The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has announced it’s fourth annual pair of one-day mini-conferences. The first will be held on June 1^st at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, while the second will be on June 9^th at the B’nai Israel Congragation in Rockville, Maryland. NERFA has paired up with the Rhode Island Songwriters Association to host the event at URI, while according to NERFA’s March 2013 newsletter the latter event is intended to target inhabitants of the Washington DC area.

As in previous years’ events these mini-conferences will feature a wide variety of folk-related workshops, seminars, networking opportunities, and panel discussions. The events will also each feature a set of ten 15 minute showcases where musicians can put their talents on display in front of a captive audience and a panel of experts. Applications for the showcase is currently open on the NERFA website, www.nerfa.org.

Folk Alliance International has also announced that the region for the NERFA conferences for the first time will officially extend to eastern Canada, including eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. This will likely increase the preexisting Canadian representation at NERFA showcases and workshops.

NERFA’s four-day annual full conference will be held from November 7^th through November 10^th.

-Cristiano Lima