A Place in the Band: Amy Grossmann

Editor’s note: Register for the Blue Ridge Music Center’s FREE virtual A Place in the Band conference held Friday, February 26, 2021 here.

BGS is proud to announce our partnership with the Blue Ridge Music Center to debut their online series, A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.

Over the course of three weeks the episodes – promoting the BRMC’s online conference in late February – will be made available on the Blue Ridge Music Center’s YouTube channel, on BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org, and here on BGS as part of a project that began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment granting women in the United States the right to vote.

North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett acts as host, speaking with musicians and additional music industry leaders. Her subjects share behind the scenes stories, reveal their role models and mentors, discuss issues they’ve encountered specific to women in the industry, and highlight changes they’ve seen over the years. The individual stories show the collective strength and possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.

The first three interviews feature North Carolina’s Rhiannon Giddens, Missy Raines (eight time-IBMA bass player of the year and member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass), and Amy Grossmann (Executive Director of the North Carolina Folk Festival). Additional interviews will be released on Tuesday, January 19, and Tuesday, January 26.

This installment’s interviewee is Amy Grossman, the President, CEO, and Director of The North Carolina Folk Festival. She was appointed to that role when the festival transitioned from The National Folk Festival to the North Carolina Folk Festival in 2018. In her role Grossmann oversees all administrative, logistical, production, and financial elements of the festival, and plays a leadership role in managing local operations — from vendor relationships to volunteer needs. She dives into the roles of women “behind the scenes” in the music industry. (Watch the full interview at the top of the page, watch a preview above.)

A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass and American Roots Music is sponsored and supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Foundation, and The Bluegrass Situation.

Explore more from A Place in the Band, sign up for the conference, and learn more about the Blue Ridge Music Center here.

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Video credit: Joe Dejarnette, Studio 808A
Graphic credit: Jacob LeBlanc, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation