Official Showcase Applications Opened September 1

“There were countless examples of folk as a valued element in the contemporary musical landscape… To wander the poster-festooned hallways was to be greeted by traditional folk in all its iterations, experience its transporting powers, and be welcomed into its world.”
-The Wall Street Journal

Folk Alliance International, (FAI), a 501(c)3 foremost global nonprofit for folk music, has confirmed the 34th annual Folk Alliance International Conference to take place May 18-22, 2022 in Kansas City, MO. The event will be held in a hybrid format: in person as well as online.

Capacity to the in-person event will be limited to 2,000 delegates, and as announced in May, proof of vaccination will be required to attend, and masks will be required indoors at all times other than dining or for artists while on stage. FAI will monitor the pandemic and exceed all local, state, federal and CDC guidelines for safe gathering, and should it be required, FAI reserves the right to move the event entirely online with a hassle-free full reimbursement policy.

“The safety of our community is paramount,” stated Jennifer Roe, FAI’s Director of Operations. “We will do what is right for everyone, even if that is a tough call”.

The 2022 conference theme is Living Traditions and will showcase various regional, national and international traditional folk music forms in performance as well as panel presentations. In addition to the NEA-funded Folklorists’ Summit, presented in collaboration with the American Folklore Society, an online summit will be convened on the topic of Centering Disability in the Music Industry. Other confirmed programming offerings include an event-preparedness Art of Mass Gathering full-day training session, Wisdom of the Elders, and Preserving Traditions. The theme will explore topics of music preservation, migration, evolution, and authenticity, presented in panels, performances, keynotes, screenings, and discussions.

Press are invited to apply for credentials here: https://folk.org/press-credentials

Official Showcases will be presented and filmed in the hotel ballrooms and posted later for online attendees, while private showcases will have the option of streaming via the virtual conference platform, Pathable. Panels will be a mix of in-person, live-streamed from Kansas City and from elsewhere.

Artist applications for Official Showcases opened September 1: https://folk.org/programs/conference/perform/official-showcase-application/

Official Showcases feature jury-selected, tour-ready musicians representing diverse cultures, languages, and sound. These 30-minute sets are performed on full production stages.

Past conferences have seen showcases by the likes of Anais Mitchell, Judy Collins; Valerie June; Carolina Chocolate Drops; Sarah Jarosz; Ruthie Foster; The Milk Carton Kids; Ani DiFranco; Aoife O’Donovan; Arlo Guthrie; Billy Joe Shaver; Gaelynn Lea; Guy Clark; Iris Dement; James McMurtry; Jorma Kaukonen; Justin Townes Earle; Lake Street Dive; Mandolin Orange, now known as Watchhouse; Pokey LaFarge; Rhiannon Giddens; Robyn Hitchcock; Sara Watkins; The Wood Brothers, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings; The Duhks; Rose Cousins; Corb Lund; Ferron; Jane Siberry; Jimmy Rankin; Murray Mclauchlan; The Strumbellas; Ron Sexsmith; Kim Churchill; Oh Pep!; Rory Mcleod; Sam Lee; Trad.Attack!; Gjallarhorn; Danú; Tommy Sands; Wallise Bird; Beppe Gambetta; Kalàscima; Māmā Mihirangi; Moddi; Maria Pomianowska; Alash Ensemble; Archie Fisher; Karine Polwart; Ale Möller; Hoven Droven; Martyn Joseph; and Black Umfolosimany, many before they became household names.

Private Showcases turn hotel rooms into listening rooms. These performances are more intimate, often without any amplification, and offer an opportunity for the artists and turn each floor of the hotel into its own festival.

The in-person side of the conference will be held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Folk Alliance International offers various networking and mentoring opportunities, including Peer Sessions (for agents, labels, festivals, and artists), speed meetings, artist mentorship meetings, and Affinity Group sessions for communities including BIPOC, LGBTQ2IA+, Women, Folks 55+, Folks with Disabilities, and more.

More registration information: https://folk.org/programs/conference/register/

About Folk Alliance International:
Founded in 1989, and governed by a 21-member board of directors, Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the world’s largest membership organization for the folk music industry and community. Its mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion.

FAI values diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, is committed to gender parity in all its programming, celebrates multiple languages and cultures, and actively welcomes participation from marginalized, disenfranchised, and underrepresented communities.

FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” (reflective of any community they are from), and programs a diverse array of sub-genres including, but not limited to Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.

FAI produces the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs), the Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, an Artist in Residence program, The Folk ExChange global market development program, the Ethno USA gathering, the Kansas City Folk Festival, and the world’s largest annual folk music conference (drawing 3,332 delegates from 41 countries in January 2020). This is last year’s Annual Report.

Recent FAI keynote presentations have included Margaret Atwood, Rhiannon Giddens, Judy Collins, Mavis Staples, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Vice President Al Gore, and Commander Chris Hadfield.

Past partnerships for the Artist in Residence program include UNESCO, the International Rescue Committee, the WWI Museum, Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Police Department, the Topeka Women’s Correctional Facility, UMKC’s Mathematics Dept., and the KC Art Institute.

Additionally, FAI provides advocacy, education, and professional development for over 4000 members, and oversees an IRS Group Exemption program in support of over 50 US non-profits.

For more information, please contact Nick Loss-Eaton at nick.losseaton@gmail.com or 718-541-1130.

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