Encouraging and Supporting Young Artists at the Heart of The Peterborough Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Award

The Peterborough Folk Festival is getting ready for their 2023 festival and the Emerging Artists program submissions are now open to the community.

photo courtesy of the peterborough folk festival.

This years’ Peterborough Folk Festival kicks off at Market Hall on Aug. 18 followed by two full days of live music, children's activities, food and artisan vendors on Aug. 19 and 20 on the hillside at Nicholls Oval Park (next to the Otonabee River.)

Now in its 34th year, Peterborough Folk Festival is among Canada’s longest-running, free-admission music festivals.

Each year the Peterborough Folk Festival welcomes more than 12,000 people to Peterborough and the surrounding region, making it the second-largest cultural event of the summer season.

Striving for gender parity, diversity and inclusivity in the performance line-up, there were 28 artists including 11 local performers in the 2022 festival lineup.

Submissions for 2023 Emerging Artist will be accepted until the end of May, and the winner of the award will be announced later in June. Interested candidates can find more information online here.

Successful candidates receive showcase performance spots at Peterborough Folk Festival to be held this Aug. 18-20, as well as an opportunity to attend the Folk Music Ontario Conference in October where they have the chance to perform and interact with artistic directors, agents, funders and other musicians.

Nathan Truax was awarded the Peterborough Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Award for 2022.

“When they told me I was being honoured as Peterborough Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist for 2022, I was blown away,” says Truax. “When you’re coming into your own as an artist it’s so important to know your community is behind you. Being the recipient of this award solidified everything I’ve been working towards for the past several years. It was like getting a comforting, warm hug from all of Peterborough.”

The 27-year-old artist joins a long list of celebrated Peterborough-area musicians who have received the Emerging Artist Award from PFF, starting with Millbrook’s Serena Ryder in 2001.

Recognizing young and emerging local talent, the annual award’s recipient is selected by a committee who assess applicants on skill, dedication and artistic merit. Applicants for the Emerging Artist Award may be solo artists, groups or bands and must live in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, including Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations. They must be under the age of 30.

“Receiving this kind of support is definitely a boost for an artist,” says Truax, who released his eight-song solo country music album Pickin’ the Label in March 2022.

Truax maintains performing at Cameron’s Pavilion Stage during Peterborough Folk Festival 2022 alongside local artists Benj Rowland and Kayla Mohamed, continues to be a career highlight. “Playing music with good friends, out in the open, surrounded by a community that supports you and you know is rooting for you – well, there’s nothing better,” he says.

For more information on how to get involved as an artist, sponsor, volunteer or vendor, at the Peterborough Folk Festival, visit the website.

To help ensure PFF remains a free festival for the City, County and region surrounding Peterborough, email sponsor@peterboroughfolkfest.com and find out how to make a contribution to the event.

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