Featured Artists - 2019
Pete Rushefsky
with
Adrianne Greenbaum
Pete Rushefsky workshops:
- I’m With the Banda – Intro to East European Music (ADV) - Fri 4:45
- At the Rebbe’s Table-- Jewish Spiritual Music (MID) - Sat 10:00
- Beyond Hava Nagilah-- Klezmer for Hammered Dulcimer (ADV) - Sat 11:30
Adrianne Greenbaum workshop:
- Ornamentation in Different Traditions - Fri 4:45 (ALL INSTRUMENTS)
Pete Rushefsky is one of the country's leading Klezmer tsimbl players. He performs and records internationally with violinist Itzhak Perlman, the renowned Klezmer Conservatory Band, and NEA National Heritage Fellows Andy Statman and Michael Alpert, among others. He has been featured at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl, and performed on the air for NPR’s Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered and PBS’s Great Performances. Pete curated the Yiddish performing arts program for the Smithsonian Institution’s 2013 Folklife Festival on the National Mall, helped to found the annual Yiddish New York festival, taught at the 2013 Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival, and has taught and organized numerous Yiddish folk arts workshops internationally. He has served as a grant panelist for New York Foundation for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Rushefsky has authored a number of published articles and other writings on traditional performing arts, and has a new book on Klezmer hammered dulcimer coming out, co-authored with Deb Justice.
https://ctmd.org/about/our-staff/
Adrianne Greenbaum comes from a classical music background, and parallel to that, has become possibly the pre-eminent Klezmer flutist in America today. She has performed as soloist and orchestral musician in all of New York’s major concert halls and in many major cities of the US. In addition, she has appeared with such prestigious orchestras as New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Berlin Ballet at the Met, the Period Orchestra of the Fairfield Academy, and for many years performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra. As a historic instrument performer, she has been invited to perform in UK (for two British Flute Conventions), France, Germany, and Austria. Adrianne is founder of the period instrument trio “L’Uhrovska Baroque” and also continuing leader of her flute-based klezmer ensemble, “FleytMuzik,” with which she has recorded 3 albums. She's a Professor of Flute at Mount Holyoke College, and also gives master classes in klezmer techniques, traverso exploration, and improvisation across genres.
Kevin Roth
Workshops
- Singing With the Dulcimer (INT) - Fri 3:30
- Intro to 4-String Equidistant Playing (INT) - Sat 10:00
- The Dulcimer as the Storyteller (ADV) - Sat 4:30
Kevin Roth has been a legend on the mountain dulcimer since the 1970s, when as a teenager he was signed to Folkways Records (now Smithsonian Folkways) for what would become a twelve-album deal. In a field that was mostly traditional, Kevin quickly became known as a leading innovator. He has said, "I used and still use the dulcimer more like a canvas and never stick to any rule. In fact, I run from them. I knew of no limits except for a few chromatic notes missing here and there." Kevin has performed in many settings around the world, including with symphony orchestras and at the White House. In the early '80s, he began to write, record, and perform for children, which led to award-winning albums, and also led to him singing the theme song to the hit children's TV show, "Shining Time Station" (with a cast that included Ringo Starr, George Carlin, and Thomas the Tank Engine). He has worked and recorded with Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary. He has recorded for major companies like Sony Music, Random House, National Geographic, and the Book-of-the-Month Club. The latest of his 48 CDs is "The Deviant Dulcimer." Also, check out the cover story about Kevin in the May 2019 Dulcimer Players News.
Hickory Cathedral
David Mahler workshops
- Right and Left Hand Leads (MID) - Sat 11:30
- A Touch of Jazz (ADV) - Sat 1:45
- Bluegrass Licks & Soloing (ADV) - Sat 3:15
David Mahler + Paul Friesen-Carper
- How to Play as a Duo (ALL INST) - Sat 10:00
Paul Friesen-Carper workshops
- Scottish Ornamentation (ALL INST) - Sat 11:30
- Using a Bow (for any instrument you can play with a bow)- Sat 11:30
Hickory Cathedral is the duo of David Mahler and Paul Friesen-Carper.
David Mahler , a Lynchburg, Virginia based musician, began playing the hammered dulcimer at the age of ten. Four years later, in 2004, he competed and won the title of US National Champion (setting the record for the youngest contestant to ever win). David is quite versatile on the dulcimer, playing and teaching various genres from American folk, Celtic, Contemporary, to even Classical. He has recorded with Folk, Country, Rock, Indie, pop, and even a metal band. He is part of an American-Chinese-Jazz-Folk-Fusion group called, "Silk Cedar", with whom he has toured music halls throughout China, and in the US. He also plays with a folk duo call "Hickory Cathedral", with cellist and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Friesen-Carper. Aside from producing several albums of original content, he has put out one instructional dulcimer book. Each of his instrumental recordings have within them refreshing, heart-opening melodies which reveal different seasons he has had with the hammered dulcimer. Always, he remains open to ideas and opportunities that incorporate the hammered dulcimer into new avenues of music and the arts.
Paul Friesen-Carper is a cellist and multi-instrumentalist based in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up as the son of an orchestra conductor, composer, and jazz pianist, and hung around the local folk music store far too frequently. His fascination with the varieties of colors, textures, and rhythms matured into his multi-instrumental interests and love of communal music-making. He loves both traditional and improvisational music-making and combines these interests in his work with Hickory Cathedral and formerly in Silk Cedar, where he played 6-string e-cello, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and guitar. The lineage of his teachers includes concert cellists Leonard Rose and Alfredo Piatti, as well as master fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Buddy MacMaster. He currently serves as Assistant Director of Music at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul.
Other Artists
Rich Carty
Rich Carty has been teaching hammered since 1992 and also playing mountain dulcimer for 35 years, and is one of the founding members of the Greater Pinelands Dulcimer Society, and is artistic director of the Society's "Mountain Dulcimer Only Group," a/k/a "MDOG." He is also co-owner of Pinelands Folk Music Center, located in Mount Holly, in south Jersey.
Workshops (HD, MD)
- Learn a Song By Using Patterns (HD BEG) - Sat 1:45
- Strum Hand Clinic (MD BEG) – Sat 4:30
Cliff Cole
Cliff Cole has been playing hammered dulcimer since 1985. His background is in percussion, and he has studied various types of music including rock, blues, jazz and folk. His folk group, DayBreak, has been performing together for over twenty years and has produced six CDs. Cliff is a founding member of the Quakertown Area Dulcimer and Autoharp Society (QUADAS), serves on the board of Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse, and is a member of the Nutmeg Team.
Workshops (HD, except as noted)
- Just the Basics (ALL INSTR) - Fri 3:30
- Alternating Bass in Songs (MID) - Fri 4:45
- Hammered Dulcimer 102 (BEG) - Sat 11:30
Sam Edelston
Sam Edelston is on a quest to bring dulcimers into widespread public awareness. He plays many kinds of popular music on acoustic and electric mountain dulcimer, and if a particular song needs notes that aren't on a "standard" dulcimer, he uses one with more frets. Sam has performed and taught at festivals as far away as Kentucky, Minnesota, and Louisiana (and next year, Colorado and California), and his music has been heard in over 190 countries. Sam also plays guitar, banjo, and hammered dulcimer, and is chair of this festival.
Workshops (MD)
- Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer (INT-ADV) - Sat 1:45
Ron Ewing
Ron Ewing has been playing mountain dulcimer since 1970, and has built over 1,700 during that time. He is especially known for his innovative designs, including the baritone, dulcimette, dulcimer capo, the 1½ fret; and his lively renditions of Irish, Appalachian, and Euro dance tunes. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Workshops (MD)
- Fiddle Tune Grab Bag (NOV-INT) – Sat 4:30
George Haggerty
George Haggerty is an accomplished dulcimer builder, teacher, and player. He and his wife, Mary, are sponsors of their annual festival in Vermont, “August Dulcimer Daze,” which recently celebrated its 25th year. George now teaches mountain dulcimer playing and building at The Putney School in Putney, VT. He has one CD, “Just Friends...One More Time.” And for the first time, we welcome him to Nutmeg.
Workshops (MD)
- Capo Capers (NOV) - Sat 11:30
Deb Justice
Deb Justice has been playing hammered dulcimer for over 25 years. She plays mostly old-time and Irish music, but has also had fun with everything from Balkan to klezmer to '30s swing. She currently lives in Ithaca, NY, where she teaches and manages the Cornell Concert Series.
Workshops (HD, except as noted))
- What to Do With Pentatonics (ALL INST) - Sat 1:45
- Scales & Chords (BEG) Sat 3:15
- Fast Jam (ALL INST) - Sat 4:30
Marya Katz
Marya Katz is a retired National Board Certified music teacher who still lives and breathes music in her daily life. She has led dulcimer workshops at many festivals, teaches private students, composes, and performs with the folk group Simple Gifts of the Blue Ridge. She recently taught a week-long workshop at Perelandra in NC; she will be teaching there again in June 2019. And somehow, she still finds time to direct the choir at her church and pull weeds from her gardens at home in Blacksburg, VA. She has had her original compositions published in Dulcimer Players News and online for the dulcimersessions.com magazine, and has published several books of traditional arrangements and original compositions. Her newest venture is a book of "practical" theory for hammered dulcimer players, titled "Building a House of Basics."
Workshops (HD)
- Jam Survival for Beginners (BEG) - Fri 3:30
- Hammered Dulcimer 101 (BEG) - Sat 10:00
- The Unique Music of Wales (MID) - Sat 1:45
Don Moore
Don Moore is the leader of Connecticut's Dulcimer Folk Association (DF#A), which has been bringing together dulcimer players and other folk musicians for over 20 years. Don was instrumental in the founding of Nutmeg.
Workshops
- Round Robin (All Instruments) - Sat 4:30
Heidi Muller
Heidi Muller is an award-winning songwriter, mountain dulcimer player, and guitarist with nine critically acclaimed recordings, including four with partner Bob Webb, as well as nine songbooks. She has performed solo for over 25 years, touring nationally to concert halls, coffeehouses, and festivals, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Northwest Folklife, Augusta Heritage, and Kentucky Music Week. She has been a finalist in the Kerville New Folk Song contest. And her song, "Good Road," has been the theme of Northwest Public Radio's Inland Folk show for over 20 years. Heidi lives in Oregon, where she also runs "Dulcimer Week in Wallowas," and we're thrilled to have her out here on the opposite coast. Also, see her article in the August Dulcimer Players News about a beautiful program where she and Bob brought dulcimers into a town's schools. Welcome to Nutmeg!
Workshops (MD)
- West Virginia Fiddle Tunes (ADV) - Sat 10:00
- Playing Smoothly (NOV) - Sat 1:45
- Duets & Trios (ADV) - Sat 3:15
Dave Neiman
Based in Cambridge, Massacusetts, Dave Neiman has been performing and teaching hammered dulcimer since the early 1980s. His passion for dulcimer has taken him to music festivals, concert stages, and street performing venues in many parts of the US, as well as Canada, Europe, and Japan. In 1987, Dave win the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. He started out playing traditional New England dance tunes on dulcimer, but influenced by his classical and jazz guitar studies, gained a reputation for his arrangements of classical and popular pieces. He has four CDs: Spectrum (folk melodies from various cultures), Early Works (Baroque and Renaissance), The Door to Christmas (carols from various countries, with Steve Schneider), and Balance on Air (English and Irish music, with Beverly Woods).
Workshops (HD)
- Classical Music (MID-ADV) - Fri 3:30
- Solo Arranging (ADV) - Sat 10:00
- Making Sense Out of Tunes (BEG) - Sat 4:30
Laurel Schwartz
Laurel Schwartz spends over 25 hours a week performing in front of some of the toughest and most demanding audiences around -- she's a middle school music teacher. In addition to the "usual" topics, such as choral music and composition, she teaches dulcimer to her 8th graders, using everything from fiddle tunes to rock music. Some of her dulcimer players have won awards for their original compositions.
Workshops (MD)
- Mountain Dulcimer 101 (BEG) - Sat 10:00
- Mountain Dulcimer 102 (BEG) - Sat 11:30
Lucy Joan Sollogub
Lucy Joan Sollogub has been enjoying playing, teaching, performing and arranging with the mountain dulcimer for decades. She plays in a mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer duo and also with the New England Irish Harp Orchestra (which featured her dulcimer playing on their latest CD “A Snowy Path”). Lucy loves teaching! She teaches dulcimer, lever harp, guitar, tin whistle and recorder at the Powers Music School in Belmont MA and at the Community Music Center of Boston. In addition she teaches general music in the Boston Public Schools and Jewish music at Central Reform Temple in Boston. Lucy is very excited to be back with all the dulcimer lovers at the Nutmeg this fall.
Workshops (MD)
- Playing With Your Dulcimer (NOV-ADV) - Fri 3:30
- G Whiz (ADV) - Sat 11:30
- Jewish Music for Mountain Dulcimer (INT) - Sat 3:15
Susan Trump
Susan Trump has performed and taught at many different dulcimer festivals and camps throughout the US (including being featured at the first-ever Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival). She has written two books for the mountain dulcimer: "The Classical Collection" and a CD/instructional book, "Novice Level Chords and Left Hand Fingerings" ... along with four solo CDs. She also produces "Lessons in Your Living Room," a monthly series for novice and intermediate-and-up level players.
Workshops (MD)
- Harmony Shapes (NOV) - Fri 3:30
- Getting to Know You (BEG) - Fri 4:45
- Playing in Different Keys (INT) - Sat 1:45
Tim Van Egmond
Back in 1972 when Tim Van Egmond first heard the hammered dulcimer, it was love at first sight and sound. It transported him and got him up on his feet, dancing for joy. Now, more than forty years later, Van Egmond has played for thousands of concerts and contra dances nationwide with his folk music duo Yankee Notions, as a member of the contra dance band Swallowtail, and as a solo performer. As a teacher, he’s led workshops at a number of dulcimer festivals, as well as giving private lessons in his community. The New England Foundation for the Arts has selected Van Egmond for its New England States Touring Program.
Workshops (HD)
- Songs You Know (BEG) - Fri 4:45
- What You Can Learn From Contra Dance Music (MID) - Sat 3:15
- Quirky, Obscure, Old Tunes (MID-ADV) - Sat 4:30
Carol Walker
Carol Walker is a happily retired high school choral teacher (recipient of the NJ Governor's Teacher of the Year Award in 2003), and performs on mountain dulcimer, piano, harp, and upright bass. Her folkloric research single-handedly brought traditional music of the Isle of Man to the mountain dulcimer, leading to a CD of Manx tunes, "Alas, the Horse Is Gone," as well as two books of "Tailless Tunes." Carol's instructional works include the three "DNA* Dulcimer Ditties" book/CD sets, as well as DVD on the Homespun label. Nutmeg will coincide with the release of her newest book, "Church in the Wildwood," a collection of hymns and spirituals for solos and dulcimer ensembles at all levels.
Workshops (MD)
- Hymns (BEG) - Fri 4:45
- Professor Walker's Warmups (NOV-INT) - Sat 10:00
- Easy-Peasy Chords (BEG) - Sat 3:15
Dwain Wilder
Dwain Wilder, founder of Bear Meadow Folk Instruments, has been building mountain dulcimers since 1991. He regularly gets orders from as far away as Europe, Great Britain, and the Far East. Dwain is also one of the few dulcimer builders who takes on apprentices and teaches them the craft. In addition to his instrument building, Dwain has also published poems in various periodicals and collections, and writes occasional essays on Zen practice.
Workshops (MD)
- How to Choose the Right Dulcimer for You (ALL) - Sat 11:30
Pixie Wright
Pix Wright, a certified therapeutic musician, has taught instrumental music at DeAngelis School of Music, The East Penn School District, Strings and Keys, and at Wright Music Studio for over four decades. She teaches harp, dulcimer, ukulele, guitar, piano, and banjo. Her specialty is music theory made simple and making learning fun with humor and humorous songs. Pix's entire house is filled with dozens and dozens of instruments in every room, all with a story to tell.
Workshops (MD)
- Humor Me (INT) - Fri 4:45
- Music Theory for Beginners (BEG) - Sat 1:45
- Rockin' & Boppin' With Doo-Wop (NOV-INT) - Sat 3:15
Nina Zanetti
Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She comes to the mountain dulcimer from a diverse musical background, including choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape note singing. She plays regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events and has taught at dulcimer festivals throughout the country. She has published ten books of tablature arrangements for mountain dulcimer, and is featured on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas (CD). She has recorded a CD of solos and duets with Bill Collins, as well as two solo CDs, Beside Still Waters and Winter’s Light.
Workshops (MD)
- Three Chords, 1,000 Songs (BEG) - Fri 3:30
- Variation Is the Spice of Life (ADV) - Fri 4:45
- It's All in the Phrasing (INT) - Sat 11:30
- Vendors - 2019
Dwain Wilder - mountain dulcimers
Ron Ewing - mountain dulcimers & capos
Folk Craft Music
George Haggerty - mountain dulcimers, and more