Conferences of Note

Showcase Application Deadline Nears for 2017 SERFA Conference

February 1 is the deadline for receipt of applications from artists seeking official showcase opportunities during the 2017 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference, slated for Wednesday-Sunday, May 17-21, at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Black Mountain and Asheville. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking, and educational sessions, the conference attracted 250 people last spring. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at NERFA Conference, Nov. 10-13, in Stamford, CT

Some 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 10-13, 2016, for the 22nd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. [To continue reading this conference preview – including listings of juried and AcousticMusicScene.com showcases -- click on the headline.]

FAR-West, FARM Conferences Set for October

Two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International -- an association that aims to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music -- hold their annual conferences this month. Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) convenes Oct. 13-16 in Bellevue, Washington, while the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) Conference is set for Oct. 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at SERFA Conference

More than 200 people will converge on the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 18-22, 2016 for the ninth annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference featuring contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities. AcousticMusicScene.com will host late-night song swaps. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

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

Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) 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.]

2016 IBMA Songwriter Showcase Application Deadline is March 31

Ten selected songwriters or songwriting teams will be afforded the opportunity to perform an original bluegrass song in front of some of the top bluegrass artists and producers in the industry as part of a Sept. 29 Songwriter Showcase during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina. Online applications are due March 31. Judges will consider both the quality of submitted songs and their appeal to bluegrass audiences in making their selections. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Folk Alliance International Conference, Camp & Fair Set for Feb. 17-21 in Kansas City

Folk Alliance International Conference, Camp & Fair Set for Feb. 17-21 in Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri may be better known for jazz, blues, barbecue and the Royals. However, more than 2,500 people are expected to converge on this midwestern metropolis Feb. 17-21, 2016, for the 28th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference, a concurrent music camp, and a new Kansas City Folk Festival on Sunday. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Arts Presenters, Performing Artists Converge on New York City, Jan. 15-19

Several thousand people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 15-19, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 59th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature more than 1000 artist showcases, a large EXPO Hall featuring nearly 400 exhibitors, networking opportunities galore, daily plenary sessions and keynote speakers, and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. Plenaries and select sessions will live stream free for industry professionals, artists and the public. [To continue reading this article -- including a listing of folk and roots artists who will be showcasing their talents -- click on the headline.]
People's Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 29-31 in Albany, NY

People’s Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 29-31 in Albany, NY

There will be lots of singing of socially relevant songs, communal meals, jamming, mentoring, socializing, and an array of workshops during the People’s Music Network’s 2016 Winter Gathering at the Hackett Middle School in Albany, NY, Jan. 29-31. Singer-Songwriter Joe Jencks, known to many as part of the folk harmony trio Brother Sun, is this year’s PMN Artist-in-Residence and will both perform and lead workshops during the event that has taken place annually in various locales since 1977. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Showcase Artists Sought for SS Cape May

Some 150 acts, from solo artists to full bands, will be selected to showcase at various venues over two nights during the ninth annual Singer Songwriter Cape May music business conference set for Friday-Saturday, March 18-19, 2016 in the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community. All artists who submit showcase applications by the Jan. 15 deadline will receive free registration for the conference whether or not they are slotted. [To continue reading this article on AcousticMusicScene.com, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at 2015 NERFA Conference, Nov. 12-15

Some 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 12-15, 2015, for the 21st Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. To continue reading this conference preview, click on the headline.

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 2015 SWRFA Conference in Austin, Texas

Eighteen artists/acts have been selected to perform Official Showcases during the 2015 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) Conference, Sept. 23-27, at the Holiday Inn – Midtown in Austin, TX. Nine will perform on Friday night, while another nine will do so on Saturday night. In addition, seven alternates have been invited to showcase their talents late Thursday night. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]