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Dulcetterra aims to bring peace, music to your home

Dulcetterra combines concerts, conference panels and a songwriting camp into one 12-hour day that coincides with the International Day of Peace on Monday, Sept. 21. The online event is free to attend.
Image from World Music Development

FRISCO — While the coronavirus pandemic has not made 2020 the ideal year to launch a new music festival, Saam Golgoon hopes his festival, Dulcetterra, will bring positivity to its participants. The online event combines concerts, conference panels and a songwriting camp into one 12-hour day that coincides with the International Day of Peace on Monday, Sept. 21.

The mayor of Alma came up with the idea about eight years ago when he founded the festival’s organizer, World Music Development. Before then, Golgoon was the production director for the South Park Music Festival for three years and then, as executive director, transformed it into the South Park Music Tour for another three years. 

He wanted to carry on the spirit of the tour by having multiple components take place simultaneously at various stages and tents. He even brought back staples such as Gilli Moon and her songwriting camp. Yet Golgoon had to go digital when the pandemic hit as they were scouting suitable festival locations. Having it online instead of in person may not be what he originally imagined, but he said a benefit is that it makes it more accessible.



If You Go

What: Dulcetterra
When: Monday, Sept. 21
Where: Online
Cost: Free, with membership to World Music Development starting at $30. Visit Dulcetterra.com to register, tune into the conference and download archived videos.

People can tune in through their phone or computer to catch the conference and concerts. It also has become an international festival with speakers and musicians from across the world, such as Mäns Ek — also known as Songs of Sweden — and Yaksta of Jamaica.

“You’ll see local, regional, national and international representation,” Golgoon said. “Here’s an opportunity for independent artists, folks in the music business, music fans, to see this kind of dialogue and conversation and learning opportunity absolutely for free.”



That part of Dulcetterra stems from the Colorado Music Convergence, a festival Golgoon put on with Breckenridge Creative Arts that brought together industry professionals and independent artists. The conference this year focuses on navigating the industry in the wake of the pandemic, with sessions flowing linearly and building off one another.

At 12:30 p.m., the first panel will discuss where the industry is at now and where it might go in the future. Speakers include the Mishawaka Amphitheatre’s Dani Grant, Kevin Lyman of the Vans Warped Tour, Shain Shapiro from Sound Diplomacy, and Frisco’s own Todd Altschuler of 10 Mile Music Hall and Curbside Concerts. 

The second discussion, starting at 2:30 p.m., has Stephen Brackett of the Flobots join people such as Sean Agnew — who has worked with Public Enemy, George Clinton and Tupac — give an entry-level talk on business administration for musicians.

The conference ends at 8:30 p.m. with a talk about how music can foster positive change for towns by focusing on empathy. Golgoon, who witnessed a war-torn Iran when he was younger, got into this line of work because of music’s universality.

“No matter if they have religious or political belief differences, music has the power of bringing people together to hopefully momentarily put those differences aside,” he said.

If a viewer wishes to listen to music, they can begin with the soothing sounds of locals Leon Joseph Littlebird and Lisa White of Duende Duette at noon. The volume gradually gets turned up over the day, and the festival closes out with Golgoon’s eight-piece rock band, Split Window, at 11 p.m.

During breaks, the livestream will act like a pledge drive with World Music Development highlighting nonprofits such as Youth on Record, Summit Musicians Relief Fund and the University of Liberia Alumni Chorus.

There is a limit of 1,000 attendees for the conference, with submissions for the songwriting camp now closed. Visit Dulcetterra.com to register and view the full schedule. 

After the conference, recorded performances and webinars can be accessed via World Music Development’s new membership system that launches during Monday’s festival. The three tiers are $30 a year for artists, $50 a year for individuals and $80 a year for a family of four. Memberships include educational material and discounts toward future World Music Development events.


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