OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING SONGWRITERS AT THE KERRVILLE FOLK
FESTIVAL
KERRVILLE, Texas – Music
has a great power of bringing people together. With so many
forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people,
it is important to preserve and nurture those things that
help us experience our common humanity. Music and
songwriting may be the best examples of this. For this
reason, the Kerrville Folk Festival continuously strives to
promote and encourage the art of songwriting through various
competitions and activities.
The Kerrville Folk Festival
is North America’s longest running, and perhaps most
prestigious, songwriters festival. 2007 will mark our 36th
consecutive year during the 18-day event which will run from
May 24 – June 10. Kerrville has always been about
songwriters and songwriting. Each year the festival invites
musicians from all over the world to attend songwriting
workshops, programs designed to promote music in schools,
and to participate in various songwriting contests.
Songwriting contests and
competitions featured at the 2007 Kerrville Folk Festival
will include the GRASSY HILL KERRVILLE NEW FOLK COMPETITION
FOR EMERGING SONGWRITERS and the SONGWRITING COMPETITION FOR
TEXAS’ UNIVERSITIES.
Established at the
suggestion of Peter Yarrow in 1972, the Kerrville NEW FOLK
competition and concerts are one of the highlights of each
year’s festival. Co-sponsored by the Texas Folk Music
Foundation and Grassy Hill.org, the NEW FOLK competition has
been a notable part in the early success of artists like
Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith. Of the 800 entries received
each year, 32 writers/performers are selected as finalists
and are invited to perform their original songs at the
Kerrville Folk Festival during the NEW FOLK concerts over
Memorial Day weekend. Six NEW FOLK winners are then
announced and get to come back and play extended sets the
following weekend. In addition to getting the opportunity
to perform to an appreciative audience which includes many
music industry professionals and presenters, the winning NEW
FOLK artists receive cash awards, a variety of prizes, and a
coveted distinction they can place at the very top of their
resume.
Entries for the 2007 GRASSY
HILL KERRVILLE NEW FOLK COMPETITION may be submitted between
the dates of December 1, 2006 and March 15, 2007. Only the
first 800 entries will be accepted. There are two ways to
enter the NEW FOLK contest – you can mail your entry to the
festival office or your may upload an electronic file
through SonicBids. Official contest guidelines must be
followed and are posted on the festival website at
www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com/newfolk.htm. Guidelines
may also be obtained by calling the Kerrville festival
office at (830) 257-3600.
Also, for the fifth
straight year, the Kerrville Folk Festival and the Texas
Folk Music Foundation will be hosting songwriting
competitions at several Universities across the state of
Texas. Student songwriters from the selected Universities
are given the opportunity to perform their original material
at contests held at their particular school. Winners from
these contests will also be able to perform at the 2006
Kerrville Folk Festival. The Universities where the
competitions are held change each year, and have included
The University of Texas in Austin, Texas A&M University in
College Station, Texas State University in San Marcos, and
North Texas State University in Denton. The list of
schools and dates where these competitions will be held are
currently being finalized.
Promoting and hosting
contests and activities like those at the Kerrville Folk
Festival will continue to be the major focus for the
Kerrville Music Festival organization. Music and
songwriting are important! Like water, music takes the shape
of whatever space it occupies, leaving the listener to
choose what form it takes. Like food, music has the power
to nourish - to nourish the souls of innumerable listeners
as well as the souls of countless musicians who have shared
the gift of music for ages. Going beyond time, emotion,
language, and culture, music is the most powerful bond in a
world in great need of harmony.
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