Featured Performers
* Click on each performer's name or image for biographical information
2022 WORKSHOP LEADERS:
LAURIE ALSOBROOK After a full career in elementary education, Laurie Alsobrook has found a perfect blending of her two passions, teaching learners and playing the dulcimer.
In 2020, Laurie’s instruction turned virtual: NGFDA 2020, Nonsuch 2021, Dutchland 2020 and 2021, and also QDF 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0! Adding to her credit as an instructor at online festivals, Laurie served as the Co-Host the 2020 and 2021 Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreats.
In-person festival instructional credits include the week-long advancing beginner track at Dulcimer U in 2019, Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreat, August Dulcimer Daze and the week-long Beginner Boot-Camp at Black Mountain in October 2021, Known as an enthusiastic and engaging teacher, one student at a recent QDF wrote, “I was fully engaged for the full hour – you kept my gears working on multiple levels.”Laurie has been a regular contributor to the Send in the Music Virtual Jam, offering tab to the participants and serving as a song leader. She also hosts a weekly more informal zoom jam.
GEORGE HAGGERTY is an accomplished dulcimer builder, teacher, and player. His enthusiasm for this versatile instrument is apparent in his workshops which build a solid foundation for even the most inexperienced player. His love of old-time music and his creative nature bring out feeling and expression in his music whether it is in his workshops, recordings, or performances. George has taught students from first grade to senior citizens. He owns and operates a music shop, Folk Craft Music, in Jacksonville, VT, where he sells hand-crafted dulcimers and other related musical items. His CD’s, Just Friends…One More Time and The Best of Just Friends, a compilation of George’s 2 cassettes Just Friends and Just Friends Again, are dulcimer instrumentals. He is director of his annual festival in Vermont, August Dulcimer Daze, now in its thirty-first year.
MACK JOHNSTON has 20+ years experience playing in mandolin ensembles and orchestras including the Providence Mandolin Orchestra.
Mack was Music Director for the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra 2013 – 2016. Since his move to Asheville NC in 2017, Mack and his wife, Melanie and have founded the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering, the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra and, along with Kirk and Judy House, co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO).
Mack is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/Western Carolina University certification program for teaching the Mountain Dulcimer. He teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England and North Carolina regions. Mack and Melanie perform in the Asheville area as a duo with dulcimer, guitar and mandolin. Together they have written a book entitled, Dulcimer Jam Training Wheels. The book contains quarter note versions of many popular jam tunes.
MELANIE JOHNSTON has been playing Mountain Dulcimer since 2001. While living in Connecticut, she and her husband Mack co-founded the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra and the Connecticut Mountain Dulcimer Gathering. Since moving to Asheville, NC in 2017, they have had extensive teaching and performing experience and have founded the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering, the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra and, along with Kirk and Judy House, co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO). They perform as a duo with dulcimer, guitar and mandolin.
Melanie is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/Western Carolina University certification program for teaching the Mountain Dulcimer. She teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England, New York and North Carolina regions. In addition to playing and teaching dulcimer, Melanie has written TablEdit for Mountain Dulcimer Arrangers, available through Folkcraft Instruments.
LORI KEDDELL has been playing the dulcimer since 1985, and has taught classes and workshops for both children and adults in building and playing cardboard dulcimers. She was instrumental in organizing the first Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest in 1989, and has been the coordinator since 1991. She was on the staff of the Cranberry Dulcimer and Autoharp Gathering from 1987 to 2016, and has been an instructor at numerous festivals in NY, VT, MA, PA and CT. With George Haggerty, she taught a week-long Dulcimer Elderhostel class in Vermont for many years. She has published 5 books of arrangements for the mountain dulcimer, each with an accompanying CD. Her newest book, “Lullabies and Night Songs for the Mountain Dulcimer” contains 80 lullabies from around the world. She has also contributed many pieces of music to the monthly newsletter of the Dulcimer Association of Albany.
SANDY LAFLEUR is known for her fun-loving, clear, and relaxed teaching style. Sandy Lafleur is from southern NH and has been playing the Appalachian dulcimer for over 25 years. Sandy teaches out of her home, on Zoom, and at festivals around New England. Students comment that her arrangements are accessible and highlight the innate beauty of the dulcimer. Sandy's musical influences include fife and drum corps melodies, shape note hymns, and New England contra dance tunes.
ELLEN PRATT has been playing the dulcimer since 1999. She began writing her own music in 2004 and has performed at numerous open mics and festivals in the northeast and southeast. Ellen’s style of playing is a mix of traditional and contemporary. She enjoys the hard, fast strumming of old-time music and jam tunes with both the dulcimer and banjo but also enjoys the quieter, more contemporary chord melody style using finger picking. Composing original and classical pieces for ensemble groups has been her most recent focus. She began writing ensemble pieces for dulcimer groups and has published eight books of Ensemble Arrangements for Mountain Dulcimer with a few more in the works. Ellen was featured in the winter 2021 issue of Dulcimer Player’s News for her ensemble arrangements.
Ellen is an elementary school teacher and teaches dulcimer classes to 3rd and 4th graders after school. She has taught dulcimer, banjo, and crankie classes at the Mountain Dulcimer Music Festival in NY, the Pocono DulcimerFest in PA, the Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival in CT, and she co-coordinates and is an instructor at the Vermont August Dulcimer Daze festival with George and Mary Haggerty. Ellen was a member of the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra in Connecticut for several years and is a current member and ensemble book contributor for the First National Dulcimer Orchestra. Ellen’s books are available on her website www.ellenprattdulcimer.com and through Folkcraft Instruments.
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 workshops at dulcimer festivals throughout the country, including Western Carolina University, John C. Campbell Folk School, Kentucky Music Week, and the recent online Quarantunes festival. Nina is especially fond of the “softer side of dulcimer”. She has produced several books of solo arrangements for mountain dulcimer and has co-authored four books of duet/ensemble arrangements (the Tunes for Two or More series, with Beth Lassi.) She has a strong interest in American folk hymns, many of which appear in her tablature book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in a book of Shaker music (co-authored with Bill Collins), The Humble Heart. Her other musical love is Early Music, featured in her tablature book, Heart’s Ease. Nina is featured on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas (CD) and has also recorded a CD of solos and duets with Bill Collins (The Sum of the Parts), as well as a solo CD, Beside Still Waters. Her newest CD, Winter’s Light and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet joys and consolations of the winter season. www.ninazanetti.com
LAURIE ALSOBROOK After a full career in elementary education, Laurie Alsobrook has found a perfect blending of her two passions, teaching learners and playing the dulcimer.
In 2020, Laurie’s instruction turned virtual: NGFDA 2020, Nonsuch 2021, Dutchland 2020 and 2021, and also QDF 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0! Adding to her credit as an instructor at online festivals, Laurie served as the Co-Host the 2020 and 2021 Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreats.
In-person festival instructional credits include the week-long advancing beginner track at Dulcimer U in 2019, Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreat, August Dulcimer Daze and the week-long Beginner Boot-Camp at Black Mountain in October 2021, Known as an enthusiastic and engaging teacher, one student at a recent QDF wrote, “I was fully engaged for the full hour – you kept my gears working on multiple levels.”Laurie has been a regular contributor to the Send in the Music Virtual Jam, offering tab to the participants and serving as a song leader. She also hosts a weekly more informal zoom jam.
GEORGE HAGGERTY is an accomplished dulcimer builder, teacher, and player. His enthusiasm for this versatile instrument is apparent in his workshops which build a solid foundation for even the most inexperienced player. His love of old-time music and his creative nature bring out feeling and expression in his music whether it is in his workshops, recordings, or performances. George has taught students from first grade to senior citizens. He owns and operates a music shop, Folk Craft Music, in Jacksonville, VT, where he sells hand-crafted dulcimers and other related musical items. His CD’s, Just Friends…One More Time and The Best of Just Friends, a compilation of George’s 2 cassettes Just Friends and Just Friends Again, are dulcimer instrumentals. He is director of his annual festival in Vermont, August Dulcimer Daze, now in its thirty-first year.
MACK JOHNSTON has 20+ years experience playing in mandolin ensembles and orchestras including the Providence Mandolin Orchestra.
Mack was Music Director for the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra 2013 – 2016. Since his move to Asheville NC in 2017, Mack and his wife, Melanie and have founded the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering, the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra and, along with Kirk and Judy House, co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO).
Mack is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/Western Carolina University certification program for teaching the Mountain Dulcimer. He teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England and North Carolina regions. Mack and Melanie perform in the Asheville area as a duo with dulcimer, guitar and mandolin. Together they have written a book entitled, Dulcimer Jam Training Wheels. The book contains quarter note versions of many popular jam tunes.
MELANIE JOHNSTON has been playing Mountain Dulcimer since 2001. While living in Connecticut, she and her husband Mack co-founded the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra and the Connecticut Mountain Dulcimer Gathering. Since moving to Asheville, NC in 2017, they have had extensive teaching and performing experience and have founded the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering, the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra and, along with Kirk and Judy House, co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO). They perform as a duo with dulcimer, guitar and mandolin.
Melanie is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/Western Carolina University certification program for teaching the Mountain Dulcimer. She teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England, New York and North Carolina regions. In addition to playing and teaching dulcimer, Melanie has written TablEdit for Mountain Dulcimer Arrangers, available through Folkcraft Instruments.
LORI KEDDELL has been playing the dulcimer since 1985, and has taught classes and workshops for both children and adults in building and playing cardboard dulcimers. She was instrumental in organizing the first Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest in 1989, and has been the coordinator since 1991. She was on the staff of the Cranberry Dulcimer and Autoharp Gathering from 1987 to 2016, and has been an instructor at numerous festivals in NY, VT, MA, PA and CT. With George Haggerty, she taught a week-long Dulcimer Elderhostel class in Vermont for many years. She has published 5 books of arrangements for the mountain dulcimer, each with an accompanying CD. Her newest book, “Lullabies and Night Songs for the Mountain Dulcimer” contains 80 lullabies from around the world. She has also contributed many pieces of music to the monthly newsletter of the Dulcimer Association of Albany.
SANDY LAFLEUR is known for her fun-loving, clear, and relaxed teaching style. Sandy Lafleur is from southern NH and has been playing the Appalachian dulcimer for over 25 years. Sandy teaches out of her home, on Zoom, and at festivals around New England. Students comment that her arrangements are accessible and highlight the innate beauty of the dulcimer. Sandy's musical influences include fife and drum corps melodies, shape note hymns, and New England contra dance tunes.
ELLEN PRATT has been playing the dulcimer since 1999. She began writing her own music in 2004 and has performed at numerous open mics and festivals in the northeast and southeast. Ellen’s style of playing is a mix of traditional and contemporary. She enjoys the hard, fast strumming of old-time music and jam tunes with both the dulcimer and banjo but also enjoys the quieter, more contemporary chord melody style using finger picking. Composing original and classical pieces for ensemble groups has been her most recent focus. She began writing ensemble pieces for dulcimer groups and has published eight books of Ensemble Arrangements for Mountain Dulcimer with a few more in the works. Ellen was featured in the winter 2021 issue of Dulcimer Player’s News for her ensemble arrangements.
Ellen is an elementary school teacher and teaches dulcimer classes to 3rd and 4th graders after school. She has taught dulcimer, banjo, and crankie classes at the Mountain Dulcimer Music Festival in NY, the Pocono DulcimerFest in PA, the Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival in CT, and she co-coordinates and is an instructor at the Vermont August Dulcimer Daze festival with George and Mary Haggerty. Ellen was a member of the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra in Connecticut for several years and is a current member and ensemble book contributor for the First National Dulcimer Orchestra. Ellen’s books are available on her website www.ellenprattdulcimer.com and through Folkcraft Instruments.
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 workshops at dulcimer festivals throughout the country, including Western Carolina University, John C. Campbell Folk School, Kentucky Music Week, and the recent online Quarantunes festival. Nina is especially fond of the “softer side of dulcimer”. She has produced several books of solo arrangements for mountain dulcimer and has co-authored four books of duet/ensemble arrangements (the Tunes for Two or More series, with Beth Lassi.) She has a strong interest in American folk hymns, many of which appear in her tablature book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in a book of Shaker music (co-authored with Bill Collins), The Humble Heart. Her other musical love is Early Music, featured in her tablature book, Heart’s Ease. Nina is featured on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas (CD) and has also recorded a CD of solos and duets with Bill Collins (The Sum of the Parts), as well as a solo CD, Beside Still Waters. Her newest CD, Winter’s Light and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet joys and consolations of the winter season. www.ninazanetti.com
