Conferences of Note
Registration Now Open for World of Bluegrass 2013

Registration Now Open for World of Bluegrass 2013

Bluegrass music’s annual industry gathering and family reunion is uprooting from its Nashville base and headed for Raleigh, North Carolina, Sept. 24-28. Registration is now open for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass 2013 events. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]

25th International Folk Alliance Conference Opens in Toronto, Feb. 20

Canada plays host to the 25th International Folk Alliance Conference, Feb. 20-24, 2013. More than 1,750 performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, independent label and recording industry representatives, folk DJs, music journalists, folklorists, educators and others engaged in the music industry are expected to converge on Toronto’s Delta Chelsea Hotel. {To read the full article previewing the conference, click here.]

Irish, Irish-American Artists Shine During APAP Conference

Although New York City’s demographics are changing, Irish arts and culture have long been a part of its fabric. This was particularly evident January 11-15. That’s when a number of Irish and Irish American folk artists were in the Big Apple to showcase their talents during the 56th annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). {Click on the headline to read a conference recap that also features information on the annual Folquebec showcase and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash's closing keynote.]

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.]