Entries are now being accepted in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, 2024, during the first weekend of the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries received by March 15 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in mid-April.
Six songwriters will be named as 2024 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 18 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert is slated for Sunday, June 1, with each of the winners playing a 20-minute set.
Songwriters may submit a .mp3 audio recording of two original songs in any genre via the Kerrville Folk Festival website’s New Folk page (kerrvillefolkfestival.org/newfolk). The entry fee is $47. Along with the entry forms, official rules and guidelines can be found on the website.
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.
Six 2023 Winners Take Part in New Folk Concert Series Tour, April 27-May 5, 2024
Kerrville New Folk winners also are invited to participate in a New Folk Concert Series tour in the spring prior to the festival. 2023 winners Katie Boeck, Flamy Grant, Byron James, Barbara Jarrell, and Olivia Ellen Lloyd will play eight Texas venues and concert series from April 27-May 5. These include Sycamore Creek Concerts in Dripping Springs (4/27), New Braunfels House Concerts in New Braunfels (4/28), Milagro Springs House Concerts in Wimberley (4/29), McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston (4/30), Sagebrush in Austin ((5/01), Pint & Plow in Kerrville (5/03), Fischer Hall New Folk/Old Folk in Fischer (5/04), and Bowman Backyard Concerts in San Antonio (5/05)
Initial Lineup for Kerrville Folk Festival Announced
The initial lineup for this year’s Kerrville Folk Festival — which extends from May 23-June 9 — also has been announced, with a full schedule slated for release in late March. Among the artists slated to showcase their talents — in addition to the 2023 New Folk winners named above — are (in alphabetical order) Adeem The Artist, Mary Bragg, Hayes Carll, Nic Clark, Scott Cook, Iris DeMent, Alejandro Escovedo, John Flynn, Sue Foley, Ruthie Foster, John Fullbright, Vance Gilbert, Drew Holcomb, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Hanne Kah, Donovan Keith, Amythyst Kiah, Spencer LaJoye, Zoe Lewis, Sav Madigan, Deidre McCalla, Miles & Mafale, SaulPaul, Darrell Scott, Aaron Smith, SONiA disappear fear, Jack Summers, Owen Temple, Topo Chico Cowboys, Tuba Skinny, and Susan Werner.
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