Although the annual 18-day-long Kerrville Folk Festival won’t be taking place in late May-June 2021 on the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a KFF Virtual Celebration is set to stream live from there on Saturday, May 29. Meanwhile, 24 songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2021 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters and will showcase their talents online during Finalist Concerts beginning at 7 p.m. CT, May 22 and 23.
The May 29th KFF Virtual Celebration is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT with a special montage of Kerrville Folk Festival video footage and photos. Artists slated to perform during the afternoon and evening include Dana Cooper (2 p.m.), Shake Russell (3 p.m.), Ray Prim (4 p.m.), The Deer (5 p.m.), Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis (7 p.m.), and Jackie Venson (8 p.m.). More Video clips and images from past festivals will be shared during set changes.
The Virtual Celebration will stream online at https://kerrvillefolkfestival.org and on the festival’s YouTube channel and will be re-aired on Saturday, June 5. Virtual campfires hosted by members of the Kerrmunity are also in the offing. More details will be posted on the website in coming days. Although the virtual celebration is free to view, donations to the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation are welcome.
Named as finalists in the Grassy Hill-Kerrville New Folk Competition are (in alphabetical order): Taylor Abrahamse (Toronto, ON, Canada), Beth // James (Austin, TX), Randy Lewis Brown (Mineola, TX), Sav Buist (Traverse City, MI), Shawn Byrne (Nashville, TN), Chaislyn (Baton Rouge, LA), Sam Luke Chase (Marshfield, MA), Scott Cook (Edmonton, AB, Canada), Paul Demer (Dallas, TX), Lacy Green (Nashville, TN), Donal Hinely (Denton, TX), Humbird (Minneapolis, MN), Kennedy Road (Toronto, ON, Canada), Spencer LaJoye (Denver, CO), My One And Only (Nashville, TN), Jeremy Parsons (San Antonio, TX), Kyle Rasche – Chain of Lakes (Oak Park, MI), Sam Robbins (Nashville, TN), Alexa Rose (Asheville, NC), Rachel Summer (Winchester, MA), Andy Sydow (Denver, CO), Dan Weber (Richardson, TX), Tiffany Williams (Nashville, TN), and Brad Yoder (Pittsburgh, PA). They were chosen from among nearly 700 entries.
After performing the two songs that they submitted during the New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2021 New Folk Winners. The six, to be announced during the Virtual Celebration on May 29, will each receive $650 cash honorariums and other prizes, and will be invited to perform (in-person) during a New Folk Award Winners Concert on the first weekend of the 49th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival that is tentatively slated for Oct. 1-10, 2021.
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. In addition to receiving cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.
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