Garrett Owen is 2018 Telluride Troubadour

Garrett Owen, a Dallas, Texas-based singer songwriter, won the 2018 Telluride Troubadour Competition and had the opportunity to perform a short set on the main stage during the 45th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 21-24.

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Owen was one of ten finalists chosen from among more than 400 entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Owen was named the winner, awarded cash and other prizes, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on June 23.

Second to fifth-place winners in this year’s competition were Rob Nance (Durham, NC), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Kora Feder (Brooklyn, NY), and Lydia Luce (Los Angeles, CA). The competition has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991.