Boskone is known for it’s Filking program by music lovers and musicians alike. This year we’ve got one of the best schedules yet, featuring a wonderful host of musicians. The list of events will be published soon. In the meantime, keep your eye on the Program Page on the Boskone website.

For those of you new to the filking world, The Phoenix published a terrific piece of Boskone 45’s filking program. The Phoenix writes, “Filk is commonly defined as the music of science-fiction fandom, but there’s more to it than that…Filk, the story goes, emerged from the first science-fiction conventions of the 1950s, when attendees would huddle in stairwells until the wee hours, singing folk-style songs about their favorite books, space travel, silly monsters, or anything at all, really. A misspelling of “folk” in an early write-up about this phenomenon spawned the term “filk,” and it stuck — like a Tribble on a Trekkie.”

Music-related items at Boskone 50 will include several concerts, theme circles, NESFA Hymnal singing, and evening “open filking.” The last three items mentioned are all participatory for singing, playing instruments, and listening. Open filking includes anything and everything from original song debuts to sing-along songs. Concerts include a performance by Jordin Kare, in addition to two performances by Boskone 50’s Featured Musician Heather Dale and her friends as part of the Saturday night festivities.

If you’d like to read more about Boskone’s filk program, we encourage you to read The Phoenix’s article “What is Filk?”, originally published on March 20, 2008.