The 32nd annual Folk Alliance International conference is coming to New Orleans. Running January 22 to January 26 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, the conference includes keynote speakers Mavis Staples and Rhiannon Giddens, one-hundred-eighty showcasing performers, an opening night awards show plus industry panels, mentoring sessions and networking events.

The 2020 FAI conference theme is The Story of People and Place. In New Orleans, a port city that’s among the most culturally...