Based on the success of its first one-day mini-conference in Massachusetts last April, which drew more than 175 people, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has scheduled two such events for this spring in different parts of the region. One is slated for Saturday, May 5, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while the other takes place on Saturday, June 2, at the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus.

Designed especially to give artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in the folk music scene a small taste of what takes place during its annual conference each fall, these one-day events will feature workshops, panel discussions, networking, informal peer-group sessions, and artist showcases.

Organizers of the mini-conferences and NERFA’s board of directors hope that attendees will find the learning, listening and performance opportunities to be both useful and enjoyable, and that many will seize the chance to make and build on already existing connections and help the folk-acoustic community in the northeastern U.S. to grow and flourish.

The registration fee for the one-day mini-conferences in Bethesda and Boston is $35 through March 15 and March 31, respectively; after those dates, the prices rise by $10. The showcase application deadlines for the two events are March 17 and April 7, respectively. There will be 10 performance slots at each location, with a separate panel of judges from the folk music community making the selections for each. The showcase application fee is $10. Registration forms and showcase applications may be found on the NERFA website (www.nerfa.org), where more information about the events also will be posted in coming weeks.

NERFA is part of the larger Folk Alliance International, an association that 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.