Leadership Bluegrass Archives

IBMA introduces the Leadership Bluegrass class of 2025

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the 2025 class invited to attend their annual Leadership Bluegrass course, held March 10-12 in Nashville. This year marks the 25th anniversary of this groundbreaking course, designed to identify and facilitate future leaders in the bluegrass community

Participants are chosen in a competitive process to be a part of this educational and networking experience, where they meet and learn from existing industry leaders, and from one another.

IBMA Executive Director Ken White speaks highly of this group.

“This year’s Leadership Bluegrass class is as strong as any I’ve seen. The large number of diverse and high-quality applicants is quite a statement about the impressive qualifications of those selected, and the reputation of the program.

Our association’s mission is to connect, educate, and empower bluegrass professionals, and IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass continues to be one of the most important professional development programs in the bluegrass music industry.

Participation in this class, and future alumni activities, is an impactful commitment to one’s career, the IBMA, and the bluegrass community. Congratulations to the Class of 2025!”

Chosen for 2025 are:

Katherine Bestwick – Appalachian Fiddle & Bluegrass Association (Zion Grove, PA)
Jennifer Brooke – Floyd Music School, LLC (Floyd, VA)
Pamela Brown – Oregon Bluegrass Association / Shaniko Music Sanctuary (Shaniko, OR)
Trudy Chandler – Nick Chandler and Delivered (Weaverville, NC)
Sofia Chiarandini – Jacob’s Ladder / Tufts University (Cambridge, MA)
Joseph Cornett – Billy Blue Music Publishing (White House, TN)
Elizabeth Dewey – International Bluegrass Music Association (Nashville, TN)
Darren Eedens – Taff Rapids / Self (Cardiff, Wales)
Donna Harrison – Chattanooga Tourism Co. (Chattanooga, TN)
Jenny Hirt – Durango Bluegrass Meltdown / KSUT Public Radio (Durango, CO)
Sara Johnson – Vivid Events / Pickin’ In The Peaches Music Festival (Augusta, GA)
Ella Jordan – Ella Jordan Music (Nashville, TN)
Kirk Kenney – China Bluegrass Network (Shanghai, China)
Crystal Lariza – Never Come Down (Hood River, OR)
Jon Lundbom – Central Texas Bluegrass Association (Austin, TX)
Erin Moorman – Syntax Creative (Franklin, TN)
Robbie Morris – Grasstime (Nashville, TN)
Caroline Owens – Billy Blue Records / Billy Blue Publishing (Denton, NC)
Aynsley Porchak – East Tennessee State University (Gate City, VA)
Nancy Posey – Music In Community Network (Brentwood, TN)
Joshua Rilko – Touring Musician (Nashville, TN)
Erin Rouse – Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum (Owensboro, KY)
Mona Salyer – IBMA Foundation Board (Bristol, VA)
Danny Stewart Jr. – U.S. Navy Band / Turtle Hill Banjo Co. / Annapolis Bluegrass (Edgewater, MD)
Zachary Taylor – Planning Stages Inc. (Hixson, TN)
Ross Willits – Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (Roseville, MN)

There is no fee to take part in Leadership Bluegrass, but class members pay their own room and board if they live outside Nashville.

More information about the program, and its more than 500 graduates, can be found online.

IBMA congratulates 2024 Leadership Bluegrass graduates

The International Bluegrass Music Association has introduced the graduating class from their 2024 Leadership Bluegrass symposium.

Each year, roughly two dozen people are selected in a competitive process to attend a seminar in Nashville, designed to build future leaders within the bluegrass industry. Or as IBMA describes it, “an intensive three-day program of advanced-level interactive learning experiences designed to build commitment, motivate talents, and instill enthusiasm for addressing the future of the bluegrass music industry.”

This recent class was the 23rd annual edition, with 560 graduates of the program in that time. Leadership Bluegrass alumni stay in touch and host events on a regular basis, largely focused on continuing education within the professional bluegrass community. The networking aspect of this tight-knit group is surely part of its enduring appeal.

Attendees are chosen from all aspects of the industry, including artists, association leaders, event producers, artist representation and management, education, retail, songwriting, luthiery, broadcasting, audio and video recording, and any others you might imagine.

Over the three days, March 4-6 this year, they attend lectures, classes, and sessions with industry leaders. This year’s list of presenters featured Alison Brown, John McEuen, Béla Fleck, and Jerry Salley.

The 2024 graduates of Leadership Bluegrass are:

Chelsea Burns – Central Texas Bluegrass Association; Austin, TX
Amanda Cook – Mountain Fever Records; Fancy Gap, VA
Carolyn Eyerly – DC Bluegrass Union; Vienna, VA
Sara Gougeon – Pineworks Creative / Queerfest; Nashville, TN
Karen Celia Heil – California Bluegrass Association / Berkeley Old Time Music Convention; San Francisco, CA
Mike Kaiz – Madison House; Chicago, IL
Kevin Keating – Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival; Nazareth, PA
Anna Kline – International Bluegrass Music Association; Mount Sterling, KY
Jeff Koontz – Planning Stages, Inc.; Brevard, NC
Linda Leavitt – Oregon Bluegrass Association; Sisters, OR
Tashi Litch – Eastsound, WA
Helen Lude – California Bluegrass Association; San Francisco, CA
Rob McCormac – Indiana University / Liam Purcel & Cane Mill Road / Trailhead Touring & Production; Bloomington, IN
Amanda McDowell – WXCY; Quarryville, PA
Mike Mitchell – Floyd Music School / The Mike Mitchell Band; Floyd, VA
Seth Mulder – Seth Mulder & Midnight Run; Sevierville, TN
Kody Norris – The Kody Norris Show / Mountain City Fiddlers’ Convention; Mountain City, TN
Liam Purcell – Trailhead Records; Deep Gap, NC
Ariel Rosemberg – Littleton, CO
Timothy Trudeau – Syntax Creative; Franklin, TN
Amanda Webb – NoraBelle Studio; Sevierville, TN
Lillian Werbin – Elderly Instruments; Lansing, MI
Dan Whitener – Gangstagrass / Man About a Horse; Matawan, NJ
Alissa Wolf – Stillhouse Junkies; Durango, CO
Cassie Wright – Fox Crossing Stringband; Chicago, IL

Congratulations all.

Annual events for Leadership Bluegrass are coordinated by a special IBMA Planning Committee consisting of Co-Chairs Stacy Chandler and Casey Campbell, assisted by Dustin Boyd, Jordan Laney, Greg Blake, Phil Chorney, Kris Trueslen, and IBMA Staff Liaison Ethan Charles.

For more information about the Leadership Bluegrass program, visit their web site online.

Next Leadership Bluegrass virtual workshop is on vocals

IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass alumni have announced February 21 as the date for their next virtual workshop, free to all online using the Zoom app.

This one is dedicated to bluegrass vocals and is titled Everyone is a Singer: The Voice as an Instrument. Leading the program are three noted singers, who are also recognized as among the top vocal coaches in our music.

Stephen Mougin is guitarist and harmony singer with the Sam Bush Band, and owner/operator of Dark Shadow Recording. For many years he also offered band coaching workshops where he would work all day with a band looking to improve and enhance their presentation, and serves as the primary engineer and producer for Dark Shadow studio artists.

Dan Boner is the Director of the Bluegrass, Old Time & Roots Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University. He is also a solo recording artist, and spent several years touring with the Becky Buller Band. He likewise coaches students in the program on their singing, and leads the school’s premier band, ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band.

Dede Wyland has devoted her entire life to bluegrass singing, as both a performer and an instructor. On the national stage she drew attention as vocalist Tony Trischka & Skyline and before that with Grass, Food & Lodging. Now living in the DC capitol region, Dede operates her Online Video School of Voice.

Starting at noon (eastern) on February 21, these three leaders in their craft will discuss a number of topics, including:

Appreciating the voice as a bluegrass instrument
Caring for your voice and avoiding injury
A few vocal tips that can make a difference in your singing
The bluegrass sound – timing, phrasing and ornamentation

To attend, simply follow this link at the start time, making sure that you have the Zoom app installed on your device or phone.

If you can’t make it for the live seminar, Leadership Bluegrass typically makes the video feed available on YouTube a few weeks after each of their virtual workshops.

Watch Barbara Martin Stephens interview online

The recent interview with early bluegrass and country music pioneer Barbara Martin Stephens, conducted by Leadership Bluegrass, about her work as an artist representative in the 1950s and ’60s when such work was rarely done by women, is now available for online viewing.

Stephens was the first female booking agent on Music Row when she opened an office in 1964, and worked with top artists like Loretta Lynn, Betty Amos, Hank Williams, Jr, Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys, and Grandpa Jones. With no one to teach her the ropes, she learned by watching other successful managers and agents.

As the wife of Jimmy Martin for many years, Barbara gained a great deal of insight about the business from the inside, and took on booking and promotion initially to help his career, but was able to learn even more by observing Tillman Franks managing the Louisiana Hayride when she and Jimmy moved down to Shreveport. After telling Jimmy that she could do what Franks was doing, he helped set her up as an agent and she ended up booking all the acts for the Wheeling Jamboree at WWVA.

Throughout the interview she discusses what it was like back in the days with no internet or cell phones, no fax machines or computers, when it wasn’t easy to reach artists out on the road.

A charming and compelling storyteller, this one hour session will be fascinating to anyone with an interest in this period of American music history. It’s well worth the investment of your time.

Katie Hogue moderates and leads Barbara through this discussion.

Hats off to Leadership Bluegrass and the IBMA for sharing this important piece of biography in music business.

Leadership Bluegrass presents Barbara Martin Stephens on history of booking

IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass has announced the next in their ongoing series of Virtual Workshops. On January 10, from noon to 1:00 p.m. (EST) they will present Booking History: From the Hayride to Music Row with Barbara Martin Stephens, an overview of artist representation from the late 1950s forward.

Stephens is a legend among Nashville booking agents for her work with major country and bluegrass stars. Her Book, Don’t Give Your Heart to a Rambler: My Life with Jimmy Martin, the King of Bluegrass, has been very well received in bluegrass circles.

The workshop is offered free of charge, and the discussion will be moderated by Katie Hogue. Following Barbara’s remarks, questions from the Zoom audience will be entertained.

The describe the seminar as follows:

Barbara Martin Stephens has had an amazing life in country and bluegrass music, at a time when very few women held prominent industry positions other than as artists. She began learning the business of talent booking in 1958 by watching Tillman Franks at the Louisiana Hayride; honed her skills as the primary booker for WWVA in Wheeling WV; and eventually moved to Nashville where, in 1964, she owned her own agency and was the first female booking agent on Music Row. She has placed so many of history’s great artists, including Loretta Lynn, Betty Amos, Hank Williams, Jr, Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys, and Grandpa Jones, to name a few. Join us as we talk about those experiences and her personal friendships which included Bill Monroe, Bessie Lee Maudlin, and Patsy Cline, while reminiscing about the early music business and how it compares to today. You won’t want to miss this!

To attend, simply use this link on January 10 at noon to sing in to the Zoom meeting.

For those unable to attend live, Leadership Bluegrass typically makes the video available after the fact on YouTube.

IBMA announces 2023 Leadership Bluegrass Class

The International Bluegrass Music Association has today announced the 2023 class for their annual Leadership Bluegrass program, an intensive three-day course for industry professionals, held in Nashville in early spring.

25 applicants are chosen in a competitive process, based on potential for leadership in our industry. Attendees are artists, radio programmers, event managers, merchandisers, educators, songwriters, producers, association leaders, and any other sort of professional category that exists in bluegrass. Each class has a tailor-made curriculum created for their time in the program, which involve meeting current leader in Nashville in a variety of fields, and learning from their expertise.

Leadership Bluegrass has also been heralded over its 22 year for the networking opportunities that exist among graduates.

IBMA Executive Director Pat Morris says that he is proud of the class for next year.

“The 2023 Leadership Bluegrass class is a testament to the strength and rich talent present today in bluegrass. It continues to be one of the most important professional development programs in the bluegrass music industry. Participation in the class and future alumni activities is important to the careers of those selected, the IBMA, and the bluegrass community. Congratulations to the Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2023!”

A sentiment that is shared by Dustin Boyd, chair of IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee.

“We are excited to finally announce the participants in our 2023 Leadership Bluegrass Class. We took time in 2022 to further develop and enhance our existing program and look forward to welcoming the 2023 class next March.”

The Leadership Bluegras Class for 2023 includes:

Amy Alvey – Golden Shoals / Radio Host WMOT Madison, TN
Marcia Campbell – Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers Nashville, TN
Hasee Ciaccio – Sister Sadie / Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands Cove Creek, NC
Kristy Cox – Kristy Cox Band Hendersonville, TN
Laura Crawford – Recording Academy Nashville, TN
Guido de Groot – Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands
Jonathan Een Newton – Free Dirt Records Brentwood, MD
Frank Evans – The Slocan Ramblers Madison, TN
Dave Gooding – California Bluegrass Association Vacaville, CA
Christopher Howard-Williams – Bluegrass in La Roche La Roche, France
Alex Lacquement – Charm City Junction Baltimore, MD
Dylan Locke – Floyd Country Store / Handmade Music School / County Sales Floyd, VA
Sarah McCombie – Chatham Rabbits Greensboro, NC
Saravanan “Sav” Sankaran – Unspoken Tradition Alexander, NC
Austin Scelzo – Rock Hearts/CT Bluegrass Association Danbury, CT
Jake Schepps – Round Window Institute (Banjo Summit) Burlington, VT
Marianne See – Anchorage Folk Festival Anchorage, AK
Mike Simpson – International Bluegrass Music Association Bowling Green, KY
Kevin Slick – Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Louisville, CO
Gieselle Tambe-Ebot – Jam Pak Band Chandler, AZ
Cody Tinnin – Stillhouse Junkies Duango, CO
Brandi Waller-Pace – Decolonizing the Music Room Forth Worth, TX
Tray Wellington – Tray Wellington Band Raleigh, NC
Kalia Yeagle – East Tennessee State University / Bill and the Belles Johnson City, TN
Sami Braman – The Onlies Nashville, TN

The program is offered free of charge to the selected participants, but they pay for their own accommodations during the program.

Congratulations to the 2023 class!

IBMA to postpone Leadership Bluegrass until 2023

The International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville has announced the postponement of their 2022 Leadership Bluegrass program until March 6-8, 2023. No class was held during 2021 owing to COVID restrictions in place at the time.

IBMA Executive Director Pat Morris said that a number of ambiguities suggested that they wait another year.

“There were a variety of factors that went into this decision, including the availability of venues, uncertainty around travel and safety measures available or required in early March, and general concerns about putting forth a robust program given the ever-changing health landscape. However, we look forward to welcoming the Leadership Bluegrass 2023 class next year for our normal, full-scale program.”

There will be no need to apply, as the already accepted participants for the 2022 class will be admitted next year. Those class members will be announced in the coming months.

Dustin Boyd, chair of the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee, says that they will take the postponement in stride, and make sure the 2023 class has a strong and positive experience.

“While we are disappointed to not be able to provide a Leadership Bluegrass program this year, we are excited to take this time to further develop and enhance our existing program. We are determined to put on a 2023 event where participants can confidently learn and network in an environment that is safe and accessible for everyone involved.”

The program is designed to help build future leaders in the bluegrass community. IBMA describes Leadership Bluegrass as follows:

Leadership Bluegrass is an intensive three-day program of advanced-level interactive learning experiences designed to build commitment, motivate talents, and instill enthusiasm for addressing the future of the bluegrass music industry. Each year, 25 applicants from around the world are selected to participate in the class, which is held in Nashville and has boasted more than 500 graduates since its inception in 2000

Attendees cover their own expenses to travel to Nashville for the program, along with a fee to attend. Graduates have developed a community of their own, and get together for special events several times each year.

IBMA to offer Leadership Bluegrass online in 2021

Following the plan the International Bluegrass Music Association adopted for their 2020 World of Bluegrass convention, the organization will host its acclaimed Leadership Bluegrass business sessions this year for free online. Missing will be the personal networking opportunities so prized by attendees, but the information shared in small group meetings and seminars will be offered to all virtually in March 2021.

In a typical year, Leadership Bluegrass invites a couple dozen bluegrass professionals from all corners of the business to Nashville for a week. These individuals are chosen through a highly selective process, and they pay their own way plus accommodations to spend time in discussions and information sessions with top industry pros. Of course very little has been typical about the past twelve months, and the organizers of Leadership Bluegrass decided that it wasn’t practical to ask people to travel and spend time in close proximity while COVID-19 restrictions are still in place.

So this year, each Thursday in March will see a live presentation offered online, along with a set of music from an up-and-coming bluegrass group from outside the US. These will be available to everyone at no cost on the IBMA Facebook page, starting March 4 at 1:00 p.m. (EST).

The 2021 program is entitled Leadership Bluegrass Online: Navigating the Digital Jungle, and will run on the following schedule.

March 4 – The Show Must Go On: Producing Events in Uncertain Times
Performance by Country Gongbang (South Korea)
March 11 – The Music Modernization Act: Where Are We Today?
Performance by The Often Herd (UK)
March 18 – The Business of Education: 4 Tips to Becoming More Effective & Profitable
Performance by Johnny & The Yooahoos (Germany)
March 25 – The Artist’s Perspective: Sarah Jarosz
Performance by You, Me, Everybody (New Zealand)

All presentations will begin at 1:00 p.m. (EST).

Further details about Leadership Bluegrass can be found online.

IBMA congratulates the 2020 Leadership Bluegrass class

Last week, while much of Nashville was reeling from an early morning tornado, the International Bluegrass Music Association welcomed their 21st class to Leadership Bluegrass. This annual event includes several days of sessions for the class, which IBMA describes as an “intensive, three-day program focused on interactive learning and networking experiences, which invite participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the bluegrass music industry, and pursue leadership development.”

The program now boasts over 500 graduates, a list of which reads like a who’s who of bluegrass artists, labels, publicists, management, radio hosts, luthiers, associations, event producers, educators, artists representatives, and entrepreneurs in our industry. Attendees join an elite group of businesspeople who establish long-standing relationships with fellow graduates.

Each year, roughly two dozen participants are chosen in a competitive process from among the many applications received. Those selected are balanced between people new to the industry who want to get a jump start on the biz, those currently working in the bluegrass world, and more experienced leaders with many years already dedicated to the music.

The 2020 class included:

Jake Blount – Jake Blount / Tui / The Moose Whisperers; Washington, D.C.
David Brower – PineCone / WUNC; Carrboro, NC
Thomas Cassell – Circus No. 9; Johnson City, TN
Ethan Charles – International Bluegrass Music Association; Nashville, TN
Jennifer Danielson – Pandora; Nashville, TN
Worth Dixon – D’Addario & Company, Inc.; Farmingdale, NY
Rick Faris – Special Consensus; Topeka, KA
Rebecca Frazier – Rebecca Frazier and Hit & Run; Nashville, TN
Greg Garrison – Leftover Salmon / University of Colorado – Denver; Lakewood, CO
Dave Howard – Louisville Folk School; Louisville, KY
Fred Knittel – Smithsonian Folkways Recordings; Washington, D.C.
Marianne Kovatch – Blue Ridge Music Center; Winton-Salem, NC
Evie Ladin – Evie Ladin Band; Oakland, CA
Michelle Lee – WOBL / Bluegrass Borderline / Smoked Country Jam; Sheffield Lake, OH
Ed Leonard – Billy Blue Records; Hendersonville, TN
Ned Luberecki – Becky Buller Band / SiriusXM; Nashville, TN
Didier Philippe – La Roche Bluegrass Festival; Etaux, France
Lauren Price Napier – The Price Sisters; Hyden, KY
Angela Sommers Rees – Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival; Dorrigo, NSW, Australia
Brian Swenk – Big Daddy Love / Midwood Entertainment; Glen Allen, VA
Abi Tapia – Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum; Nashville, TN
Suzy Thompson – Berkeley Old Time Music Convention; Berkeley, CA
Amanda Thompson – Frankfort Bluegrass Festival; Mokena, IL
Roxanne Tromly – Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum / ROMP Fest; Owensboro, KY
Natalya Zoe Weinstein – Zoe & Cloyd / Warren Wilson College; Fairview, NC
Benjamin Wright – Henhouse Prowlers / Bluegrass Ambassadors; Chicago, IL

Long time broadcaster, Katy Daley, who took part more than a decade ago, says that she still attends graduate events hosted by IBMA, and stays in touch with friends she has made through the program.

“Leadership Bluegrass really gave me a full overview of the music, the business, and the community. Found out quickly there was a lot more to it than just the path I was following. Best part was networking with the people in my class and ALL the other graduates. Highly recommend it. I’m part of the 2008 Class (‘best class ever!’).”

We join the IBMA in congratulating the 2020 class.

More details on Leadership Bluegrass can be found online.