Conferences of Note

FARMette One-Day Mini-Conference Shaping Up in Ohio, April 28

Eight official showcase artists have been selected and final plans are being made for FARMette, a condensed one-day version of the Folk Alliance Region Midwest’s annual four-day conference. Slated for Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., at the historic opera house in downtown Fayette, Ohio, located on US 20,about 30 minutes west of Toledo, the event will feature an array of workshops, more than 20 ten-minute performance lane slots for artists, and two meals with open mics during them, in addition to eight 20-minute official showcases in the evening. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Singer-Songwriters Flock to Cape May, New Jersey, March 30-31

The maddening crowds of summer won’t be there, but several hundred performing artists and others engaged in the music business are expected to converge on the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community of Cape May, March 30-31, for the fifth annual Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference. AcousticMusicScene.com co-creator Glen Roethel will be among the more than 150 showcasing artists, while editor & publisher Michael Kornfeld will be among the panelists discussing "Publicity, Marketing and Social Media for Independent Artists." {To read a short preview of the conference, click on the headline.]

NERFA Hosts Two One-Day Mini-Conferences This Spring

Based on the success of its first one-day mini-conference in Massachusetts last April, which drew more than 175 people, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has scheduled two such events for this spring in different parts of the region. 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. Early-bird registration and showcase application deadlines are quickly approaching for both events. [To read the full article, click on the headline].

Showcase Application Deadline Nears for 2012 SERFA Conference

February 29 is the deadline for receipt of applications from performing artists seeking official showcase opportunities during the 2010 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference, slated for May 17-20 at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking, and educational sessions, the conference attracted more than 170 people last spring. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

FARM Hosts One-Day Conference in Ohio on April 28

Following in the footsteps of the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) will host its first one-day conference on April 28, 2012 at the historic opera house in Fayette, Ohio, located on US 20 about 30 minutes west of Toledo. A condensed version of its annual four-day conference, this one-day event is being called FARMette. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Music Festival Impresario George Wein Honored by APAP

Music festival impresario George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk Festival, received the Award of Merit for Achievement in Performing Arts from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) on Jan. 9. The award is bestowed on an individual whose genius, energy and excellence have defined or redefined an art form for today’s audiences. [To read the article in its entirety, including comments from George Wein, click on the headline.]

Acoustic Artists to Showcase Talents During APAP Conference

More than 3,400 people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 6-10, 2012, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 55th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature daily plenary sessions and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. As in years past, exhibition halls will be teeming with booking agents and presenters eager to speak with them, and there’ll be a whole lot of networking opportunities. More than 1,200 artist showcases also are slated -- including dozens by performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities in the U.S., Canada and several other countries. [To read the article, click on the headline.]

People’s Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 27-29, 2012

There’ll be lots of planned and spontaneous jamming and singing of socially relevant songs when the People’s Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle holds its annual winter gathering, January 27-29, 2012, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. [Click on the headline to read a short preview of the event.]

Showcase Application Deadline Nears for SS Cape May Conference

More than 150 acts, from solo artists to full bands, will be selected to showcase at various venues over two nights during the fifth annual Singer Songwriter Cape May music business conference set for March 30-31, 2012 in the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community. The deadline for singer-songwriters in all genres to submit showcase applications is Dec. 16. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Dec. 2 is Early-Bird Registration, Showcase Application Deadline for 2012 International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis

The 24th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference is slated for February 22-26, 2012 at the Downtown Marriott in Memphis, Tennessee. Financial savings are in the offing through early-bird registration that is open through Dec. 2, while forms also are available on the Folk Alliance International website (www.folk.org) until then for performing artists to apply for Performance Alley official showcase opportunities. [To continue reading the conference preview, click on the headline.]

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference Set for Nov. 10-13; AcousticMusicScene.com to Again Have a Major Presence

Nearly 750 people have registered for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, to be held Nov. 10-13, at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York. 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; private mentoring and peer group sessions; a large trade show-like exhibit hall; communal meals in the dining room; a welcoming party and happy hours, and lots of informal conversation and networking. AcousticMusicScene.com will host its popular annual Midnight Hoot on Thursday overnight, as well as afternoon and late-night guerilla...

Americana Music Festival & Conference Set for Oct. 12-15

The Americana Music Association’s 12th annual Americana Music Festival and Conference, Oct. 12-15, is expected to draw some 1,000 artists, label executives, managers, agents, music publishers, music retailers, producers, promoters, music journalists and other industry professionals to Nashville this week for several days of learning, networking and musical entertainment.. Those numbers may swell to more than 15,000 as fans come out to experience the Festival’s musical events – including nighttime musical showcases and the professional trade association’s 10th Annual Honors & Awards show. [To read a short article previewing the event, click on the headline.]