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Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation previews 4th annual Buffalo Grass Fest, Feb. 23 workshops and showcase planned
Summary
The Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation onlined plans for Buffalo Grass Fest, a Feb. 23 event at LUCA focused on workshops, youth outreach and a concert that organizers say reinvests proceeds into the local music community.
Stacy Keith, with the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation (LUCA), announced details of the 4th annual Buffalo Grass Fest on a downtown Lubbock press conference, saying the event will be held Feb. 23 at LUCA and will include workshops, master classes, a community jam session and an evening concert.
The announcement matters locally because the foundation manages the city’s music-friendly certification and says proceeds from Buffalo Grass Fest are returned to the local music community to support young artists and education. “It’s our way of trying to help this rich musical history in Lubbock continue on through new generations,” said Johnny Verbaten, the foundation’s arts education coordinator.
Organizers described the festival as a professional-development and educational event rather than a typical multi-stage commercial festival. The 2025 theme is “Amplifying Voices,” and educational tracks will emphasize radio and podcasts as tools for musicians’ careers. Johnny Verbaten said workshops will include panels and presentations on radio and podcasts, a jam session with a professional rhythm section, youth-focused sessions on careers in music and college-funding guidance, and an artist showcase.
Stacy Keith said the foundation was founded in 2020 and manages Lubbock’s music-friendly and film-friendly certifications, which the Texas Music Office awards to communities. The festival was developed in 2022; organizers said last year’s workshop day reached approximately 400 people and included master classes at Texas Tech School of Music and a concert at Estacado High School.
This year’s programming includes a keynote speaker for the dinner hour, Eric Raines, identified by organizers as host of the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards; a string quartet from the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra accompanying a visiting band from Albuquerque; and a local group called Clement Hall opening the concert. Organizers said a member of the Albuquerque band, identified in the press conference as Clara Byam, attended the announcement. The transcript of the event contains multiple spellings for the visiting band’s name (variously transcribed as “Desk City Opera,” “Dust City Opera,” and other variants); the band is described in the announcement as combining rock and symphonic elements and is from Albuquerque.
Organizers named a slate of sponsors including Lubbock County, New Mexico Junior College, Texas Tech University School of Music, LUCA, MWM Architects, Ivinsky Katz, John and Katie Salter, Chicken Express, Amusement Park Recording Studio, Chai Sammie, Cotton Court, Fused Graphics, the Texas Tech System Chancellor’s Office, School of Rock and Downtown LBK.
Youth and community outreach will follow the festival: organizers plan school visits at Monterey High School with Lubbock ISD Fine Arts and a master-class performance at Texas Tech University’s Henley Hall open to the public. Registration information is on buffalograssfest.com, and organizers provided a QR code at the press conference.
No formal votes or government actions were taken at the press conference; presenters described programming and partnerships and invited questions and direct follow-up with organizers.
