Photo: Planet Bluegrass (Lyons, CO)

Photo: Planet Bluegrass (Lyons, CO)


Ten singer-songwriters have been selected as finalists in the nationally recognized 2023 Telluride Troubadour Competition, held in conjunction with the 5Oth annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 15-18. They will now vie for cash and other prizes, as well as the honor of being named this year’s Telluride Troubadour.

The finalists, chosen from among nearly 200 entries, are Caitlin Cannon (Nashville,TN), Lyle de Vitry (Asheville, NC), Rob Drabkin (Denver, CO), Jackson Emmer (Carbondale, CO), Daphne Gale (New York, NY), Amy Keeler (Pugwash Junction, NS, Canada), Gabrielle Louise (Paonia, CO), Sean Magwire (Oxford, MA), Halley Neal (Nashville, TN), and Eliza Thorp (Petoskey, MI). Named as alternates were Lalo Hart (Evergreen, CO) and Sarah Morris (Shoreview, MN).

Each of the ten finalists – who were judged on the basis of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery, and the overall presentation/performance — will perform two original songs in the preliminary round at the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride on Thursday afternoon, while the top five finalists will perform two different original songs in the final round the following afternoon. In addition to a complimentary four-day festival pass, each finalist also receives an in-the-round performance slot in Elks Park and will participate in a live radio interview and performance with local station KOTO. The winner performs a 15-minute set on the festival’s main stage on Saturday evening.

The Telluride Troubadour Competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. It has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991, although there hasn’t been one since 2019 – prior to the pandemic. That year’s Telluride Troubadour was Emily Scott Robinson (Greensboro, NC).

More information on the 2023 Telluride Troubadour Competition and on the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can be found online at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.