Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition

Ben Reneer

Phoenix, AZ

Ben Reneer is a self-produced indie-folk singer/songwriter who loves almond butter very much. He grew up in Utah, and currently resides in Phoenix, AZ. His childhood influences include Peter Gabriel, Coldplay, and Pete Yorn. More recently he’s been drawn to the delicate songwriting of Donovan Woods and Gregory Alan Isakov. Ben’s mom forced him to take piano lessons as a kid – which Ben violently resisted. But her persistence paid off – he may have won some battles, but she won the war. Ben worked as an industrial designer after attending college, but now applies his technical and creative mindset to his songwriting and music production.

Learn More

Carlos A Olmeda

Fryeburg, ME

Carlos hails proudly from the acoustic singer songwriter school of performance. The big difference between Carlos’ songwriting and performance styles and that of so many others is that Carlos’ music transports you to a wide spectrum of emotional and cultural destinations. It is almost inevitable that after his show, a fan will approach Carlos and say with genuine enthusiasm, “Wow! That was definitely not what I was expecting. How is it that you can change gears so effortlessly throughout your show?” He’s quick to point out that Tricultural Pop is all about changing gears and realigning perspectives.

Learn More

Great Aunt

Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Great Aunt is a genre-bending folk duo from Australia, known for their soaring harmonies, dynamic instrumentation, and heart-felt live performances. Winners of the 2024 Folk Alliance Australia Duo of the Year, Great Aunt—comprising Megan Bird (mandolin, resonator, acoustic guitar, vocals) and Chelsea Allen (double bass, vocals, percussion)—craft music that is rooted in folk, bluegrass, and roots traditions, yet refreshingly shaped by their diverse backgrounds in punk, jazz, soul, and rock.

Learn More

Kam Bugger

O Fallon, IL

Kam recently released four independent acoustic singles — a collection of original songs that are professionally produced while staying true to her raw, rootsy essence. Recorded in St. Louis, these songs reflect the lifeline of themes she loves to write about, grounded in honesty, freedom, and real life experience.

She’s currently working with the legendary Jeff Huskins on a series of three new full-band songs, marking the next chapter of her sound. The first release, “Snake In The Grass,” was recorded in Dolby Atmos at BMG Studios in Nashville and is slated for release in early 2026.

Learn More

Lane Norberg

Portland, OR

Lane Norberg is a singer-songwriter from Portland, OR. Growing up in Montana, he took lessons learning to play piano and drums, but didn’t begin playing the guitar or singing until college. During these years, Norberg began to play and record cover songs, but soon he was writing and performing his own music and quickly began to gain fans in the area. After graduating from college in 2016, Norberg shifted his focus towards his music career, and got connected with Basecamp Recording Studio, a recording space located in beautiful Bozeman, MT, where Norberg recorded his first EP: “Under the Trees”.​

Learn More

Lydia Shae

Cincinnati, OH

Lydia Shae is a Cincinnati singer-songwriter who’s spent over a decade writing and performing around the Midwest. With roots in bluegrass and pop, she focuses in on straight-forward songwriting and story telling about life and its events. Inspired by the songwriting of artists like Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, and Taylor Swift, she strives to bring unfiltered emotion into her lyrics. With the addition of Josh Belcher (guitarist) and Zach Sabatelli (drums/percussion), the three blend their music styles and experience to create a fusion of folk-pop and indie sounds.

Learn More

Sarah Adams

Los Angeles, CA

Sarah Adams is a sapphic folk, Americana, and rock artist originally from South Carolina, now based in Los Angeles, California. Influenced by musicians such as Brandi Carlile, Eva Cassidy, and Sara Bareilles, Adams’ music cracks you right open. Winner of the 2024 Great American Song Contest (singer songwriter category), Sarah’s warmth and tenacity on stage will captivate you, and her lyrics will linger with you long after you see her perform. Sarah commands a stage whether she’s playing solo with her acoustic guitar, duo with her hand percussionist, or full band.

Learn More

Tashi T

Durango, CO

Tashi Trueheart (it’s a family name, believe it) grew up in the mountains of Colorado. They are inspired by the intense landscapes that they have called home. Tashi’s music explores themes of loss, longing, and the mysteries of where time, movement, death and re-ecounters take us.

Although their musical background was more classical and jazz leaning, Tashi has since embraced writing songs within the folk/Americana traditions, inspired by the likes of Gillian Welch, Townes Van Zandt, Sarah Jarosz and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few.

Learn More

Admiral Radio

Performing 8:30pm-9pm

Admiral Radio, the award-winning folk/Americana act from South Carolina, is the creative partnership of Coty Hoover and Becca Smith. Named after their old wooden radio, this husband-and-wife team blends heartfelt harmonies, storytelling, and raw sincerity. Having met while waiting tables in the Lowcountry, their sound is straightforward yet powerful—rooted in tight vocal interplay, finely picked acoustic instruments, and songs that explore the quiet hustle of ordinary life and the dogged optimism that drives it all. Recently signed by Too Fine Records out of Nashville, this national touring act hopes to leave listeners better than they found them.

Learn More

The Brothers Reed

Performing 6pm-6:30pm

With their comedic brotherly banter, impeccable harmonic expression, and widely varying influences, a Brothers Reed performance will have you reflecting on lost lives and lovers, laughing hysterically and leaving completely entertained. The bros will soothe your soul with songs that are familiar yet original. Whether they are finger picking their way through a lamentable ballad or bringing you around full-speed with a barn-burning bluegrass number, The Brothers Reed are masters of their craft.

Learn More

Stefan George

The Tucson Folk Festival songwriting competition began in the early 2000s by a passionate group of songwriters and performers. Today, the competition is in tribute to one of those founders, Stefan George.

Noted for his outstanding songwriting, Stefan George had a passion for music that drove him to excel in virtually every musical endeavor he set his sights upon. And there were many, even within the confines of our so-called folk music festival where he played with so many different ensembles and configurations including the String Trotters, Arm and Hammer, White-bread, Songtower, BK Special, Four Corners, the Ditchriders and, of course, under his own name and that of his beloved partner, Lavinia White.

While Stef was already making a name for himself throughout the late 1980s and ‘90s, and often playing in primetime slots at the festival, for 20 years he could still be seen backing his mother, Emilie, usually in the hot mid-afternoon sun, whose sets were part performance and part history lesson of Eastern European folk music and traditions that she grew up with and were so much a part of her life. While it would be both difficult and redundant to add to what has already been written about Stefan, it should be noted he and Emilie were as much a part of this festival as any one or two people could be.

Learn More