About the Conference
WHAT:
The Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference is a gathering of folk music makers, industry and community from the southeastern United States and beyond. We celebrate and recognize the roots and new growth of the wide, inclusive genre of folk music.
WHEN:
May 9-12 2024
WHERE:
Blue Ridge Assembly, 84 Blue Ridge Circle, Black Mountain NC
WHO:
Musicians from the appalachian, americana, blues, bluegrass, celtic, cajun, roots, old-time, singer-songwriter genres and more; venues festivals, house concert hosts and presenters of all types; DJs, writers, and podcasters; managers, publicists, agents: music lovers; and hopefully you.
WHY:
Our annual conference returns to an in-person event after two years of gathering online. It's going to be amazing. We share music, build community, help each other to grow and succeed in music, and spread the music we all love.
The DETAILS:
We begin on Thursday afternoon with workshops and song circles, followed by dinner together and performances. On Friday and Saturday the days are filled with workshops on the craft of songwriting, performing, and recording. There will be business sessions on promotion, marketing, and touring. Industry representatives will enjoy peer group meetings and topics specific to presenters. We will be showing a couple of films, hosting song circles, and offering one-on-one mentoring sessions.
The highlight of our days are the Keynote Address, Annual Awards, and learning from the Wisdom of Elders. Evenings will be filled with music including our official juried showcases on an amplified stage, and unplugged guerrilla showcases.
The Exhibit hall is a great opportunity to dig a little deeper and the schedule offers plenty of time to network and get to know each other. Shared meals on site deepen our community connection.
We end on Sunday morning with a few more workshops, a closing circle, always exhausted but wishing it wouldn't end so soon.
HOW:
Register to attend
Click HERE to head over to the registration page. Sign yourself up to attend, secure a table in the exhibit hall, take out an ad in the program book. Even if you can't attend you may want to place an ad in the program.
Apply for an Official Showcase
Be a SERFA Sponsor
Show your support and get some recognition. We have a ton of options for every budget and lots of creative opportunities HERE.
PHILOSOPHY:
TALK TO US The SERFA board endeavors to make our annual conference a welcoming space. We want to hear from you before during and after the conference - what would you like the conference to include, how can we improve - speak up!
PARTICIPATE Suggest a workshop HERE - deadline has passed
SERFA is a volunteer run organization. We need your help to make it happen. Please reach out and let us know how you’d like to help.
We encourage musicians to take time to listen to each other, so we limit the number of showcases each artist may perform, and host an open mic and song circles. We want everyone to be heard.
NEED A HAND? Attending a conference is a great investment, but we understand the cost can be a hardship. A small number of scholarships are available. Anyone needing financial assistance to attend the conference may apply HERE - deadline has passed
The deadline has passed for the SERFA Scholar awarded to first time singer/songwriter attendees.
We've build in some free time in the schedule and hope you will take advantage of really connecting with your peers .
Sustainability and respect for the venue matter to us, so we ask that you not hang posters or put out leaflets. Schedules of all performances will be in the program book. There will be a spot for information in the exhibit hall, guerrilla showcase rooms may post their line-up at their room, and we hope you will engage with each other enough to hand each other a business card, cd, or schedule.
