International Bluegrass Award nomination for True North Music

Huddersfield-based music promoter and booking agent Maria Wallace (True North Music) has been nominated for a Momentum Award by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) based in Nashville, Tennessee. The nomination, in the Industry Involvement category, recognises Maria’s continued efforts to bring world class live music to audiences in Kirklees and around the world. Since 2015, Maria has organised over 50 Yorkshire concerts and numerous nationwide UK tours by acclaimed Americana, bluegrass and folk/roots artists from the USA, Canada and UK. True North Music’s regular music series at The Carlile Institute in Meltham has built up a loyal following both of local supporters and music fans from further afield.

Christopher Howard-Williams, founder of La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France and an IBMA Board member, said: “ Maria has been creative and dynamic in her ongoing desire to promote Bluegrass and Americana music, setting up shows online, bringing in the viewers and raising money for the artists. She even managed to obtain a grant from the Arts Council for a virtual festival and concert series. She is also a ferocious proponent of equity and inclusivity in all its forms, setting an excellent example for other promoters and event organisers to follow.”

True North Music's Streaming Across the Sea online festival is happening this very week, with Part 2 coming up on Saturday 10th July. Maria Wallace said “I’m delighted to have been nominated for an International Bluegrass award. I’ve worked really hard to keep things going during the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to bring top notch live music to our audiences in Yorkshire and beyond! This week we'll be welcoming two fabulous UK bands back to our community venue in Meltham - Jaywalkers and The Jellyman’s Daughter. With the help of a talented crew, we'll be filming and livestreaming the concert to a worldwide audience. Although we won’t have any audience in the room, it will be very special to have live music back at the Carlile Institute for the first time in nearly 18 months. We're really looking forward to hopefully bringing back our real-life concert series in 2022, but in the meantime we hope you’ll tune in and support the event on Saturday!”

To watch Saturday’s concert online, tune in at True North Music’s Facebook page or YouTube channel:
https://www.facebook.com/truenorthmusicuk
https://www.youtube.com/TrueNorthMusic

For more about True North Music and to sign up for event news, visit:
http://truenorthpromotions.co.uk

For more information visit http://truenorthpromotions.co.uk/