International Suite at IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2007

As reported earlier, this year the European Bluegrass Music Association EBMA will again present the International Suite which will feature bluegrass bands from outside the USA. Rienk Janssen will be in charge of organising the International Suite and he informs us that the Davidson Brothers from Australia are among the first bands scheduled to perform.

International Bluegrass Bands

The World International Bluegrass Band, which will be performing in the USA later this year and which we featured in recent news, has a forerunner.

Erio Meili of the São Paulo Bluegrass Association has reminded us of the International Band that performed at the 1997 IBMA FanFest. The personnel included Claudio Vescovi (guitar; Milan, Italy), Erio Meili (banjo; São Paulo, Brazil), Helmut Mitteregger (mandolin; Vienna, Austria), Katarina Mitteregger (bass; Vienna, Austria), Katsyaki Miyasaki (mandolin; Kyoto, Japan), Marilyn Barclay (guitar; Munich, Germany), Markus Stadler (banjo; Munich, Germany), Monika Schwentner (mandolin; Zurich, Switzerland), Paul Graham (mandolin; Jerusalem, Israel), Richard Hawkins (banjo; Dublin, Ireland), Thierry Schoysman (banjo; Brussels, Belgium).


Further research by EBMA's European Bluegrass Blog has uncovered that the group was assembled and organised for the performance by the late Eric Hoogstad of the Netherlands. The picture below shows Eric (right) and Erio holding the framed artwork for the 1997 World of Bluegrass.

A world of bluegrass at the World of Bluegrass

The World International Blue Grass Band

EBMA' European Bluegrass Blog reports that banjo player, former Blue Grass Boy, and author Butch Robins is forming a World International Blue Grass Band as a statement of cooperation, goodwill, and peace.

The band consists of Kazuhiro Inaba from Japan (guitar); Arnold Lasseur from the Netherlands (mandolin); Jan Johansson from Sweden (fiddle); Hamish Davidson from Australia (fiddle); Sean McKerr from Ireland (acoustic bass); and Butch himself on banjo. His father, the late Calvin Robins, who was a close friend of Bill Monroe, was a major influence in introducing Butch to visitors from outside the US and encouraging him to make contact with different cultures.

The World International Blue Grass Band will be playing shows in autumn 2007, including appearances at the IBMA's World of Bluegrass Business Conference, Award Show, and Fan Fest in Nashville, TN.

So far, the following performances have been confirmed:

• September 27, 2007 Jefferson Center, Roanoke, VA
• September 29, 2007 Richards, VA
• October 2-7, 2007 IBMA World of Bluegrass

International Bluegrass Media News

IBMA publishes a bi-monthly newsletter entitled International Bluegrass. Find its current (May/June 2007) international section here.

The EBMA also edits a bi-monthly magazine, BLUEGRASS EUROPE. You can find past issues here.

International Bluegrass in Nashville

The European Bluegrass Music Association will once again be coordinating the International Suite at the World of Bluegrass in Nashville, TN. There will be two shows, on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings - October 2 & 3 - starting at 10:45 pm.

We will welcome any non-US bluegrass group that will attend the WoB, to perform in the International Suite, preferably from all over the world. Several European bands that performed at the EWOB Festival 2007 already have indicated that they will be present.

If your group would like to participate, please contact Rienk Janssen at rienk@ebma.org.

Check out the International Suite's blog regularly for updates on the 2007 International Suite's program.

New member of IBMA staff

The International Bluegrass Music Association announces that Katy Leonard joins the IBMA staff today, Monday 4 June, as administrative assistant. Her responsibilities will include helping to manage information systems, member services, event planning, and operations.

Katy Leonard, as well as being a devoted bluegrass fan, has previous experience in the legal, education, business, music, and customer service fields. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree from Birmingham-Southern, Alabama, and a Master of Arts degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Limerick, Ireland, where her work included research into the Irish bluegrass scene.

Katy recently completed coursework for her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Brown University. She is now the first member of the IBMA staff to have an international background.

IBMA's International Outreach Program Funds Available for 2007: DEADLINE APRIL 16

Over the last three years, IBMA has made financial resources available to foster the development of bluegrass music outside of the U.S. Twenty-nine grant applications have been funded during that time for a total of $50,000.00.

For 2007 the board allocated $20,000.00 in additional funds earmarked toward achieving two main goals:

1. Use IBMA World of Bluegrass events to expose international attendees to professional development opportunities and worldwide connections in the music.
2. Offer direct support to bluegrass professionals and organizational development efforts which foster the music's opportunities outside the USA.

Of the total allocated this year, $13,000.00 will be made available as scholarships for World of Bluegrass events (which may be used for registration fees, travel and/or accommodations), as well as other international activities which may be hosted during the convention. The remaining $7,000.00 will be available to fund new bluegrass projects which foster international cooperation and development outside the U.S. IBMA's International Outreach Program was introduced through the initiative of IBMA International Representative Paolo Dettwiler, chair of EBMA.

For further information see http://www.ibma.org/Articles/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=388