Some 2,000 performers, presenters and others engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are converging on Memphis, Tennessee for the 23rd International Folk Alliance Conference, February 16-20.

Ranked among the five largest music conferences in North America, the International Folk Alliance Conference will feature several days of panel discussions and workshops, peer group meetings, networking receptions, film screenings, mentoring sessions, Demo Derbys, instrument clinics and popular singer-songwriter critique sessions. There will be four nights of artist performances — including 200 juried Performance Alley music showcases and hundreds of private in-room showcases that extend into the early morning hours. The Memphis Downtown Marriott and Convention Center will be the hub of activity, although some special events take place elsewhere -– including Sunday night’s closing party at the Center for Southern Folklore.

The conference gets underway this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 16) with a first timers’ orientation session and an open mic. Following a welcoming reception at 5 p.m. (CST), Folk Alliance International President Dan Navarro and fellow singer-songwriter Eric Schwartz host the Folk Alliance Lifetime Achievement Awards & Honors. This year’s Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are Jimmie Rodgers (the “singing brakeman”), folksinger Joan Baez, and legendary filmmaker Les Blank. The event, to be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s The Village, also will feature musical performances by the John Hartford String Band, Si Kahn (the esteemed folksinger-songwriter, author, activist and labor & community organizer, who had both the #1 album and #1 song on the Folk DJ Listserve in 2010), The Kruger Brothers, Paul David Smith, Sam Baker and more.

David Bromberg and Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson are the conference’s keynote speakers on Thursday, while a special keynote interview with Jac Holzman, on the 60th anniversary of his founding of Elektra Records, also is on the agenda.

John Hartford

Among the more than 50 workshops and panel discussions focusing on topics related to presenting, promoting and preserving folk and traditional music and dance are a symposium, jam session and several instrumental and dance workshops in honor of the late John Hartford, whose 1971 album Aereo-Plain combined sensibilities of bluegrass and rock, and helped launch “New Grass” music. 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of Hartford’s passing. The John Hartford String Band (Bob Carlin on banjo, Matt Combs on fiddle, Mike Compton on mandolin, Mark Schatz on bass, and guitarist Chris Sharp) — who released their own critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album, Memories of John, last year — also host a musical tribute to him, with special guests Alison Brown, George Buckner and others.

As always, the conference will boast a large exhibit hall with more than 100 exhibitors and plenty of opportunities for networking and jamming. And the city of Memphis and its many music-related attractions beckons just outside the host hotel’s doors.

For those unable to make it to Memphis who would like to get a taste of what’s happening there, several featured performances each evening will be broadcast live on Sirius XM’s The Village. In addition, GoGirlsMusic.com, an online community of indie women musicians, will be webcasting its private showcases live at www.ustream.tv/channel/gogirlsmusic, beginning at 9 p.m. CST tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 16). The syndicated radio program Beale Street Caravan also will be capturing Folk Alliance performing artists Thursday-Saturday nights (with a focus on the blues), while the PBS television series Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s will be recording a series of shows for future broadcast.

Folk Alliance International 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. More information may be found on its newly redesigned website.