Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2012 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among 800 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted during the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 26 and 27, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival.

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. are Terry Penny (Newfoundland, Canada), Paula Held (Austin, TX), Alison Lumley (Austin, TX), Jon Troast (Nashville, TN), Andra Suchy (Minneapolis, MN), Burke Ingraffia (Point Clear, AL), Edie Carey (Chicago, IL), Whit Hill – The Postcards (Nashville, TN), Miranda Dawn (Austin, TX), Poor Mans Poison (Hanford, CA), Nicolette Good (San Antonio, TX), The Hems (Austin, TX), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Talia Segal (New York, NY), Robin Macy & Kentucky White (Belle Plaine, KS), and Lindsay May (Vancouver, BC, Canada).

The YaYas are two-time Kerrville New Folk finalists.

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 27 include Lizzy Ross (Pittsboro, NC), JA Carter III (San Antonio, TX), Michael Jerome Browne (Montreal, QC, Canada), Mikaela Kahn (Denton, TX), The Sea The Sea (Madison, CT), Alicia McGovern (Salt Lake City, UT), The Selkies (Ipswich, MA), Paul Sachs (New York, NY), Scott Phegley (Nolensville, TN), Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA), Annie & Rod Capps (Chelsea, MI), J Wagner (Austin, TX), Anna Dagmar (New York, NY), Korby Lenker (Nashville, TN), The YaYas (Mohegan Lake, NY), and Michaela Anne (Brooklyn, NY).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2012 New Folk Winners by judges Cary Cooper, Seth Glier and Nathan Hamilton. The six will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to perform during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 3.

Now in its 41st year and geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and their fans, the Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

The Kerrville Folk Festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 24– Sunday, June 10. For a complete festival schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.