IBMA Announces 2016 Leadership Bluegrass Class

Nashville, TN -- The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced its Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2016. Leadership Bluegrass is an intensive three-day program of advanced interactive learning experiences. A cross-section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities examine the opportunities, choices and challenges of the current music industry, in bluegrass and beyond. The program is taught by high-profile music industry and business professionals, and encourages independent and collaborative thinking, new perspectives and a fresh approach to the issues facing the modern bluegrass community.

2016 marks the 17th year of the program, which boasts nearly 400 alumni. Participants are selected for the highly-sought curriculum through an application process. This year, Leadership Bluegrass received over 60 applications for just 26 seats.

Because each class is unique, each discussion is unique – the perspectives that participants bring to the table offer insights to your classmates. And one of the most exciting things to enjoy as part of the class is the opportunity to sit in a small-group setting with a wide variety of the leaders and notable figures in our industry.

Attendees definitely won’t get bored with the range of discussion topics at Leadership Bluegrass. Over the past few years, classes have heard from music industry leaders (and enjoyed active group discussions) on topics including the study and application of leadership principles, entrepreneurship, a profile of bluegrass music consumers, the development of an artist’s career, copyright law and its application to the music business, new trends in the presentation of live music, the latest techniques for the digital distribution of music, using social media to add fans and increase attendance at live musical events, and much more. If you want to become more effective at managing your corner of the bluegrass world, Leadership Bluegrass is the place to be.

BMI will once again host Leadership Bluegrass at its offices in Nashville on March 21-23. Trisha Tubbs will return as facilitator.

The 2016 class includes:

• Alan Bibey, Grasstowne, Surfside Beach, South Carolina
• Daniel Boner, East Tennessee State University, Elizabethton, Tennessee
• Dustin Boyd, Planet Bluegrass, Boulder, Colorado
• Darbi Brandli, California Bluegrass Association, Oakland, California
• Janet Brightly, Consultant, Greyfox and Wintergrass, Annandale, Virginia
• Aengus Finnan, Folk Alliance International, Kansas City, Missouri
• Jocelyn Gold, Gold Heart, Hamilton, Virginia
• Katherine Hanson, FDA Leadership Development, Ijamsville, Maryland
• Kelsi Harrigill, Flatt Lonesome, Trinity, Alabama
• Lisa Husted, Greyfox Bluegrass Festival, Whitesboro, New York
• Leah James, International Bluegrass Music Association, Nashville, Tennessee
• Chris Joslin, International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro, Kentucky
• Tony Kamel, Wood & Wire, Austin, Texas
• Brad Kolodner, WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, Baltimore, Maryland
• Devon Leger, Hearth Music, Shoreline, Washington
• Marian Leighton Levy, Rounder Records, Newburyport, Massachusetts
• Kimber Ludiker, Della Mae, Hendersonville, Tennessee
• David Morris, Bluegrass Today/Paddle Faster Publishing, Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Laurie Okun, City of Raleigh/Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Patrice O’Neill, Acoustic Sound/Wintergrass, Milton, Washington
• James Reams, James Reams & the Barnstormers, Litchfield, Arizona
• Salvatore Sauco, Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance, East, Rhode Island
• Annie Savage, Colorado Bluegrass Music Society, Lafayette, Colorado
• Lee Stivers, The Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers, Washington, Pennsylvania
• Lucas White, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Dianee Wyland, Independent Artist & Teacher, Silver Spring, Maryland

And of course those who are selected will make a lot of new friends, and maybe even get to jam! They will get to know a lot of new people over your three days at Leadership Bluegrass experience, and many of those people will become new friends and professional contacts. An expanded network is one of the most important things gained from the Leadership Bluegrass experience.

Please contact Shannon Turner at the IBMA office for more information on this or future Leadership Bluegrass programs: (615) 256-3222, shannon@ibma.org.

IBMA is the trade association that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.