Texas Sounds & Cities Comes to Dallas: Thursday at the Fairmont, Friday at the Longhorn Ballroom, and a Paula Cole Closer at the Kessler
The 8th annual Texas Sounds & Cities Conference — the working summit of the state's Music Friendly communities — is in Dallas for two days: ecosystem panels and Dallas Sounds Amplified sets on Thursday, music-office roundtables and a keynote on music and cities on Friday, and Fredericksburg's milestone as the 100th certified community in the background.
Dallas is hosting the state's music cities this week. The 8th Annual Texas Sounds & Cities Conference, presented by the Dallas Music Office and the Texas Music Office, runs November 5 and 6 in Dallas, bringing together the Music Friendly Texas Certified Communities for two days of conversation, collaboration and connection — breakout sessions and panels on growing Texas' music ecosystem, strengthening partnerships among certified communities, boosting music tourism and supporting local economic development.
Thursday's program sat at the Fairmont, opening with welcome speeches and a performance featuring remarks from the Texas Music Office and J. Damany Daniel, then the panel 'Building a Collaborative Ecosystem,' moderated by Daniel and featuring Chip Adams, Tami Thomsen, Edwin Cabaniss and artist Dezi5, on how cities can develop collaborative music ecosystems. After a welcome reception at the Fairmont, the conference moved to Manhattan Beer Project for an evening of live music and networking featuring Dallas Sounds Amplified artists Courtney Hart, Katherine Patterson, Rylin Rivas and Tom Sless — the host city's own roster, playing for the visiting music offices.
Friday moves to the Longhorn Ballroom and turns to the machinery: music office development, regional partnerships and sustainable music infrastructure. An Association of Music Offices roundtable, moderated by Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, brings together regional music offices to discuss organizational models, funding, partnerships and measuring impact. Further sessions take up the role of North Texas radio stations in supporting local artists, StageCare's healthcare services for creative professionals, and a presentation from the American Association of Independent Music featuring Emmaline McCourt, alongside the Texas Music Office's announcements and the presentation of the Stacy Keith Award. The afternoon keynote belongs to Shain Shapiro, whose work sits at the intersection of music, culture and urban policy and who wrote 'This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better.' The conference closes with networking and an evening concert featuring Paula Cole at the Kessler Theater.
The gathering arrives with a milestone fresh in the state's book: on October 17, at Luckenbach Dance Hall, Fredericksburg was recognized as the 100th Music Friendly Texas Certified Community — the program Dallas's own music office belongs to, and whose members are the people in the Fairmont and Longhorn Ballroom rooms this week, comparing notes on what a city owes its musicians and what its musicians repay it.
