The finalists, chosen from among nearly 200 entries, are Caitlin Cannon (Nashville,TN), Lyle de Vitry (Asheville, NC), Rob Drabkin (Denver, CO), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Daphne Gale (New York, NY), Amy Keeler (Pugwash Junction, NS, Canada), Gabrielle Louise (Paonia, CO), Sean Magwire (Oxford, MA), Halley Neal (Nashville, TN), and Eliza Thorp (Petoskey, MI). Named as alternates were Lalo Hart (Evergreen, CO) and Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN).

Each of the ten 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, 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 will participate in a live radio interview and performance with local station KOTO. The winner performs a 15-minute set on the festival’s main stage on Saturday evening.

The Telluride Troubadour Competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. It has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991, although there hasn’t been one since 2019 – prior to the pandemic. That year’s Telluride Troubadour was Emily Scott Robinson (Greensboro, NC).

More information on the 2023 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.

The show can be viewed online at Harbortown Music’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. It may also be shared via the AcousticMusicScene.com group on Facebook. Although there is no set fee to view the livestream, tips for the artists would be most appreciated (suggested donation: $20) and may be made via paypalme.com/harbortownmusic.

About the Artists:

One of the most acclaimed voices in contemporary folk music, Amy Speace was discovered in 2006 by Judy Collins and signed to her record label. The Americana Music Association UK named the title track of her album Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne was named International Song of the Year in 2020. Speace’s latest release, 2021’s There Used To Be Horses Here. chronicles the year between the birth of her son and the death of her father. A new album, Tucson, is set for release this year. Collins, Red Molly, and Blues Hall of Famer Sid Selvidge among others, have also recorded her songs. Speace founded the East Nashville Song Salon in 2010 and teaches songwriting and performance at conferences, institutions, and privately. For more information, visit amyspeace.com.

Accompanying herself on piano, Kate Klim, whose songs mix her folk and pop sensibilities, was a winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2010, has been part of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase, and has been a finalist in the Mountain Stage Newsong Contest, the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and the Telluride Troubadour Competition, among others. After a hiatus of a few years surrounding the birth of her two sons, she returned to the studio in early spring 2020 to begin recording her fourth album. Released earlier this month, Something Green is an album about hope, love, change, and new growth. For more information and to listen to some of her songs, visit kateklim.com.

Both artists also have YouTube channels. Here’s a link to view an official video of Amy Speace performing the title track of There Used To Be Horses There. And here’s a link to view the official lyric video for “Something Green,” the title track of Kate Klim’s new release.

About Your Hosts:

Michael Kornfeld, a veteran strategic communications and public relations professional – whose clients have included a number of independent recording artists and labels – launched AcousticMusicScene.com in 2007 to provide news, information and commentary for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities. The longtime president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington, a nonprofit presenting organization on Long Island, NY, Kornfeld also serves on the boards of Folk Alliance International and NERFA, curates the annual Huntington Folk Festival, emcees concerts, and hosts showcases and mentors artists at various music conferences and festivals.

Kathy Sands-Boehmer is an enthusiastic and tireless presenter, promoter and supporter of independent musicians. For years, she booked and promoted artists, new and old, at a well-respected 225-seat venue north of Boston, Massachusetts; was an active leader of the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association (BACHA); and has also mentored and managed artists. She blogs about all kinds of great music for Everything Sundry and recently launched Harbortown Music as a resource for musicians and venues — building community, while promoting and presenting high-quality music. Sands-Boehmer works with Stephen Bach of The Digital Docs, who engineers all of Harbortown Music’s virtual shows and lends his technical expertise to the participating artists as well.

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.

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Owen was one of ten finalists chosen from among more than 400 entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Owen was named the winner, awarded cash and other prizes, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on June 23.

Second to fifth-place winners in this year’s competition were Rob Nance (Durham, NC), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Kora Feder (Brooklyn, NY), and Lydia Luce (Los Angeles, CA). The competition has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991.

The Songwriter Serenade win for Mary Bragg came one year to the official release date of her fourth and latest studio album, Lucky Strike. Bragg was named the winner in the country category of the 2017 Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriter Contest for the album’s title track, a co-write with Liz Poston. Last year, the small-town Swainsboro, Georgia native also was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk and Telluride Troubadour competitions.

Second- to seventh-place winners in the Songwriter Serenade Competition were, respectively: Mia Rose Lynne (Cross Plains, TN), Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), Heather Styka (Chicago, IL), Brian Pounds (Austin, TX), Renee Wahl (Nashville, TN), and Chad Richard (Orange, TX). The other semifinalists (in alphabetical order) were Edan Archer (Nashville, TN), Jordi Baizan (Houston, TX), Daniel Boling (Albuquerque, NM), Charles Bryant (Pasadena, TX), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Dan Johnson (Fort Worth, TX), Rich Krueger (Evergreen Park, IL), and Jodee Lewis (Chicago, IL).

The Songwriter Serenade is an 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 three-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 and audience rapport also were taken into consideration during the semifinal and final rounds.

Heather Mae was among ten finalists, each of whom performed two original songs on the festival’s main stage on Friday, Aug. 18 and during in-the-round sessions in the Wildflower Pavilion, where songwriting workshops also took place throughout the weekend. A panel of judges evaluated their songs and selected the winners based on a scoring criteria that included quality of composition (50%), vocal rendering (25%), and delivery (25%).

The other finalists were Andrew Delaney (Arlington, TX), Brian Dunne (Brooklyn, NY), Chase Gassaway (Austin, TX), Mike Herz (Newton, NJ), Leah Grams Johnson (Nashville, TN), Janelle Loes (Scottsdale, AZ), Mia Rose Lynne (Nashville, TN), Liz Ryder (Sacramento, CA), and Ira Wolf (Nashville, TN).

Heather Mae (HeatherMae.net) is a singer-songwriter and keyboardist who has moved from a folk-centric to a more indie pop sound. She writes and sings about such topics as LGBTQ discrimination, gender stereotypes and body image with a powerful voice. Earlier this year, she took second place in the prestigious Telluride Troubadour Competition, also in Colorado, and was the People’s Choice Award Winner at the Wildflower! Music and Art Festival in Richardson, Texas. She also secured a coveted Official Showcase at the 2017 Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City, MO. She was a finalist in the 2016 Kerrville New Folk Competition in the Texas Hill Country and also performed as part of last year’s Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY.

“I performed “Wanderer,” my song about being queer. I performed “Stand Up”, my song about fighting discrimination. I asked the audience to stand with me and join the cause. They did…and I won,” Heather Mae posted on her Facebook page on Aug. 19. “… After years of silence, I am so grateful for these songs and I am so honored to receive validation that I’m on the right path. One year from now, I’ll be back on that main stage to perform a full set. That’s a sentence I never expected to write. This is a life I never saw coming.”

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Alphin was one of ten finalists chosen from among more than 300 entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Alphin was named the winner, awarded cash and other prizes, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on June 17.

“I’m really excited about winning this contest,” said Alphin. He noted that Telluride Troubadour is both the first major contest he’s won and, in 2013, the first one to accept him as a finalist.

Expressing gratitude for having been selected from among “so many talented artists,” Alphin notes: “Even more special was the ability to share this experience with friends like Shannon Wurst, Lauren Pratt, and Chase Gassaway, who have been fellow musical travelers and sources of inspiration and collaboration. I also felt like I got a dose of good fortune getting greetings and hugs from Anna Tivel and Caitlin Canty, the two past winners of this contest, whose music is as good and genuine as they are as people.”

Alphin, who moved to Nashville in 2003, hails from North Carolina and cites James Taylor, a fellow Tar Heel State native, as a major influence. Previously a Telluride Troubadour finalist in 2013 and 2015, Alphin also was a finalist in the 2015 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and in the 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition. East Coast folk fans will have an opportunity to hear him this summer when he performs at the Huntington Folk Festival on Long Island, New York (Sunday, July 29) and in the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in upstate Hillsdale, NY (Friday, Aug. 4). More information on Alphin may be found online at www.clintalphin.com.

Second- to fifth-place honors at Telluride went to Heather Mae (Washington, DC), Lauren Pratt (Boston, MA), Heather Aubrey Lloyd (Baltimore, MD), and Chase Gassaway (Austin, TX), respectively.

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Tivel was one of ten finalists chosen from among more than 300 entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Tivel was named the winner, awarded cash and other prizes, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on June 18. Last year, Tivel was named a winner in the 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition.

Second- to fifth-place honors at Telluride went to Nikki Talley (Asheville, NC), Joel Ansett ((Denver, CO), Tom Meny (Austin, TX) and Hadley Kennary (Nashville, TN), respectively.

This year’s finalists, chosen from among more than 300 entries, are Joel Ansett (Denver, CO), Amanda Cevallos (Austin, TX), Brad Cunningham (Kansas City, MO), Hadley Kennary (Nashville, TN), Tom Meny (Austin, TX), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), Talia Segal (Brighton, MA), Nikki Talley (Asheville, NC), Anna Tivel (Portland, OR) and Emily White (Chicago, IL). Ray Smith (Rollinsville, CO) and Lydia Luce (Los Angeles, CA) were named as alternates.

Each of the ten finalists – who were judged on the basis of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery, and the overall presentation — will perform two original songs in the preliminary round at the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride, 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, a live radio spot, a performance coaching session, and an opportunity to perform a “tweener” song on the festival’s main stage. The Troubadour winner performs a 15-minute set on Saturday evening.

Previous winners in the competition include Larry Good (1991), Cosy Sheridan (1992), Dan Sheridan (1993), Catie Curtis (1994), LJ Booth (1995), Michael Lille (1996), Jonathan Kingham (1997), Eugene Ruffolo (1998), Libby Kirkpatrick (1999), Mary Coppin (2000), Kris Delmhorst (2001), Deb Talan (2002), Rachel Davis (2003), Brian Joseph (2004), Keith Greeninger (2005), Nels Andrews (2006), Gregory Alan Isakov (2007), Nathan Moore (2008), Mitch Barrett (2009), Robby Hecht (2010), Matt Harlan (2011), Reed Waddle (2012), Reed Turner (2013), Michael Kirkpatrick (2014), and Caitlin Canty (2015).

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

Entrants in the competition, which is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal, will be judged on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery, and the overall performance.

Songwriters may submit up to two songs either via U.S. Mail to Planet Bluegrass, P.O. Box 769, Lyons, CO 80540 (Attn: Telluride Troubadour Contest) or electronically via SonicBids. There is a $10 entrance fee per song. If applying via mail, entrants must submit a CD with the songs/tracks for consideration clearly specified, along with a check payable to Planet Bluegrass. Songwriters are asked not to send any lead sheets, lyrics, bios or other PR materials. All CDs must be postmarked or submitted by April 8, 2016. Ten finalists will be selected for the preliminary round in Telluride and will be notified by April 29.

Each of the 10 finalists will perform two original songs in the preliminary round at the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride, while the top five finalists will perform two different original songs in the final round the following afternoon during the festival — for which they will receive a complimentary four-day pass. Each finalist also receives an “’in-the-round” performance slot in Elks Park, a live radio spot, a performance coaching session, and an opportunity to perform a “tweener” song on the festival’s main stage. The Troubadour winner performs a 15-minute set on Saturday evening.

More than 300 entries were received for the 2015 competition. Caitlin Canty (Pittsford, VT) was named the Troubadour winner, while the next four finalists, as chosen by the judges, were Hadley Kennary (Nashville, TN), Maria Brosgol (Albany, NY), Carter Sampson (Oklahoma City, OK) and Rachael Kilgour (Duluth, MN).

Previous winners in the competition that has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991 include Larry Good (1991), Cosy Sheridan (1992), Dan Sheridan (1993), Catie Curtis (1994), LJ Booth (1995), Michael Lille (1996), Jonathan Kingham (1997), Eugene Ruffolo (1998), Libby Kirkpatrick (1999), Mary Coppin (2000), Kris Delmhorst (2001), Deb Talan (2002), Rachel Davis (2003), Brian Joseph (2004), Keith Greeninger (2005), Nels Andrews (2006), Gregory Alan Isakov (2007), Nathan Moore (2008), Mitch Barrett (2009), Robby Hecht (2010), Matt Harlan (2011), Reed Waddle (2012), Reed Turner (2013), and Michael Kirkpatrick (2014).

More information on the Telluride Troubadour Competition can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride/contests.html.