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Next week, the Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio, celebrates its 15th year of music and good vibes.
Put on by the nonprofit Stuart’s Opera House, the festival has seen a kaleidoscope of music stars over the years — everybody from Randy Newman and Willie Nelson to The Flaming Lips and George Jones, plus a lot of up-and-coming acts.
This year, the four-day festival includes performances by rising Americana stars Tyler Childers and The War and Treaty, gospel singer Mavis Staples and alt-rock band Death Cab for Cutie.
Brian Koscho, the marketing director for the opera house and the festival, said he wasn’t at the very first Nelsonville Music Festival, but came on board for the third one.
“It was my very first day,” he laughed.
A lot has changed over the past 12 years since then. The festival has grown from one day to four. It moved from the Opera House to Robbins Crossing Village on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville.
The festival has also sprawled, adding stages and activities for kids, camping, plus more art and food options.
Part of that arose out of necessity, Koscho said.
“Along with the music, we realized that people are spending four days with us,” he said. “That’s completely with us, with a lot of them camping across the road at the campground.”
Not only is it a good idea to keep people occupied, but Koscho said that Stuart’s looked at it as an opportunity to show off the community they’re part of by featuring other local nonprofits they’re aligned with, as well as local artists.
This influences everything from the vendors who sell food at the festival to the performers who play one of the stages, which lean heavily toward Ohio-based musicians.
“It’s an opportunity to show off why we live here,” he said.
Nelsonville Music Festival is more family-friendly than some other festivals, many of which also offer some children’s activities. Nelsonville encourages families with kids to attend, offers free admission to children under 12 with paying adults and discounted teen tickets.
Growth for the festival has been steady but careful, and has to stay in tune with the nonprofit vision of Stuart’s Opera House, Koscho said.
“All proceeds go back into Stuart’s and our nonprofit arts education program,” he said.
They’re careful about partnerships and associations, which have to match up with the music and experience of the festival.
“The other thing we think about is managing that growth without losing the magic that makes NMF a success,” he said. “It’s a festival that focuses on the music and is a festival for music lovers, but we want that great atmosphere. There is a lot going on, but we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.”
Koscho said he has an amazing job. Through the festival, he’s seen a lot of great shows.
“I always kind of hedge what I say about that,” he said. “I’m a big 90s guy. Dinosaur Jr., Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill are all kind of heroes of mine, people I kept in my headphones as a teenager.”
He’s always glad to see the bands he grew up with, but Koscho said he can still get a little starstruck.
He gets the appeal of the big-name acts like Willie Nelson or George Jones and he can get swept up in it.
Koscho said, “I’ll have this moment, like anyone else, when they’re playing and I go ‘I’m watching Willie Nelson play in a field in Nelsonville, Ohio, and this is for my job.’ It’s always surreal.”
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