An aerial view of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival looking south toward Bear Creek (Photo: Benko Photographics)

An aerial view of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival looking south toward Bear Creek (Photo: Benko Photographics)

Ten singer-songwriters have been selected as finalists in the 2017 Telluride Troubadour Competition, held in conjunction with the 44th Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 15-18. They will now vie for cash and other prizes, as well as the honor of being named this year’s Telluride Troubadour.

The finalists, chosen from among more than 300 entries, are Clint Alphin (Nashville, TN), Hassan El-Tayyab (San Francisco, CA), Chase Gassawy (Austin, TX), Leah Grams Johnson (Nashville, TN), Heather Aubrey Lloyd (Baltimore, MD), Heather Mae (Washington, DC), Cari Minor (Rollinsville, CO), Lauren Pratt (Boone, NC), Liz Ryder (Sacramento, CA), and Shannon Wurst (Fayetteville, Ark). Whit Hill (Nashville, TN) and Kyle Donovan (Denver, CO) 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, and an opportunity to perform a “tweener” song on the festival’s main stage. The winner performs a 15-minute set on Saturday evening.

Last year’s Telluride Troubadour winner was Anna Tivel of Portland, Oregon.

More information on the 2017 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.