somerville, MA), Tom Meny (Buda, TX), Anna Tivel (Portland, OR) and Becky Warren (Nashville, TN) have been named as winners in the 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. The six winning songwriters were chosen from among hundreds of applicants following performances May 28-29 by 32 finalists during the New Folk Concerts held as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country.

After performing the two songs they each had previously submitted, the six were selected as 2015 New Folk Winners by noted songwriters David Wilcox and Ellis Paul, who served as judges. Each winner received a cash honorarium and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend with each performing a 20-minute set during a New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday afternoon, May 31.

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. Being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

This year’s Kerrville Folk Festival began on Thursday, May 21 and continues through Sunday, June 7. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 28, from 1-4 p.m., are Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), John Brown (Winter Gardens, FL), Mary Bragg (Nashville, TN), Tom Meny (Buda, TX), Susan Cattaneo (Medford, MA), Teresa Storch (Longmont, CO), Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA), Cherie Call (Spanish Fork, UT), Becky Warren (Nashville, TN), Amy McCarley (Huntsville, AL), Chase Gassaway (Austin, TX), Aubryn (Nashville, TN), Andrew Delaney (Plano, TX), Abby Lappen (Claverack-Red Mills, NY), David Berkeley (Santa Fe, NM), and Heather Styka (Portland, ME).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 29 include Hope Dunbar (Utica, NE), Drew Kennedy (New Braunfels, TX), Kerry Patrick Clark (Whitehouse, OH), Mare Wakefield (Nashville, TN), Anna Tivel (Portland, OR), Lisa Nicole Grace (Alberta, Canada), Eliot Bronson (Atlanta, GA), Amy Kucharik (Somerville, MA), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Andy Roo Forrest (Seattle, WA), Emily Clepper (Austin, TX), Robert Smith (Roanoke, VA), Man in the Ring (Kansas City, MO), Angela Easterling (Green, SC), Candy Lee (Fayetteville, AR), and Jess Klein (Austin, TX).

Mike P. Ryan (Clifton, VA), Emily White (Chicago, IL) and Meg Braun (New York, NY) were named as alternates.

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2015 New Folk Winners by noted songwriters David Wilcox and Ellis Paul, who are serving as judges. 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 Winners concert at the festival on Sunday afternoon, May 31.

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. Being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features Ballad Tree song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, early morning yoga sessions, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a four-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops. The festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 21– Sunday, June 7. For a complete schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 25. are Ben Bochner (Eugene, OR), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Adrianne Lenker (Andover, MN), Marina (League City, TX), Mark Philpot (Fort Worth, TX), Allie Farris (Nashville, TN), Andrew Delaney (Dallas, TX), Anna & The Underbelly (Portland, OR), Arlon Bennett (Tappan, NY), B. Sterling (Austin, TX), Bethel Steele (Boston, MA), Tommy Byrd (Austin, TX), Davey O. (Buffalo, NY), Hope Schneir (Camarillo, CA), Doug Kent (Houston, TX) and Ed Romanoff (Brooklyn, NY).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 26 include Ellis (Minneapolis, MN), Honor Finnegan (New York, NY), John Natiw (Canton, MI), Julie Jean White (Dallas, TX), Eric Bettencourt (Portland, ME), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), Lizzy Ross (Chapel Hill, NC), Mary McAdams (Des Moines, IA), Paul Sachs (New York, NY), Terry Holder (Olympia, WA), Steve Chizmadia (Peekskill, NY), The Sparrowmakers (Austin, TX), Twangtown Paramours ( Nashville, TN), Wes Collins (Chapel Hill, NC), Zach Kibodeaux (Kyle, TX) and Bill Valenti (Bend, OR).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2013 New Folk Winners by judges Nels Andrews, Aengus Finnan and BettySoo. The six will perform in the New Folk Award Winners Concert on Sunday, June 2, and will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to participate in the New Folk Concerts Fall Tour culminating with the opening slot on the 2013 Rice Fest stage. 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 their fans.

Now in its 42nd year, year, the Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

The Kerrville Folk Festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 23– Sunday, June 9. For a complete festival schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.