ICE is described as a “one-woman tour-de-force who creates a total-immersion experience,” Cohen said, and Yowie is “an experimental band whose style is often described as ‘math rock.’ It’s very intricate, though it’s often misinterpreted as improv. But it’s very deliberate.”

Cohen said organizing the festival has been a good experience, but he isn’t new to this sort of thing. He not only founded LouFest but saw it through its first six years before leaving to start Murmuration.

“This isn’t my first time at the rodeo,” he said. “Obviously, I came into it more experienced than the first time I did this, when there was a learning curve. There wasn’t that learning curve now. It’s great to build on my past experiences.”

Establishing specific criteria for the music made selecting artists more “challenging, interesting and exciting,” Cohen said. “Before it was ‘What’s going to get people through the door?’ This lineup has to fit a more particular niche. Those parameters force you to think in different ways. They can produce more interesting results.”

He found his track record was helpful as he approached agents and managers about booking music for Murmuration.