FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL CONFIRMS FUTURE CONFERENCE LOCATIONS

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January 27, 2025

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FOLK ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL (FAI) CONFIRMS FUTURE CONFERENCE LOCATIONS

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FAI CONFIRMS KEYNOTE SPEAKER ALLISON RUSSELL, IN CONVERSATION WITH AUTHOR ANN POWERS FOR 37TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FAI UNVEILS OFFICIAL SHOWCASE LINEUP AND CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING WITH 175 PERFORMANCES AND OVER 300 OTHER EVENTS, COVERING 21 HOURS A DAY

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FAI TO RECEIVE $50,000 AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

Kansas City, MO, New Orleans, LA, and Chicago, IL (January 27, 2025) - Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, today announced the schedule for 2026 and future conferences at an event in New Orleans, LA. FAI’s conference will be held in the following cities:

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January 21-25, 2026: New Orleans, LA

January 27-31, 2027: Chicago, IL

January 26-30, 2028: Kansas City, MO

2029: TBD

January 23-27, 2030: New Orleans, LA

2031: Canada (city TBD)

January 21-25, 2032: New Orleans, LA

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Apply for 2025 conference press credentials: https://www.folk.org/form/press-credentials

“We are thrilled to return to New Orleans, travel to Chicago, come home to Kansas City, and head back to Canada. Louisiana is so rich with folklife. Our conference in 2020 was so special. We are grateful to New Orleans and Company, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, local board members Reid Wick and Ashley Shabankareh, and our members in the region for welcoming us back to the Crescent City three times over the next decade,” said Folk Alliance International Executive Director Jennifer Roe.

FAI previously held its conference in New Orleans at the start of 2020.

In addition, FA announced that it has been approved by the United States National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $50,000. This grant will support the organization serving the depth and diversity of the genre by providing resources to all roles of the folk music industry — including artists at every stage in their career and a network of small and large businesses, non-profit organizations, and initiatives. The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, continuing, “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including Folk Alliance International.”

FAI previously confirmed that GRAMMY Award-winner and eight-time nominee Allison Russell, who made her Broadway debut in November performing as Persephone in Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown, will be the Keynote Speaker at its 37th annual conference. Celebrated author and NPR Music journalist Ann Powers will be interviewing Allison. FAI also unveiled its programming lineup for the conference, with over 300 panels, roundtables, discussions, film screenings, 175 Official Showcase performances, meet-ups, and other programs over 21 hours each day. The conference takes place February 19-23, 2025 in Montréal, QC.

FAI’s 37th annual conference will feature over one hundred and seventy-five artists officially showcasing, representing thirty-eight countries of origin, nineteen U.S. states, and all thirteen Canadian provinces, one of the larger slates of showcases in the conference’s history. The conference will be held at Montréal’s Sheraton Hotel.

Among the artists announced to be performing Official Showcases are:

JUNO Award-winner Ron Sexsmith, about whom the New York Times said is “known for his soulful voice and masterful melodies.”;
Contemporary roots singer-songwriter and Indigenous music Award-winner Mimi O’bonsawin, mixed French Canadian & Abénaki, a member of Odanak First-Nation;
The legendary Connie Kaldor, who has won the Order of Canada, a Western Literature Association Award of Merit, and three JUNO Awards;
Tania Elizabeth, fiddle player/songwriter/vocalist, who played with the Avett Brothers;
Halifax, Nova Scotia folk duo Mama’s Broke, who have appeared on an NPR Tiny Desk Concert;
Canadian-Grenadian “star in the making” (Folk Alley) Kaïa Kater;
Chinese-American pianist/vocalist Vienna Teng, who has been featured on NPR All Songs Considered and NPR Weekend Edition;
Amy Speace, who was personally signed by Judy Collins; an NPR critic said, “Her velvety achy voice recalls an early Lucinda Williams”;
Sara Curruchich, the first indigenous Guatemalan singer-songwriter to take her songs in Kaqchikel–her mother tongue–and Spanish internationally;
JUNO Award nominee and singer/cellist/composer Jorane, who has won a Jutra Award from her film work and performed at Montréal International Jazz Festival;
Platinum-selling songwriter and “quite possibly the most talented, and engaging, solo performer on this planet” (NPR) Steve Poltz;
GRAMMY nominee, rapper/singer-songwriter SaulPaul, who has performed at America’s Got Talent, The Kennedy Center, and Austin City Limits;
The “rich colors and hazy atmospherics in a sweet and savory mix” (AP) of ISMAY;
Singer/autoharp player/songwriter, Polaris Music Prize short-listed artist, and JUNO Award nominee Basia Bulat, whose music has been produced by Jim James;
Powerhouse vocalist, intrepid songwriter, and drag queen Flamy Grant, winner of 2023 Kerrville New Folk Competition;
Malena Cadiz, who “has a voice that grabs you within seconds” (NPR);
Olive Klug, who found success on TikTok and whose songs reflect their experience with queer identity and the struggle to establish adulthood in unprecedented times;
Chinese-American Latin GRAMMY nominee Alex Wong, who has performed at Coachella, Stagecoach, and Outside Lands;
Beloved Seattle blues singer Lady A;
Festival headliners Bella’s Bartok, who present a passionate kaleidoscope of sound, born of Americana and Folk music;
2023 JUNO Award-winning blues artist Angelique Francis, who has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Gary Clark, Jr., Joe Bonamassa, Keb’ Mo’, Beth Hart, and more;
Aleksi Campagne, who was named New Discovery of the Year by Penguin Eggs and Roots Music Canada Critics;
Portugal’s Marta Pereira da Costa, who has performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and is one of the first women guitarists in the Fado tradition;
International Folk Music Award Spirit of Folk winner Amanda Rheaume, of the the Métis Nation of Ontario; and
One of Haiti’s most inspiring and celebrated musical ambassadors, Wesli has earned acclaim across the globe for his appealing music, energizing live performances and charming personality.

The conference’s premium sponsors include Bandzoogle, Bose, DistroKid, Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, Grassy Hill Entertainment, Pandora Amp, Tourisme Montréal, and Why Portugal.

FAI also confirmed over 300 other programming events, including:

The International Folk Music Awards;
the third annual Black American Music Summit with panelists and facilitators include Lady A, Tiara Amar, Bertrand Evans-Taylor, Jenn Jeffers, Kaïa Kater, Lisa Sanders, Shakura S'Aida, Lara Supan, Brandi Waller-Pace, and Jada Watson, with a welcome message from Dom Flemons;
Special programming in partnership with the International Indigenous Music Summit;
Featured interview with Michelle Chawla, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Council for the Arts;
A discussion of Music In Times of War;
Book Club: Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital, with author and Rolling Stone writer David Browne;
Local 1000 Town Hall: P2 Visa Delays;
From Score to Show: Building Musical Museums and Exhibitions, including members of the teams of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, the National Music Centre of Canada, FARHOF, and the Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience
A panel on Caretaking in the Music Industry with Mag Blackburn, Robyn Stewart, and Rosalyn Dennett;
A roundtable on WILD FOLK: Nature, folk arts, and finding wonder amidst climate chaos;
A discussion of Louder Together: How artists raise their collective voice to fight for their rights against industry titans;
A panel on Music as a Driving Force in the space of disaster, with MusiCares VP Debbie Carroll, the Recording Academy’s Reid Wick, and LEAF Global Arts executive director Jennifer Pickering;
A conversation about Existing as a creative in an authoritarian society?;
A panel on Building Your Dream Team with moderator Matthew Wilson and panelists Tao-Ming Lau (Paquin Artists), Andrew Britton (PS Business Management), Peter Strand (Mandell Menkes), Susan de Cartier (Starfish Entertainment);
The workshop House Concerts Unlocked;
A Legal Summit, in partnership with the American Bar Association;
film screenings of six-time CFMA winning film Walking Through the Fire; The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane; and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction Ceremony; Man in the Sand (The Making of "Mermaid Avenue"); and Across the Quiet;
Country Focus: Portugal, featuring an official showcase, two private showcase rooms, and a Portuguese panel; and
Traditional French Canadian fiddler Gilles Losier is this year’s Mike Seeger Traditional Fellowship

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