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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 – Dec.
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.
According to renowned folk singer Peter
Yarrow, “The Kerrville Folk Festival is a miracle of plain
ole’ goodness of spirit, welcoming community and stunningly
beautiful hand-made music. The old pros like me are honored
and respected in ways that make us feel that we are truly
coming home when we return, year after year. But the new
singer-songwriters who come to realize that they are not only
talented, but that they have not been crazy to spend years
honing their craft and hoping for some form of recognition,
are like young in love people. They are heard round the
campfires, at the New Folk concerts, and playing in every nook
and cranny of the
Kerrville
campgrounds. They are the annual child of
Kerrville
being born; grateful, fully in love and humbled by the
appreciation and recognition they receive. To me,
Kerrville
is the world as it might have been had the spiritual leap that
took place in the 60’s not been beaten back into the
shadows, along with much of its music, written from the heart
and describing that era’s encounter with dreams almost
realized. Now, in this new era, I have faith that with our
country joined together in a hope and optimism we have not
experienced in many decades,
Kerrville
artists will be writing the songs that become the soundtrack
of the healing and re-birth of the national good will of
America
. Thank goodness for those Kervillians (sometimes called
Kerrverts) 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).
“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.
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