Conferences of Note

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 30th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference

Folk Alliance International has announced the Official Showcase artists for its 30th annual conference taking place February 14-18, 2018, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of Official Showcase artists -- click on the headline.]

APAP Changes Its Name; Annual Conference Set for Jan. 12-16, 2018 in New York City

APAP has officially changed its name while retaining its familiar acronym. The Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization -- which had been known as the Association of Performing Arts Presenters since 1988 and is best known to AcousticMusicScene.com readers and others for its annual conference in New York City each January -- is now the Association of Performing Arts Professionals. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
2017 Americana Honors & Awards Show to be Streamed Live on Sept. 13

2017 Americana Honors & Awards Show to be Streamed Live on Sept. 13

The 2017 Americana Honors & Awards will be presented September 13 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and featuring an all-star band led by Buddy Miller, the awards show is the highlight of the 18th annual AmericanaFest, a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is put on by the Americana Music Association. A live video stream of the show will be webcast via NPRMusic.org starting at 6:30 p.m. CDT, while a live simulcast will air on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and several Nashville area radio stations. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in six categories, click on the headline.]

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 2017 SWRFA Conference in Austin, Texas

Sixteen artists/acts have been selected to perform Official Showcases during the 2017 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) Conference, Sept. 27-Oct. 1, at the Holiday Inn – Midtown in Austin, TX. Eight will perform on Friday night, while another eight will do so on Saturday night. In addition, eight alternates have been invited to showcase their talents late Thursday night, the 28th. [To continue reading this article -- which also includes information on the recently named Semi-Formal Showcase Artists at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in November -- click on the headline.]

Official Showcase Artists Named for 2017 FAR-West, FARM and NERFA Conferences

Three Regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International have selected artists/acts to participate in juried official showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at SERFA Conference in North Carolina

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at SERFA Conference in North Carolina

More than 250 people will converge on the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 17-21, 2017 for the 10th annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference featuring contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities. Kathy Mattea will be the keynote speaker. AcousticMusicScene.com will again host late-night song swaps. [To continue reading this article -- including the Official and AcousticMusicScene.com showcase lineups -- click on the headline.]
May 10 is Showcase Application Deadline for FARMette 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri

May 10 is Showcase Application Deadline for FARMette 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri

Official Showcase applications are now being sought for FARMette 2017, a one-day mini-conference presented by Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), slated for Saturday, June 24, at The Buffalo Room in Kansas City, MO. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
FAR-West, NERFA Offer Juried Showcase Opportunities at 2017 Fall Conferences

FAR-West, NERFA Offer Juried Showcase Opportunities at 2017 Fall Conferences

Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, are currently accepting applications for juried showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. All showcase entries must be submitted online. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Folk Alliance International Honors David Amram with Lifetime Achievement Award

Noted composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and author David Amram received an Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award during a star-studded International Folk Music Awards Show, Feb. 15, on the opening night of the 29th Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. The late activist songwriter Malvina Reynolds (legacy) and prolific Canadian folklorist Helen Creighton (Business/Academic) were also named as recipients. [To continue reading this article, which includes more information on the awards and on the conference, click on the headline.]

Folk Alliance International Hosts Conference, Camp and Festival, Feb. 15-19, in Kansas City

“Forbidden Folk,” a celebration of activism in art, is the theme of the 29th Folk Alliance International Conference that takes place, Feb. 15-19, in Kansas City, Missouri. Billy Bragg, a Grammy Award-winning British singer-songwriter and activist, keynotes the event and also headlines the second annual Kansas City Folk Festival that caps it. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Acts Sought for IBMA's 2017 Bluegrass Ramble

Acts Sought for IBMA’s 2017 Bluegrass Ramble

Applications will be accepted through February 28 for the 2017 Bluegrass Ramble, a series of artist showcases slated to take place September 26-28 at select venues throughout downtown Raleigh, North Carolina during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass 2017. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Arts Presenters, Performing Artists Gather in NYC in January

Arts Presenters, Performing Artists Gather in NYC in January

Several thousand people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 6-10, 2017 for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 60th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature more than 1000 showcases (including a few-dozen featuring folk and roots music artists), nearly 400 exhibitors, networking opportunities galore, daily plenary sessions and keynote speakers, and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. Four plenary sessions will live stream free, while Wavelengths: APAP Global Music Pre-Conference is open to the public as are some of the ticketed showcases at venues throughout the city. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]