Singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will deliver keynote addresses focusing on the power of music during the 20th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference, February 20-24, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee.  The registration deadline has been extended to January 10.  After that date, those wishing to attend the conference without pre-registering will pay an additional $100 and their contact listings will not be included in the conference directory.

More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the annual conference presented by the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance (Folk Alliance).  In addition to the Thursday morning keynotes by Gilkyson (a Folk Alliance award-winner) and Reno (executive producer of Song of America, a new 50-song, three CD set designed to tell the history of the U.S. through song), the conference will include four days of panel discussions and workshops and four nights of feature shows and private showcases.  Also slated are a Folk Awards Show, welcoming and closing parties, a large exhibit hall, and plenty of opportunities for networking and jamming.  For more information and online registration forms, visit www.folk.org. 

Folk Alliance aims to foster and promote multicultural, traditional and contemporary folk music, while strengthening and advancing organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.

Editor’s Note: Articles on the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference that was held in  November 2007 appear elsewhere in the Conferences of Note section.