The Foundation presents several events annually.
The Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation presents several music-related events annually. Its flagship event, the Kerrville Folk Festival, has a legacy spanning 50 years. The Festival features more than 100 performing songwriters in intimate musical settings over 18 wonderful days and nights. Established in 1973, Kerrville’s annual Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters is always a high point of the Festival and draws some of the best emerging songwriters from across the world.
Offering a variety of music workshops, schools, seminars and activities for all ages, the Festival focuses on nurturing and developing artistic expression, especially the art of songwriting, in a loving family-friendly environment. The Kerrville Folk Festival is celebrated by a community which considers itself a family. Everyone arriving, whether for the first or fortieth time is greeted with, “Welcome Home!”.
More Events
Other annual Foundation events include Welcome Home Festival in the fall, Music Camp for Teens in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas, and Music at the Mansion in partnership with Schreiner University.
The Foundation accomplishes its mission and reaches toward its vision by promoting folk music in its many and varied forms, and by actively supporting songwriting, songwriters and folk music education.
The Foundation provides folk music education for the musician and non-musician community through workshops, seminars, and other educational events.
Our Programming
Many Programs are held during our flagship event, the Kerrville Folk Festival, including:
- Grassy Hill New Folk Competition
- Songwriters’ School
- Ukulele Workshop
- Harmonica Workshop
- Guitar Classes
- YAPI (Young Artists’ Performance Incubator)
We offer seminars and workshops designed to help songwriters hone their musicianship, songwriting, music skills and techniques. We provide support and create a friendly, sustainable environment for songwriters and musicians to allow them to focus on their craft.
We continue to expand the prestige and legacy of the Grassy Hill New Folk Finalists.
New Folk Curators and their team of listeners are professional songwriters and/or instructors, many of whom are former New Folk. New Folk Ambassadors provide logistical support to finalists beginning the moment they are notified.
Beginning in 2020, the New Folk Contest and Winners Concert was live-streamed.
Going forward, the Contest and Winners Concert will continue to be live-streamed.
New Folk Tour Managers host Winners on a Texas tour of high value performance opportunities.
We continue and expand efforts to support house concert series and develop new songwriter performance avenues and venues.
We support and sponsor music events such as Folk Alliance International, regional Folk Alliance events, SXSW and more.
We sponsor and co-sponsor musical and educational events which focus on singer-songwriter development.
We create and support singer/songwriter showcase events and concert series in the local and regional community such as Music at the Mansion.
We educate the general public, particularly underserved audiences such as senior citizens and children, about folk music and the work of singer/songwriters.
We help fund and grow the annual Music Camp for Teens, held each July at Quiet Valley Ranch in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bandera County.
We develop outreach programs to bring songwriters and folk music education programs to local and regional audiences, i.e. schools, hospitals, elder care facilities, community and group events.
We assure the perpetual growth of our flagship Kerrville Folk Festival, its programs and events, as well as other Foundation-sponsored events through effective management of our sources of funding; assure continued growth of the Foundation’s home at Quiet Valley Ranch, Kerrville through proper management of financial, human, and ecological resources.
We continue the development of our supporting foundations, as well as our donor and sponsor base, including the administration of KFFF Membership programs, fundraising and pledge campaigns to create a broad base of annual support.
We develop and grow a broad-based Endowment plan supporting the Foundation.
We maintain and use the data base of donors, members, volunteers, and sponsors for notices of fundraising, meetings, news and other efforts and events.
We create and manage fundraising activities consistent with our mission and vision, including ongoing communication with our members, donors and sponsors for donations, targeted program fundraising, and special events.
We continue to attract board and committee members and volunteers dedicated to fulfilling the Foundation’s program, administrative and development needs.
We provide effective leadership of the volunteers and staff managing the Ranch infrastructure.
