Conferences of Note

Arts Presenters, Artists Gather in New York City, Jan. 11-15

Several thousand people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 11-15, 2013, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Dozens of performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities in the U.S., Canada and several other countries will showcase their talents during the multidisciplinary arts business conference. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash will deliver the conference’s closing keynote. [To read a short preview of the conference, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at NERFA Conference, Nov. 8-11, 2012

Some 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in traditional and contemporary folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 8-11, 2012, for the 18th annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, and its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. A Midday Hoot the next day, introduced in 2010, will afford more artists opportunities to be heard. [To read the full article and see the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedules, click on the headline.]
NERFA Conference Set for Nov. 8-11, 2012 in Kerhonkson, NY

NERFA Conference Set for Nov. 8-11, 2012 in Kerhonkson, NY

More than 750 people from throughout the U.S. and Canada are expected to converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, NY, Nov. 8-11, 2012, for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. Performers, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music scene will enjoy three jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, 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, tasty communal meals in the dining room, a welcoming party and happy hours, and lots of informal conversation and networking. [Click on the headline to read the full article.]
FARM Gathering This Week in St. Louis

FARM Gathering This Week in St. Louis

John Gorka will keynote the annual FARM Gathering that’s set for Oct. 11-14, 2012 at the Sheraton Westport Chalet in St. Louis, Missouri. The popular singer-songwriter and Red House recording artist also will conduct a songwriting master class during the three-day event hosted by Folk Alliance Region Midwest, an affiliate of Folk Alliance International. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Americanafest Draws Record Attendance

Americanafest Draws Record Attendance

This year’s Americana Music Festival and Conference (Americanafest), which took place Sept. 12-16 in Nashville, TN, was the most successful one in its 13-year history – drawing record attendance and registrations, according tot the Americana Music Association. The five-day celebration of American Roots-inspired music, featuring plenty of learning and networking opportunities, as well as a wide array of music showcases by up-and-coming and veteran artists, drew more than15,000 fans, 300 performing artists and more than 1,100 music industry professionals, according to the association. [To read the full article and learn who the recipients of this year's Americana Honors and Awards are, click on the headline.]
Folkies to Converge on Austin, Sept. 27-30, 2012

Folkies to Converge on Austin, Sept. 27-30, 2012

The Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) hosts its annual conference at the Holiday Inn Midtown in Austin, Texas, Sept. 27-30. Attendees – primarily performing artists, presenters, managers, agents and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music – will enjoy open mics, showcases and shared meals; be enlightened during daytime seminars, panel discussions and one-on-one mentoring sessions; and have an opportunity to forge new relationships, renew existing ones, and help build folk community. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Banjo Symposium at UNC-Chapel Hill, Aug. 25

Banjo Symposium at UNC-Chapel Hill, Aug. 25

“The Banjo: Southern Roots, American Branches” will be explored during s series of free lectures and panel discussions presented by The Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The symposium, extending from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be followed in the evening with a 7:30 p.m. concert showcasing the banjo at the campus’ Memorial Hall featuring Tony Trischka, Riley Baugus with Kirk Sutphin, and Don Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
New Music Seminar and New York Music Festival, June 17-20, 2012

New Music Seminar and New York Music Festival, June 17-20, 2012

New Music Seminar, the granddaddy of American music conferences, returns to New York, June 17-20. In addition to a number of daytime panels, workshops, intensives and keynotes at Manhattan’s Webster Hall, an accompanying NMS New York Music Festival will feature four nights of performances in 17 New York City venues. These include three nights of acoustic music showcases at The Living Room, hosted by Folk Alliance International. {To read the full article, click the headline.]

Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) Hosts One-Day Mini-Conference in Colorado, June 23, 2012

The Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) hosts a one-day mini-conference in Longmont, Colorado on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Designed to provide folks with a sampling of what takes place at the organization’s annual weekend-long conference in Austin, Texas (Sept. 27-30), the day-long event is slated for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Longmont is located in Boulder County, 37 miles north of Denver. The application deadline for artists interested in showcasing their talents has been extended until Monday, June 11. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

A Musical Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Artist Showcases Set for June 2 at UMass-Boston

The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) invites the public to attend a 75-minute, hootenanny-style Musical Tribute to Woody Guthrie and a series of 15-minute artist showcases that will take place on Saturday, June 2, from 3-7 p.m., at the Lipke Auditorium on the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. These special events, for which $10 tickets will be available at the door, are part of a day-long mini-conference featuring workshops and panel discussions that the nonprofit organization is hosting to give artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in the folk music scene a small taste of what takes place during its annual conference in The Catskills each fall. Proceeds from the events will be shared with WUMB, Boston’s NPR Music...

Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference Set for May 17-20

Nearly 200 people are expected to converge on the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 17-20, for the fifth annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference -- an extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking, education and workshops. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Showcase Artists, Workshops Set for NERFA Events This Spring

The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) hosts two one-day mini-conferences this spring: One is slated for Saturday, May 5, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while the other is set for Saturday, June 2, at the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus. Showcase artists have recently been selected and workshops and panel discussions have been lined-up for the events that are designed especially to give artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in the folk music scene a small taste of what takes place during the organization’s annual conference each fall. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]