Kerrville Folk Festival Achieves Nonprofit Status
Longest Continuously Running Music Festival in North America to
Function as an Operating Group of the Texas Folk Music Foundation
AUSTIN, Texas (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) December 15, 2008 --
In a move to preserve, celebrate and educate the public about the
original and eclectic fabric of American music, the Texas
Folk Music Foundation (TFMF), a 501(c)3 Texas Non-profit
Corporation, today announced it has acquired the assets of Kerrville
Folk Festival, Inc., including the Kerrville Folk Festival and the
Kerrville Wine & Music Festival, two of the premier folk and
singer/songwriter festivals in the country. The “Kerrville Folk
Festival” will now benefit from the tax-free donation of private and
public monies to support and promote songwriters, songwriting, folk
music education and live performances of traditional folk, bluegrass,
acoustic rock, blues, country, jazz and Americana music. Donations
from Foundation and Festival supporters made this transition possible.
Since 1972, the Kerrville Folk Festival (KFF) has been known
internationally as a mecca for singer songwriters of various musical
styles. For 18 straight days and nights each May and June, over 30,000
guests come from around the world to experience the magic of what they
simply call “Kerrville.” More than just a folk music festival, the event
is intended to promote emerging artists as well as recognized, seasoned
talent, the likes of which have included musicians such as Peter, Paul
and & Mary, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Michelle Shocked, Mary Chapin
Carpenter, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, and Nancy Griffith, among
others.
“The Kerrville Folk Festival is a miracle of plain ole’ goodness of
spirit, welcoming community and stunningly beautiful hand-made music,”
said renowned folk singer Peter Yarrow. “The old pros like me are
honored and respected in ways that make us feel we are truly coming home
when we return, year after year. Thank goodness for those that have kept
the faith so that Kerrville not only survived, but remained true to its
roots, spiritually and musically. I am personally beyond grateful.”
“The Kerrville Folk Festival has always been a major part of our Folk
Alliance Community and provides a connection between the legendary
songwriters of the past and the generations of songwriters to come,”
said Louis Jay Meyers, executive director of the Folk Alliance. “The art
of songwriting should be cherished, respected and celebrated. The
Kerrville family makes this a reality every year.”
The Kerrville Wine & Music Festival has the same musical format as the
Folk festival, but with an additional focus on Texas Wines. Held each
year over Labor Day weekend, this annual three-day event combines
camping, music, and the best wines Texas winemakers have to offer. In
addition to afternoon and evening concerts, there are Saturday and
Sunday wine seminars which pair food morsels with the vintners’ choice
of wine.
TFMF was founded in 1999 to educate, preserve and promote public
appreciation and support for songwriters, songwriting and folk music in
all its forms. Since then, the Foundation has worked with KFF to deliver
a range of music
education programs and workshops that include:
-
Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for
Emerging Songwriters - TFMF’s highest
profile program has been the springboard for the careers of many
well-known artists; 32 Finalists are selected from 800 entries, six of
whom are chosen as Award Winners to perform on the second weekend of
the Festival.
-
Summer Youth Music Camp – over thirty children ages 11 to 18
from Texas and across the country participate in programs
to “find your voice through music,” including song structure, rhyming,
rhythm, writing lyric poetry, songwriting and canoeing with a twist.
-
Songwriter School - accomplished, professional songwriters come
from across the country to teach songwriting and share their unique
talents with aspiring songwriters of all levels who come to hone their
craft.
-
Blues Guitar Workshop - started in 2000 as a valuable service
provided to those interested in learning the art and technique of
playing the blues. Steve James, writer, performer, teacher and blues
historian, heads up a revolving faculty of master blues artists for
this three-day program.
-
Professional Development Program for Teachers - trains teachers
to incorporate music into the classroom and to help at-risk students
develop interests in music; teachers are eligible to receive
continuing education credits for attending the course.
-
Campus Songwriters Competitions - songwriters from university
campuses across Texas compete for an opportunity to perform in a
showcase event during the Festival (this program is currently
available at the University of North Texas, Texas State University,
Texas A&M, Texas Tech and the University of Texas in Austin).
-
Memorial Day Blues Workshop - some of the finest acoustic blues
musicians in the country gather to discuss their roots, influences and
instruments in an educational and spontaneous forum; past performers
have included Elizabeth Cotton, Sue Foley, Ernie Hawkins, and Spider
John Koerner, among others.
“The Kerrville Folk Festival will still be the same ‘phenomenon’ our
musicians, fans and supporters have come to know and love,” said Dalis
Allen, KFF producer. “Combining forces with the TFMF gives us more
opportunities to move forward with our mission of support for original
music and the education of the world about the importance of music in
our lives. It also ensures the continuation of these events and allows
for fundraising to make additional improvements to them. As Festival
founder Rod Kennedy always said, ‘We are saving the world one song at a
time’.”
Both Kerrville Music Festivals, and many other TFMF programs are held on
the Quiet
Valley Ranch, nine miles south of Kerrville, Texas.
For more information on the Kerrville Folk Festival, please visit: www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com
or contact the festival office at 830-257-3600. For more information on
the TFMF, please visit www.tfmf.org.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/folk_festival/kerrville_folk/prweb1753394.htm
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