Winners of the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters will embark on a Kerrville New Folk on the Road tour across Texas on Friday, November 8. Extending through Sunday, Nov. 17, the tour will include stops in Austin, Dripping Springs, New Braunfels, Wimberley, Houston, Kerrville, Fischer, and San Antonio.

2024 Kerrville New Folk Winners TourRobin Bienemann (Chicago, IL), Lila Blue (New York, NY), Lucy Clearwater (Lafayette, CA), Sean Keel (Austin, TX), Rachel Sumner (Boston, MA), and Lily Talmers (Birmingham, MI) were chosen as winners in the prestigious competition by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 25 and 26 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. Each performed a 20-minute set during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners Concert at the festival on June 1; received cash honorariums, festival swag and a mentoring session with a professional songwriter; as well as an invite to participate in the Kerrville New Folk on the Road.

The tour kicks off on Friday, Nov. 8 at ACL Live at 3Ten in Austin, which bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World. Several house concerts follow: an already sold-out one for Sycamore Creek House Concerts in Dripping Springs (Nov. 9), New Braunfels House Concerts in New Braunfels (Nov. 10), and Milagro Springs House Concerts in Wimberley (Nov. 11). On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the performing songwriters will grace the stage at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston (a concert that will also be livestreamed). After a brief hiatus, the tour continues on Friday, Nov. 15 with a free 6 p.m. show at Kerrville’s Pint & Plow Brewing. This will be followed by performances on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 16 in Fischer as part of a weekend-long Cabin 10 Presents: Live at the Donkey Shack. The tour wraps up at Bowman Backyard House Concerts in the late afternoon on Sunday, Nov. 17. For more information and links to purchase tickets for these shows, visit https://www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/2024-new-folk-winners-tour.

This year’s Kerrville New Folk competition drew a record-breaking 1341 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. The Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America.