Finalists Named in 2013 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists have been named in the 2013 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest. Each will perform two songs on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the 21st annual Wildflower! arts and music festival in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. Billed as North Texas’ largest music festival, it takes place, May 17-19.

The ten finalists, selected by a panel of judges, based on both their songwriting craft and the presentation of their songs, are Chris Alvarado (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Wyatt Easterling (Nashville, TN), Terry Holder (Olympia, WA), Mikaela Kahn (Denton, TX), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Heather McCready (Arlington, TX), Dave Murphy (Rutherford, NJ), Ashlee Rose (San Antonio, TX), Paul Sachs (New York, NY) and Talia Segal (Bethesda, MD). After showcasing their talents on the festival’s Singer Songwriter Stage on Saturday, May 18, four of them will receive $500 each in cash prizes and will perform in a winners’ round on Sunday afternoon.

Last year’s Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest winners were Connor Garvey (Portland, ME), Nicolette Good (San Antonio, TX) Robyn Landis (Tucson, AZ) and Michael Terry People’s Choice Award-winner MaryBeth Zamer of Twangtown Paramours (Nashville, TN).

Other artists slated to perform on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the festival include Sally Barris and Don Henry, Brother Sun, Slaid Cleaves, Joe Crookston, Tom Faulkner, Eliza Gilkyson, Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines, Tom Kimmel, Tom Prasada Rao, Amy Speace, Bill Ward/2-Bit Palomino and The Waymores.

In addition to its Singer Songwriter Stage and Dallas Songwriters Association Spotlights on the Courtyard Stage, Wildflower! will feature several other stages with an eclectic array of musical artists (including Robert Earl Keen and Ray Wylie Hubbard on Sunday), the Wild! Marketplace, a Taste of Texas Food Garden, a Kidz Korner, and more. Three-day festival passes are now on sale for $30, while single-day adult tickets will be available for $20 at the gate and online (www.wildflowerfestival.com).