The 39th annual gathering in Chicago will bring together more than 140 Official Showcase artists from 31 countries, with the lineup still set to expand.
Folk Alliance International has opened the first wave of Official Showcase artists for its 39th annual conference, set for Jan. 27-31, 2027, in Chicago. The initial roster tops 140 performers from 31 countries, 32 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces, and organizers say the lineup will grow past 160.
A showcase built for the business side of folk
This is not just a festival bill. Folk Alliance International’s annual conference is a working event for the people who book, buy, promote, program and cover roots music. Agents, venue operators, record labels, DJs, media companies and other industry professionals use the five-day gathering to find talent, make deals and keep relationships moving.
The program mixes panels, workshops, presentations, networking sessions and professional development. Official Showcases are jury-selected. Private Showcases run late at night in hotel rooms and open the door to a wider range of performers and attendees. That format has long been part of the conference’s draw: one part marketplace, one part community meeting.
A lineup that stretches the definition of folk
The first announcement includes Alela Diane, Emily Scott Robinson, Erin McKeown, American Patchwork Quartet, Julian Taylor, Raye Zaragoza, Nat Myers, Susan Werner, Amy Speace, Sammy Brue, Flamy Grant and Carrie Newcomer.
It also points to the broad reach of Folk Alliance International’s programming. The organization is not treating folk as a narrow lane. This slate includes Tuvan throat-singing group Alash, Latvian folk-pop ensemble Tautumeitas, Georgian polyphonic singers Trio Mandili and Korean-American blues poet Nat Myers, alongside Colombian salsa sextet Las Guaracheras, Japanese taiko group Nagata Shachu and Yemeni psychedelic band El Khat.
Other names in the first wave include Latin Grammy-nominated Making Movies, Chicago’s Sones de México Ensemble, Grammy-winning vocalist and violinist Mireya Ramos, blues guitarist Buddy Red and Texas guitarist Mathias Lattin. The message is plain: FAI is programming across Americana, blues, bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, global roots, hip-hop, spoken word, traditional music and cross-cultural hybrids.
Solidarity as the 2027 theme
The conference theme is “Hands In Solidarity,” a nod to mutual support and collective action inside musical communities. In a year when many independent artists and industry workers are still trying to make the economics work, that framing lands with purpose.
FAI Executive Director Jennifer Roe said the worldwide response reflects the need for connection. “During a time when connection matters more than ever, we are thrilled at the worldwide response to join us for the 39th annual conference. There is so much musical richness for an attendee to discover,” she said.
A keynote speaker and more Official Showcase artists will be announced later. For now, the first wave makes clear that Chicago will again serve as a meeting point for the roots music business, where discovery and dealmaking still happen in the same room.
