FOR PERFORMERS
The Hiawatha Music Non-Profit Corporation is organized exclusively to provide and promote traditional music and dance, educate and inform society on traditional American music and encourage the appreciation of such music through the facility of an annual traditional music festival.
All operations are exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, and for the promotion of social welfare.
Our Main Stage Music, Teen Scene and Children's Area Selection Committees begin work in September and generally name the mainstage acts by mid-February of the Festival year. Please identify if you are submitting your band for our Teen Scene or Children's Area.
Please submit an electronic press kit, which ideally includes videos as well as studio recordings, and hard copies of artists' material is always welcome.
Hard copy to this address:
The Hiawatha Music Co-op
1015 N. Third St. #9
Marquette MI 49855
Submit EPK's to: hiawathafestivalsubmissions@gmail.com
Thank you again for your interest in our event! So many wonderful traditional musicians submit information each year. That makes our music committee's job enjoyable, but also difficult. They take it very seriously, and we respect and appreciate all submissions. Thanks to all of you who create and promote so much good music!
Food
At the Festival we have a Musician's Cafe, where performers can find meals at no cost, as well as water and coffee on hand between meals. The Main Stage is located next to the food tent, and there is a small dressing room at the rear of the stage.
Travel
We do not pay performers' travel expenses as a separate item. We have nice regional airport about 18 miles from our Festival site. Our hospitality volunteers can transport performers to and from the airport. Our airline connections are limited, so performers who fly to Marquette should do so the day before their scheduled Festival performances.
We are a very rural area, therefore we may add a proximity clause to a performer contract. Each contract is negotiated on a case by case basis. We are also happy to provide performers with other regional performance options to make travel to our area possible.
Lodging
We provide housing for performers at homes in our community. This housing is free. Typically, the homeowners camp at the Festival, so the artists can enjoy private comfortable housing. Performers may also camp free at our Festival.
We do not pay for performer housing in hotels, motels, or vacation rentals, although we can usually arrange special prices for Hiawatha artists who elect to book their own paid lodging.
Merchandise Sales
The Festival manages a Merchandise Tent where we sell CDs, t-shirts, mugs, and other dry goods. The tent is open from 9 a.m. to after 11 p.m., during the Festival. To make this service possible, we charge a 15 % fee from the sales of each artist.
General Information
Each festival begins with a Friday Night Get-Acquainted Dance, usually featuring three of our Main Stage bands, with each playing about 90 minutes.
Our Main Stage performances begin around noon on Saturday and Sunday and continue until midnight Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday.
The Main Stage performances are approximately one hour long. In addition, we expect artists to participate in workshops on performance days. The workshops are shared sessions and usually include local musicians. Typically, there will be a fiddle workshop with several volunteer and Main Stage artists in the group. Often we feature other sessions about banjo, guitar, songwriting, harmony singing, percussion or storytelling as well.
Marquette is located on Lake Superior, and the Festival takes place at the city-owned Tourist Park on the north side of town.
A Look Back with Sincere Thanks to the most recent 7 Years of Festival and Virtual Festival Performers!
2023
- MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER
- PERT NEAR SANDSTONE
- DJANGOPHONIQUE
- BUFFALO NICHOLS
- STRUNG TOGETHER
- WILD GOOSE CHASE CLOGGERS
- MICHAEL WAITE
- LIZZIE NO
- BUFFALO ROSE
- GOOFY FOOT
- HEARTH & HYMN
- FOX & BRANCH
- OLD PINE ROAD
2019
- LULA WILES
- OLD SALT UNION
- PO' RAMBLIN' BOYS
- THE BARN OWLS
- SUMKALI
- JEFFREY FAUCAULT WITH KRIS DELMHORST
- THE FITZGERALDS
- WESTERLY WINDS SWING BAND
- DEVIL IN A WOODPILE
- RED TAIL RING
- T-MART ROUNDERS
- THE JOHNS
2022
- DAMN TALL BUILDINGS
- BRUCE MOLSKY
- TROY GRAHAM
- THE QUEBE SISTERS
- WESTERLY WINDS SWING BAND
- MARTHA SPENCER & THE WHITETOP MOUNTAIN BAND
- EAGLE SPIRIT DANCERS
- ALLISON DE GROOT & TATIANA HARGREAVES
- CHICAGO FARMER
- THE REVELERS
- DOM FLEMONS
- ELLIS DYSON & THE SHAMBLES
- THE COTTON PICKIN KIDS
2018
- LAKOTA JOHN & KIN
- MICHAEL CLEVELAND & FLAMEKEEPER
- STEPPIN' IN IT
- THE VOGT SISTERS
- THE BONE TONES
- ROANOKE
- STEEL WHEELS
- WILD GOOSE CHASE CLOGGERS
- FOGHORN STRINGBAND
- JIVE AT FIVE
- ALL STRINGS CONSIDERED
2021 Virtual Festival
The 2021 Virtual Festival featured the starred performers, above, plus these fine performers:
- ZOE SPEAKS
- SWEETWATER WARBLERS
- DIG DEEP
2017
- JOHN GILLETTE & SARAH MITTELFELHDT
- THE BARLEY JACKS
- JAYME STONE'S FOLKLIFE
- PERT NEAR SANDSTONE
- THE BUCKING MULES
- THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS
- SONES DE MEXICO
- DAN NEWTON & CAFE ACCORDION
- SWEETWATER WARBLERS
- ALL STRINGS CONSIDERED