Uri Kohen reports the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival Universities Project in Ireland continues to grow, with some exciting plans for the future. HERE is a clip from the full 2025 symposium. “Thank you once again for your invaluable support in helping us get this project off the ground,” Kohen wrote to the IBMA Foundation
In 2025 the Burnett Sister Band, an alumni group from East Tennessee State University, headlined at the Westport festival. Dr. Lee Bidgood (ETSU) led a festival “homecoming session” with University of Limerick faculty and students. The academic symposium included new partners from Durham University (UK) and additional European contributors. All events were professionally recorded and archived for educational and promotional purposes.
According to Mr. Kohen, “the 2026 edition will mark the 20th anniversary of WFBF, and organizers plan to scale the Universities Project into a flagship trans-Atlantic cultural and academic initiative, expanding beyond current partners.”
Specifically, plans include joint curriculum development between universities with shared lecturers and artistic projects; formal student and faculty exchange programs between Ireland, the US, and Europe; broader academic participation including institutions from the UK, continental Europe, and more US universities; the development of academic research collaborations; and continued performances, recordings, and showcases at the festival.
Uri summarized: “The Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival’s Universities Project represents a transformative opportunity to strengthen cultural ties, support emerging artists, and foster a new generation of musicians who understand and celebrate the shared roots of Irish, old-time, and bluegrass music. By connecting leading academic institutions with one of Europe’s most respected roots music festivals, this initiative creates a platform for meaningful artistic exchange, academic innovation, and global cultural understanding. This is more than a festival initiative,” he elaborated. “It is a pioneering trans-Atlantic cultural collaboration with long-term impact for students, educators, and communities on both sides of the ocean.”
RETURN to the January 2026 issue of The Cornerstone.
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