Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail Crooked Road announces new Artist-In-Residence program

April 22, 2021

Abingdon, VA – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail: The Crooked Road is excited to announce a new program for heritage musicians that reside in the Southwest Virginia region.

The new Artist-In-Residence program gives local musicians a new way to become an ambassador for heritage music through participating in events and educational workshops.   This new initiative will be a year-long commitment, with a financial stipend, for the selected artist.  The artist would attend various events, participate in educational opportunities and be required to produce an original piece of music or new performance of an existing traditional piece of music for The Crooked Road use.

“The Crooked Road is excited to expand our programming to support local heritage musicians.  We know that the past year has been challenging for performers and this new program will provide the opportunity to partner with a heritage musician to promote The Crooked Road as well as the music.  This is one of several programming expansions that the organization is starting that will provide musicians visibility in the region’s communities,” says Larry Yates, President of The Crooked Road’s Board of Directors.

Musicians that specialize in a heritage music genre and live in the following counties and cities of the Southwest Virginia region are encouraged to apply: Bland, Bristol, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Galax, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Norton,  Patrick, Pulaski, Radford, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe.

The application can be found on The Crooked Road’s website under “About Us-Jobs & RFPs”.  Interested parties can also contact The Crooked Road office directly for a copy of the application.

According to Carrie Beck, The Crooked Road Executive Director, “Heritage music is the main focus of The Crooked Road, so any new program or project that directly supports the musicians of the region is positive.  This will provide benefits to both the organization and to the selected Artist-In-Residence.”

About Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail:  

The Crooked Road (TCR)    

The Crooked Road is a 330 mile driving trail through the mountains of Southwest Virginia that connects nine Major Venues and over 60 Affiliated Venues and Festivals that visitors can enjoy every day of the year.  Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail: The Crooked Road is also a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 2004 whose mission is to support economic development in Southwest Virginia by promoting this region’s rich heritage of traditional music.

The Crooked Road office is located at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace in Abingdon, VA.  General information can be found at The Crooked Road website, www.thecrookedroad.org, by email at info@thecrookedroad.org or by calling 276/492-2400, ext. 2409.  Southwest Virginia visitation information can be found at www.myswva.org.