Online voting began December 1 and extends until January 12, 2012 on nominees in 18 categories for the fourth annual Irish Music Awards presented by the Independence, Missouri-based Irish Music Association. [To read the article and see the list of nominees, click on the headline.]
The 2011 Canadian Folk Music Awards were presented in Toronto, Ontario on Sunday evening, Dec. 4. Winners were named in 19 categories and a new Unsung Hero award was presented during a gala event at the Isabel Bader Theatre. Bruce Cockburn, Dave Gunning and Quebecois trio Genticorum each won two awards. [To read the article in its entirety and see a complete list of the award winners, click on the headline.]
The Canadian Folk Music Awards will be presented on Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. You can be part of the celebration without leaving the comfort of your own home. Tomorrow's awards gala, co-hosted by Benoit Bourque of La Bottine Souriante and CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers, as well as a Nominee Showcase from Hugh's Room tonight at 8 p.m., will be streamed live online at http://rootsmusic.ca/. A list of nominees appears on http://folkawards.ca/. Established in 2005, the Canadian Folk Music Awards celebrates and promotes the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada and recognizes outstanding achievements in 19 categories plus a new "Unsung Hero" category. Bruce Cockburn and Dave Gunning garnered the most nominations this year, with four apiece.
Nominees in more than 75 categories have been named for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, to be broadcast live from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, on CBS television stations. [To see a list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field -- including those for Best Folk Album, Best Americana Album, Best Bluegrass Album, Best Blues Album, and Best Regional Roots Music Album -- click on the headline.]
Arthur Alligood has been named the grand prize winner in the 10th annual Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.Alligood, who hails from the small town of White House, TN, near Nashville, was chosen from among more than 2,000 entrants and selected from among 12 finalists. The international finals for the noted performing songwriter contest -- presented by the live performance radio show and produced by the independent music organization NewSong Music -- took place last Thursday evening, Oct. 20, at the World Financial Center’s Wintergarden in New York City. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]
With four nominations each, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Gunning are the top nominees vying for awards during the seventh annual Canadian Folk Music Awards slated to be presented during a gala event in Toronto, Dec. 4. The awards were established to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. Outstanding achievements will be recognized in 19 categories, while a new “Unsung Hero” award also will be bestowed. (To read the article and see a complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]
Music festival impresario George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk Festival, among others, will receive the first Power of Song Award during an Oct. 21 benefit concert in New York City. Monies raised during the event, which is set for 8 p.m. at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, will support the environmental education programs of Clearwater, a nonprofit organization launched by Pete Seeger and others more than 40 years ago to help spur awareness of and preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers were named Entertainer of the Year during the 22nd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, ending a three-year winning streak by Dailey & Vincent. [To read the article in its entirety and learn of all the award winners, click on the headline.]
Four artists have been selected as finalists in the Avalonfest’s annual performing songwriter competition for 2011: Doug Brouder (Gettysburg, PA), Kyle Carey (Portsmouth, NH), Kathy Moser (Stanhope, NJ) and Sarah Pinsker (Baltimore, MD). [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Lara Herscovitch, an engaging contemporary singer-songwriter from Connecticut, emerged as the winner from among 10 finalists in the 11th Annual Singer-Songwriter Showcase this month at SolarFest, which bills itself as New England’s renewable energy festival. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Entries are currently being accepted for the International Acoustic Music Awards. Now in its eighth year, the competition promotes excellence in acoustic music performance and artistry. Awards will be presented in eight categories: Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo, Folk/Americana/Roots, AAA/Alternative, Instrumental, Bluegrass/Country, and an Acoustic Open Genre category. An overall Grand Prize winner also will be named. [To view the full article, click on the headline.]
Six songwriters have been named as winners in the 2011 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Mai Bloomfield (Venice, CA), Megan Burtt (Denver, CO), David Moss (Austin, TX), Cassie Peterson (Nashville, TN), Grace Pettis (Harrisonburg, VA) and AJ Roach (Brooklyn, NY) were selected by a panel of judges from among 32 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 28 and 29 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
