International Bluegrass Awards nomination for True North Music

I’m delighted to have been nominated for a Momentum Award by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) based in Nashville, Tennessee! The nomination, in the Industry Involvement category, recognises True North Music’s continued efforts during 2020-21 to champion high quality grassroots artists and to bring world class live music to audiences in Yorkshire and around the world. It’s especially gratifying to be included in a shortlist of exceptional individuals who are all doing outstanding work for bluegrass and roots music: Kara with Bluegrass Pride, Mary Beth with the Earl Scruggs Center and Adam with many initiatives of the Freshgrass Foundation. True North Music has established a reputation for excellence, both for our own Yorkshire music series and in the artists I send to other venues and festivals in my role as a booking agent.

“Maria has brought music to a range of different venues in our region in the last few years. They are invariably well-organised, welcoming occasions marked by the kind of chemistry between performers and audiences that makes the moment truly memorable for everybody.  This takes hard work, determination, resourcefulness, a high order of people skills, flexibility, business acumen and the ability to engage with and inspire others, all of which has been especially important in these unsettling days. Covid has made for a brutal eighteen months. For a while, the sudden loss of live music left a void that looked like it might remain unfilled, but Maria was amongst those who found ways of keeping the music coming and the flame burning. “ – Music fan Jim Gillan

Part 2 of True North Music’s Streaming Across the Sea festival is happening this week, with  a mandolin workshop and livestreamed concert on Saturday, 10th July. We’ll be welcoming two fabulous UK bands back to our community venue in Meltham:  Jaywalkers and The Jellyman’s Daughter. With the help of a talented crew including the guys at Northern Cowboy Films, we will be filming and livestreaming the concert to a worldwide audience. Although we won’t have any audience present, it will be very special to have live music back at the Carlile Institute for the first time in nearly 18 months. We’re looking forward to (hopefully) bringing back our real-life concert series in 2022, but in the meantime we hope you’ll tune in and support the event on Saturday!

To watch online, tune in at True North Music’s Facebook page or our YouTube channel Donations are welcome at: paypal.me/truenorthmusicuk