Nearly 600 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are expected to converge on The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York, Nov. 12-15, 2026 for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference.
This is the NERFA conference’s second year in Albany. As Ron Olesko, a NERFA board member and the creator and director of Folk Music Notebook (a 24/7 online radio station and community hub) told AcousticMusicScene.com last year, it take place “in a beautiful and spacious hotel that offers ample opportunity for gathering on a single floor, which encourages interaction and socializing.”
Besides several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases (including a newly added series of afternoon Performance Alley showcases), song swaps/in-the-rounds, open mics and informal, late-night jams, the NERFA conference will also feature, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer & affinity group sessions, an exhibit hall, a community meeting with NERFA’s volunteer board of directors, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. Singer-songwriters Beth Nielsen Chapman and Seth Glier will keynote the conference on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.
Stronger Together is the theme of this year’s conference. As NERFA notes: “In a world that continues to shift and evolve, one thing remains constant: the strength of our community lies in connection… When we gather, share, and support one another, we are stronger together.”
Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers, agents and managers who attend the conference; and many presenters and folk DJs do scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections, building community, and taking advantage of learning opportunities that can help enhance and enrich your professional and personal lives.
The conference’s programming committee has arranged a diverse array of workshops and panel discussions, while there will also be series of Community Conversations on a variety of topics – including 90-minute peer and affinity group sessions.
Offering insights from her more than 30-year career as a touring singer-songwriter, as well as her book What I Found in a Thousand Towns, Dar Williams will discuss “Building a Cool, Collaborative Scene in Your Town or City.” Singer-Songwriter Meghan Cary will present a 90-minute performance master-class. Anna Canoni, president of Woody Guthrie Publications, will give a presentation about her grandfather and Bob Dylan entitled “When Bob Met Woody,” while Sonny Ochs, a veteran folk DJ and sister of the late troubadour and activist Phil Ochs, hosts a 90-minute music and discussion-filled session on “Remembering Phil Ochs.” Other panel discussions and workshops on the agenda include “The All-Ages Folk Venue,” “Bringing Dance to Your Venue or Series,” “Festival Booking,” a “First-Timers Panel,” “Making a Living in Today’s Music Business, “Meet the Venues,” and “Next Gen Artist Development.” Also on the conference schedule is a screening of the new documentary “Newport and he Great Folk Dream” and the ever-popular On the Griddle instant critique session during which a panel of folk DJs listen to the first 60 seconds of a number of songs and provides snap feedback.
Juried Showcases Slated for Friday and Saturday Nights
Taking center stage during the conference will be 16 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges, with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set on Friday and Saturday nights – the most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Showcasing their talents on Friday night will be Front Porch Project, Andrew Pauls, Jane & Kyle, Rev. Robert P. Jones, Ayreheart, Ray Bonneville, Hayley Reardon, and Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell. Saturday night’s featured artists include Robert Thomas & The Sessionmen, Kirsten Maxwell, Deni Bonet & Chris Flynn, Dave Gunning, The Refugees, Alex Radus, Carolyn Shapiro, and Redd and the Paper Flowers.
On Thursday evening, the conference’s opening night, a Presenters Showcase will feature short performances by 20 artists/acts chosen by select folk DJs and concert & festival presenters. Listed in order of appearance, they are Millstone Rounders, Alise, Joe Gorka, Bunny Barnes, Patty & Craig, Ashley Hamel, Sug Daniels, Betsy & Bronwyn (Honest to Betsy & Bronwyn Bird), The Lion Sisters, Kinnfolk, Michael Arthur, Marian Mastrorilli, She’s With Him, Kate Gaffney & Ben Chandler, A Different Thread, Michele Gedney, Rob McMahon, Amy Vanator, Jesse Ruben, and Couldn’t Be Happiers.
AcousticMusicScene.Com Hosts Showcases and a Midnight Hoot
Following the juried and Presenters showcases each evening, a number of presenters, performers and others will host private showcases in first floor hotel rooms that extend from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com will host its popular Midnight Hoot on Thursday overnight that features more than 30 artists/acts and performing folk DJs, each of whom will perform one song that will be preceded by a pair of song swaps. More song swaps and a few solo artist showcases are slated under its banner on Friday overnight.
Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com lineup:
Thursday Night, Nov. 12
10:30 p.m. – A Pair of Duos: Lisa Klotz & Mark Dann, The Levins
11:00 p.m. – The Royal Yard (sea chantey duo)
11:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. – AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot (one song each, listed in alphabetical order, not order of appearance):
Lisa Michelle Anderson, Katherine Congdon, Couldn’t Be Happiers, Dan and Faith, Ben Diamond (Son Stone), Friction Farm, Front Porch Project, Kate Gaffney and Ben Chandler, Kyle Hancharick, The Honey Badgers, Drew Jacobs, Judy Kass, Phil Kennelty, Lisa Klotz, Rob Lytle, Annie Mark, Stuart Markus, Marian Mastrorilli, Kirsten Maxwell, Doug Mishkin, Kevin Neidig, Daniel Pelletier, Matthew Ponsot, Barry Rabin, Ann Ramsey, Liz Reed, Rusty & Jan, Jon Stein, Hank Stone, David Tamulevich, Matt Tarka, and Twangtown Paramours.
House Band: Mark Dann (bass), Cheryl Prashker (drums)
Friday Night, Nov. 13
10:30 p.m. – Kyle Hancharick
10:50 p.m. – Kate Gaffney & Ben Chandler
11:10 p.m. – Brad Cole
11:30 p.m. – Christine Sweeney
11:50 p.m. – Big League Collective
12:10 a.m. – Mike Berman
12:30 a.m. – Songs of Social Justice: Dan and Faith, Music in Common
1:00 a.m. – Funny Folk: Mark Allen Berube, Barry Rabin
1:30 a.m. – Long Island Sounds: Annie Mark, Hank Stone
NERFA is one of five North American regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. Although it draws attendees from throughout North America to its annual conference, NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. More extensive information on the organization and its annual conference may be found online at www.nerfa.org and www.nerfaconference.org. The four other North American regions – Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Folk Alliance Region – West (FAR-West), Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), and Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) already held their 2026 conferences. Folk Alliance International’s next conference is set for January 27-31, 2027 in Chicago, Illinois.
Editor’s Note: Besides hosting late-night showcases and a Midnight Hoot during the conference, as I have under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com most years since the online publication’s inception in 2007, I will be hosting a Music Journalists and PR Professionals Meet-Up and offering some one-on-one mentoring sessions on artist bios and one-sheets, EPKS, social media promotion, and various other aspects of public relations and strategic communications. A past president and former 15-year board member of NERFA, I have been an active participant in NERFA conferences for more than 20 years and look forward to this year’s conference.
