The 2016 Kerrville New Folk Winners (left to right) are Rachel Laven, Ben de la Cour, Addie Brownlee, Joe Shields, Emily Scott Robinson, Justin Farren (Photo: Mary Jane Farmer)

The 2016 Kerrville New Folk Winners (left to right) are Rachel Laven, Ben de la Cour, Addie Brownlee, Joe Shields, Emily Scott Robinson, Justin Farren (Photo: Mary Jane Farmer)

Six singer-songwriters were named as winners in the 2016 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were selected by a panel of judges from among 32 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 28 and 29 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

Addie Brownlee (Brooklyn, NY), Ben de la Cour (Nashville, TN), Justin Farren (Sacramento, CA), Rachel Laven (San Antonio, TX), Emily Scott Robinson (Chattanooga, TN) and Joe Shields (Alto, MI) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday afternoon, June 5, and will receive cash honorariums and other prizes.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. Being named as a New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

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 festival extends through Sunday, June 12. For more information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.