Downeast Friends of the Folk Arts

DEFFA is a non-profit membership organization whose goal is to nurture and promote the living traditions of folk music and dance in Maine.

AFTMD is delighted to be part of DEFFA’s annual scholarship offering for 2023. This scholarship supports one Maine-based DEFFA member in attending a summer camp/festival of their choosing, and is valued at $350. We are happy to partner with DEFFA so that a DEFFA scholarship recipient who chooses to attend AFTMD will receive the rest of their tuition costs from our own scholarship fund, resulting in a scholarship for full tuition.

DEFFA’s scholarship form can be found here. Their applications close on May 30 – however our own scholarship applications close on January 31, so anyone hoping to choose AFTMD as their program must apply by January 31.

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Young Tradition Vermont

YTV’s Youth Commission, part of Vermont Folklife, is a group of high school-aged musicians who play and sing in traditional styles. The Youth Commission is designed as a next step for musicians who have been part of other YTV programs and show promise as composers, arrangers, teachers and ensemble leaders. Each year the selected artists rehearse, compose and arrange music, participate in master classes and workshops with industry professionals, and perform at a variety of events and festivals.

We are excited to be hosting three of YTV’s Youth Commission artists at this year’s festival, as ambassadors of Young Tradition Vermont and Vermont Folklife. Watch for their showcase performance at one of our evening concerts, and for their leadership at dances and jam sessions!

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Cultural Alliance of Maine

We’re partnering with the Cultural Alliance of Maine on Cultural Heritage Week (March 15-22, 2023,) the first annual week of visibility-raising, community-building, and advocacy for our statewide cultural sector. The goal of Cultural Heritage Week is to foster a friendly funding and policy environment that will enable our libraries, historical societies, language carriers, arts organizations, historic preservation workers, culture bearers, artists, makers, and culture workers to continue transforming lives and communities.

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Maine Celtic Celebration

The Maine Celtic Celebration is a family-oriented weekend celebrating the rich Celtic heritage, culture, and hospitality found along the Coast of Maine.  The 2023 Celebration, held July 21-23, 2023, will be their 17th Annual event!  They are an all-volunteer group of community members and they look forward to welcoming you to their celebration!

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Concord Community Music School

The Concord Community Music School was founded in 1984, modeled after the Settlement House tradition in which highly-regarded artists and community members came together to provide access to education, music, and the arts for people in under-served communities. The mission of the Concord Community Music School is to provide the widest array of music education, performance, and engagement opportunities to people of all ages, and to ensure that everyone can access these opportunities regardless of financial ability, ethnic or cultural heritage, age, physical ability, or other barriers to engaging in music. Toward that end, programs take place both at the School itself and throughout the community, and 15% of the School’s budget is dedicated to student financial aid.

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Special Thanks

Thank you to Fiddler Magazine and D’Addario for donating items for our use at the festival and to include in our student welcome packages!

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