Passim Managing Director Matt Smith Elected to Folk Alliance International Board

Matt Smith, managing director of the Cambridge, Massachusetts based Passim, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Folk Alliance International. Smith is one of five new members on the board of this prestigious organization that works to foster and promote traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music and dance and related performing arts. The organization also strives to strengthen and advance organizational and individual initiatives in folk music, dance and related performing arts through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.

Smith brings more than 18 years of experience and knowledge of folk music and performing arts to his role on the board. As managing director of Passim, Smith oversees operations at Club Passim, the legendary folk music venue. In this role, he books nearly 400 shows and special events each year. Smith's three year term on the board of Folk Alliance International officially started in February while at the 2014 Annual Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City, MO.

"Matt has become one of most watched and respected people in the business. He has earned a reputation for identifying great new talent and also for providing opportunities for these acts to develop," said Dan Hogan, Executive Director of Passim. "Matt keeps us relevant to the music community both locally and nationally and will be a great addition to the Folk Alliance Board. "

Prior to his work with Passim, Smith worked for Young/Hunter Management and was one of the founders of FolkWeb, an early online folk-merchandise store. He is regularly called on to be part of panels and advisory committees at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Folk Alliance International and the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Smith also conducts a seminar on music business at the Passim School of Music and has been asked to be a guest lecturer at both Berklee College of Music and Northeastern University.

With over 3000 members worldwide and an annual conference that is one of the five largest music conferences in North America, Folk Alliance continues to grow and mature while providing a unique range of member services to its community including include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work with folk.

For more information, visit http://passim.org/staff.

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