Music Festival Impresario George Wein, 1925-2021
Music festival impresario George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk & Jazz Festivals and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, died September 13 in his New York City apartment. The noted pianist, producer and promoter was 95.
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2021 Celtic Roots Virtual Festival Streams Online, Aug. 6 & 7
For more than a quarter of a century, lovers of Celtic music, crafts and culture have gathered each August at a park along the shores of Lake Huron in Goderich, Ontario for the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. Like a number of other music festivals forced to cancel or postpone over the past 17 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival’s organizers have arranged an online festival in its place. Featuring pre-recorded musical performances and live hosts, the 2021 Celtic Roots Virtual Festival will stream on Friday, August 6 from 7-11 p.m. EDT and on Saturday, August 7, from 1-5 p.m. EDT.
[Click on the headline to continue reading about this virtual festival and a few workshops that precede it.]
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Goes Hybrid for a Day – July 31
After going completely virtual last year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival has adopted a hybrid model for its 33rd year and will be considerably shorter than in previous years. A one-day only festival with full pandemic precautions and both socially distanced in-person and livestream options is set for Saturday, July 31, 2021 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut.
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Huntington Folk Festival Set for July 17, 2021
Long Island-based Americana band Quarter Horse headlines the 15th annual Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 17, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Opening for the group on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage at 8 p.m. that evening will be The Honey Dewdrops, a husband-and-wife Americana duo. Extending from 1-10 p.m EDT., with a dinner break from 6-7:30 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council as part of the 56th Huntington Summer Arts Festival. The evening concert will also be livestreamed.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this festival preview and to view the complete schedule.]
Virtual Old Songs Festival Set for June 25-27
Old Songs, a three-day festival celebrating traditional music and dance, is usually held at the Altamont Fairgrounds in upstate New York on the last weekend in June. However, it is going virtual for a second consecutive year. Set for Friday-Sunday, June 25-27, the 2021 Virtual Old Songs Festival will feature more than 90 online concerts, workshops, dances, family events, and learn hows.
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Kerrville Folk Festival Virtual Celebration Set; 24 New Folk Finalists Named
Although the annual 18-day-long Kerrville Folk Festival won’t be taking place in late May-June 2021 on the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a KFF Virtual Celebration is set to stream live from there on Saturday, May 29. Meanwhile, 24 songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2021 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters and will showcase their talents online during Finalist Concerts beginning at 7 p.m. CT, May 22 and 23.
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Chris Austin Songwriting Contest Opens for Entries
Submissions are now being sought in the 29th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Hosted by MerleFest, the contest affords aspiring writers an opportunity to have their original songs heard and judged by a volunteer panel of Nashville music industry professionals chaired by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale.
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IBMA World of Bluegrass 2021 Update
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and its partners on the City of Raleigh’s local organizing committee have expressed cautious optimism that they will be able to hold a hybrid IBMA World of Bluegrass this fall (Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2021) with a meaningful and safe in-person component in North Carolina’s capital city, as well as online content.
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Virtual Winterfolk Blues & Roots Festival Set for Feb. 19-20
Winterfolk, Toronto, Ontario’s annual blues and roots festival, will be streamed online, February 19-20, 2021 from 7-10 p.m. EST both nights due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The scaled-back virtual edition of the popular festival, now in its 19th year, will feature some of the artists who have previously graced its stages. Registration is free, although donations for the Daily Bread Foodbank will be accepted.
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South Florida Folk Festival Goes Virtual, Feb. 13-14, 2021
After a number of years at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch Park, the Broward Folk Club moved its annual South Florida Folk Festival to another location last February. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, festival organizers have been compelled to pivot again. The 2021 South Florida Folk Festival will stream live online February 13 (from 2-7 p.m.) and 14, 2021 (from 2-7 p.m. and 2-6:15 p.m. EST, respectively) via the nonprofit organization’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which includes comments from several participating artists.]
Winners Named in 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition
Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts that streamed online October 10 and 11 on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel as part of a Virtual Celebration held in place of the annual event on the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.
[To continue reading this article, including reflections from a couple of the winners, click on the headline.]
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