www.folk.org<\/a>) is a Kansas City, MO-based nonprofit organization that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community \u2013 traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional \u2013 through education, advocacy and performance.<\/p>\nEditor\u2019s Note: This article is based on a news release issued by Folk Alliance International, on whose board of directors I serve. I\u2019m also board president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), one of its five regional affiliates, which holds it annual conference, Nov. 9-12, in Stamford, CT. I am not involved in the selection of Official Showcase artists.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Folk Alliance International has announced the Official Showcase artists for its 30th annual conference taking place February 14-18, 2018, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/p>\n
[To continue reading this article — which includes a listing of Official Showcase artists — click on the headline.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12,18],"tags":[117,6413,6412,6414,6415,182,6235,210,211,6416,5489,6417,6508,6493,6274,318,329,6423,6418,6419,6424,541,6422,6421,6425,6426,6411,6420,3682,6427,6428,3317,6430,5572,6431,6432,6433,740,6434,769,6435,6438,6439,3672,6436,6437,6441,6440,6443,6444,5519,6445,954,6442,6446,6447,1001,1017,5217,6448,1152,1187,1196,6054,6449,6451,6453,5083,6450,6454,6452,6455,6125,6456,5041,6457,1370,6458,3130,1442,6462,6461,1459,1462,1484,6459,1513,6463,4916,6460,6465,6470,4238,6464,5831,6466,4131,6011,6506,6468,6469,1774,4308,5051,1812,1815,5246,6472,5773,6473,5314,5084,4504,6474,1928,1946,2000,6475,6476,3159,6478,6479,6480,6481,2157,5964,5582,6482,6483,6484,2307,4844,6485,2321,4160,2372,5845,5780,6487,6486,2394,6488,6489,2415,6492,4555,6491,2464,6494,6490,6495,6496,5399,2641,6497,4762,6507,6429,4560,6467,6178,6471,6477,2803,5768,2817,2827,6502,2869,2882,2894,5788,4960,4304,4655,5950,6499,6500,6498,6501,6503,6504,6505],"class_list":["post-9683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conferences-of-note","category-featured-articles","category-acousticapsules","tag-abbie-gardner","tag-aerialists","tag-ahi","tag-alex-meixner-band","tag-amanda-rheume","tag-amber-rubarth","tag-ambre-mclean","tag-ana-egge","tag-anais-mitchell","tag-anika-moa","tag-anna-elizabeth","tag-anne-mccue","tag-archie-fisher","tag-aulpaul","tag-baile-an-salsa","tag-bela-fleck","tag-beppe-gambetta","tag-black-umfolosi","tag-bon-debars","tag-boogat","tag-breach","tag-cathy-fink","tag-celeigh-cardinal","tag-charlie-mars","tag-chastity-brown","tag-choir-choir","tag-christie-lenee","tag-colter-wall","tag-connie-kaldor","tag-cosmo-sheldrake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![\"FAI](\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/FAI-Conference-2017-300x184.png\")
A platform for luminaries and rising stars, the annual conference is the world\u2019s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Folk Alliance International\u2019s Official Showcases are jury-selected nightly mini-concerts featuring emerging artists and touring legends from around the world. The performances are 30 minutes in length and are held concurrently on ten full-production stages throughout the host hotel over three nights.<\/p>\n![\"Christie](\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/tour-poster2-nowhite-219x300.jpg\")
![\"11049104_10153127582954417_9010170420778560754_n\"](\"https:\/\/acousticmusicscene.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/11049104_10153127582954417_9010170420778560754_n-300x300.png\")
The 2018 conference will feature presentations by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Richard Thompson, the Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, the International Folk Music Awards, and the third annual Kansas City Folk Festival. Celebrating 30 years of community and song, the conference will YEARS OF COMMUNITY AND SONG, honor the first three decades of the organization\u2019s growth and activity, as well as the broader story of folk music during that time.<\/p>\n