Registration is now open for the 24th annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, to be held Nov. 8-11, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut. The hotel is conveniently located right off 1-95, for those driving, and just a short train ride from New York City.
Conference registration and hotel reservation forms, along with additional information, appear under the Fall Conference tab on this website (www.NERFA.org
). Register for the conference by Aug. 15 to take advantage of the early-bird discount ($195 for Folk Alliance International members; $255 for nonmembers). After that date, registration prices will rise incrementally, while on-site registration will be $350 and $400, respectively. Presenters, folk DJs and select others may be eligible for additional discounts by filling out and submitting an online promotional code application that also appears in the drop-down menu.
In response to feedback from attendees, meals are no longer tied-in with the costs of a room — resulting in significantly lower lodging costs. Communal meals, an important and much-loved feature of NERFA conferences since their inception, will still be available. Indeed, dinner on Friday and Saturday nights is included with conference registration, while other meals may be purchased a la carte in advance only. (An additional community meals reservations form appears under the Fall Conference tab.)
Although applications for NERFA’s official juried formal showcases are now closed and those selected will be notified shortly, artists have until July 9 to apply for semi-formal showcases (formerly tricentrics and quadcentrics) that take place following the formals on Friday and Saturday nights, Nov. 9 and 10. Showcase application forms and information also appear under the Fall Conference tab.
Last year, nearly 750 performing artists, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music community enjoyed several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases (official, folk DJ and guerilla), song swaps and informal jam sessions, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, communal meals, a welcoming party, and lots of informal conversation and networking. More of the same is planned for this year’s conference as organizers seek to help folks forge connections, build community, and learn things that can help enhance and enrich their professional and personal lives.
NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community –- traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional –- through education, advocacy and performance. Its regional boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.
Editor’s Note: I am president of the NERFA bard of directors and serve on the Folk Alliance International board. I also host late-night showcases at NERFA conferences under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com.
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