Winners Named in 2022 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 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. The New Folk Concerts also streamed online via the festival’s website and YouTube channel.

Calista Garcia (Arlington, VA), Sadie Gustafson-Zook (Nashville, TN), Javier Jara (Austin, TX), Kyle Rasche (Alto, MI), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), and R.O. Shapiro (San Diego, CA) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, June 4, and will receive cash honorariums and other prizes. They were selected as 2022 New Folk Winners by songwriters Michael Hearne, Tom Kimmel, Kyshona, Chris Pierce, and Shanna in a Dress who served as judges. More than 750 songwriters had initially submitted entries.

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. It is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.

Now celebrating its 50th year, the Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 12. Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, late-night and afternoon song circles and jam sessions at various campsites, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops. For more information, visit kerrvillefolkfestival.org. A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/04/19/2022-kerrville-new-folk-finalists-announced/