Although health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic prevent the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance from holding its annual in-person conference this spring, it has slated SERFA In Session: A Virtual Gathering in its place, May 20-22, 2021.
Designed “to accommodate the need to engage, promote and entertain,” the online event kicks off on Thursday night, May 20 with a Roots of the Southeast Show & Tell Party, followed by a Wisdom of the Elders panel discussion moderated by Art Menius and the first of two open mics hosted by Grady Ormsby.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier keynotes the online event on Saturday night, May 22. Initially slated to keynote last year’s conference that was cancelled due to the pandemic, she is expected to share her experiences connecting with front-line doctors and nurses who worked in COVID units over the past year and to talk about the forthcoming publication of her new book, Saved By a Song. A question and answer session will follow.
Louisa Branscomb (a songwriter and pioneering female bluegrass musician), William Ferris (a folklorist, filmmaker and current chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities), Barry Poss (founder of Sugar Hill Records), and Eddie Lynn Snodderly (a songwriter and presenter) will engage in conversation during the Wisdom of the Elders session moderated by Art Menius.
SERFA Conversations will afford folks an opportunity to discuss what the folk community and music business professionals are thinking and planning for moving forward after the ongoing pandemic subsides. Topics include Venues are Reopening – Will You Go and Post-COVID, What Do You Want Back In Your Life? What Are the New Options?
The annual SERFA Awards — established by Kari Estrin (the organization’s founding president) to recognize people, organizations and businesses that have made extraordinary contributions to folk music and the folk community in the Southeast –will be presented to Ferris, David (a musician and public television show host), Poss, and Snodderly.
And, of course, there will be plenty of music. In addition to the two virtual open mics, for which people may sign up in advance, virtual guerilla showcases will provide artists who register for the conference opportunities to perform live on the streaming platform of their choice for a $15 per- session fee.
SERFA In Session also will feature participatory Roots of the Southeast Show & Tell Party and a virtual exhibit hall. Abby Parks, a folk DJ and SERFA’s board president, will lead the organization’s short annual general business meeting that precedes the keynote.
Registration for the conference, which provides full access to all of the online activities, is available on a tiered fee scale. Visit https://serfa.org to register and for more information on the conference (including a schedule).
SERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion. Prior to the pandemic, SERFA had hosted an annual weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities for 13 consecutive years.
Editor’s Note: An elected board member of Folk Alliance International and immediate past president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance board of directors, I have been an active participant at SERFA conferences since 2011 –- hosting guerilla showcases, mentoring, and serving as a panelist.
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