Austrian kora player Mamadou Diabate is one of more than 150 musicians scheduled to travel to New Orleans in January for the 38th annual Folk Alliance International Conference.
Folk Alliance International
Billed as “the largest gathering of folk musicians and music industry professionals in the world,” thousands of travelers from numerous countries are expected to head to New Orleans in January for the annual Folk Alliance International Conference.
Folk musicians, music industry officials, music lovers and others will convene Jan. 21-25 at the 38th annual conference at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. More than 150 musicians from 34 countries are scheduled to perform.
“We are proud to see so many incredible artists in so many different varieties of folk music, some of whom live right down the street in New Orleans and some who are coming from halfway around the world,” says Jennifer Roe, the nonprofit Folk Alliance International’s executive director. “The conference will be a focal point for this community to send a powerful message of hope to the world.”
The theme of the conference is Rise Up.
“From porch songs to protest anthems, folk artists have always carried the stories that matter—keeping our roots alive while pushing boundaries,” Roe says. “In this moment of social, cultural and ecological urgency, we are called to rise up—as artists, activists, and allies—to keep the flame of folk music burning bright.”
Musicians scheduled to perform include two-time Grammy winners Lost Bayou Ramblers, two-time Grammy winners Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Chuck Prophet, Jim White and Emma Swift.
Colombian salsa sextet Las Guaracheras is scheduled to perform at the Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans in January.
Folk Alliance International
Artists traveling to New Orleans from abroad include Egyptian revolutionary, rock musician and human rights defender Ramy Essam, who now lives in exile in Sweden and Finland. Renowned kora player Mamadou Diabate is from Austria and will come to the Crescent City with his band Percussion Mania. An all-women Colombian salsa sextet Las Guaracheras, who performed this year at Lincoln Center in New York City, is also scheduled to perform.
Advanced registration to attend the five-day conference ends Oct. 31, and various prices are in effect. They include $570 for fans, $180 for students, $240 for artists and $420 for industry officials. Folk Alliance International members get $150 off the prices, and Louisiana residents get 50% off.
Last year, 2,445 people traveled to attend the conference in Montreal, and 183 artists from 46 countries performed. The artists and music industry officials came from such far-flung places as Australia, Burkina Faso, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Taiwan and Ukraine.
The crowd-favorites of every conference, according to the Folk Alliance International website, are private showcases that give everyone in attendance an opportunity to perform. “Late at night, hotel guest rooms transform into small stages with hundreds of performances hosted by different organizations,” the website says.
The folk music organization has announced the destinations for folk music devotees wishing to attend future annual conferences: Chicago, Jan. 27-31, 2007; Kansas City, Jan. 26-30, 2028; New Orleans, Jan. 23-27, 2030, and an undecided Canadian city in 2031. The location for 2029 has not yet been chosen.
