The International Bluegrass Music Association has just announced the participants in the 2006 Leadership Bluegrass program. The date for this year’s event is set for March 21-23, 2006. The event will be held in the BMI offices in Nashville, and will be facilitated by Fred Bartenstein. If you are wondering what Leadership Bluegrass is all about, this is how they describe it:

The purpose of the Leadership Bluegrass program is to pull together a cross section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities into a network of learning and communication. The results will foster a broad-based understanding of the total needs of the bluegrass community, which will help participants better prepare to determine the goals of the particular organization, company or group in which they choose to serve.

Here is the list of this year’s participants.

Nick Barr; WAMC; Albany, N.Y.
Arthur Berman; CITR; Vancouver, BC, Canada
Stephen L. Betts; Music Journalist; Nashville, Tenn.
Jesse Brock; The Dale Ann Bradley Band; Bowling Green, Ky.
Lynda Wittig Dawson; Sugar Hill Records, The Kickin” Grass Band; Durham, N.C.
Mark Epstein; Durango Meltdown, The Badly Bent; Durango, Colo.
Ira Gitlin; Banjo Player, Educator; Alexandria, Va.
Bull Harman; Bull Harman & Bull”s Eye; Florissant, Mo.
Richard Hawkins; Bluegrass Ireland; Dublin, Ireland
Kelly Kessler; detailWrangler, Kelly Kessler & Whippoorwill; Nashville, Tenn.
Mike Lawing; International Bluegrass Music Museum; Owensboro, Ky.
Jessica Lovell; The Lovell Sisters Band; Calhoun, Ga. (student monitor)
John McNaughton; Foggy Hogtown Boys, Toronto; CKRZ, Six Nations of the Grand River; Ontario, Canada
Liz Meyer; Liz Meyer & Big City Bluegrass; Hoofddorp, The Netherlands
Tom Mindte; Patuxent Music; Rockville, Md.
Howard Parker; Beard Guitars, LLC; Clarksburg, Md.
Lilly Pavlak; Lilly’s Bluegrass Agency, Music Journalist; Buelach, Switzerland & Brno, Czech Republic
Butch Robins; Banjo Player, Educator; Pulaski, Va.
Earle Simmons; ASCAP; Nashville, Tenn.
Kenny Smith; Kenny & Amanda Smith; Meadows of Dan, Va.
Joe Steiner; Northern Indiana Bluegrass Association, WLFC; Findlay, Ohio
Holly Tashian; Barry & Holly Tashian, Poodle Paw Music; Nashville, Tenn.
Yvonne Tatar; Summergrass, SuperGrass, Music Journalist; Poway, Calif.
Jon Weisberger; Bass Player, Music Journalist; Nashville, Tenn.
Johnny Williams; Jeanette Williams Band, Grass Tank Music; Danville, Va.

Please contact the IBMA office for information on future Leadership Bluegrass Music programs: (615) 256-3222