The IBMA Foundation is pleased to announce the return of bluegrass college band performance opportunities on Friday and Saturday evenings, September 29-30. The showcases will be presented at the Youth Stage located at 420 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, as a part of IBMA’s Bluegrass Live! Powered by PNC festival. The annual two-day festival wraps up a week of World of Bluegrass events including the IBMA Business Conference, the IBMA 2023 Bluegrass Music Awards, and Bluegrass Ramble Showcases.

Directors of college-level bluegrass bands and ensembles are invited to contact Nancy Cardwell at 615.260.4807 or info@bluegrassfoundation.org to confirm their participation. Last year, bluegrass bands from colleges and universities in Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee were featured, along with IBMA’s international grant youth band, Curly Strings, from Hungary. The Malina Brothers from the Czech Republic also subbed for a college band that was not able to attend World of Bluegrass because of the weather.

Fred Bartenstein, president/board chair of the IBMA Foundation, said, “For many of us, one of the most exciting parts of World of Bluegrass week is discovering new and emerging talent at the Bluegrass College Band Showcase. Don’t miss the chance to see and hear the future of bluegrass music on the IBMA Youth Stage in Raleigh September 29 and 30.”

For the latest info on World of Bluegrass events, lodging, and ticketing, go to https://worldofbluegrass.org.

Return to the May 2023 issue of The Cornerstone.