MEET OUR STAFF

We're proud of our world-class staff! We don’t just hire them because they are popular entertainers. They are also expert teachers and have unique musical personalities that contribute to the over-all balance of our curriculum. We also choose them because they are good, approachable people. We hope you enjoy knowing and learning from them!

LOIS HORNBOSTEL, Bryson City, NC Mountain Dulcimer Week Founder and Director, Electives, Concert. One of the country’s most influential mountain dulcimer players, Lois is an award-winning musician and recording artist. Since 1979 she has written eight mountain dulcimer technique/repertoire books published by Mel Bay Publications and Backyard Music. Much of Lois’s playing style and repertoire has been developed by playing in Irish music sessions in NYC, at southern fiddle conventions, and from Louisiana Cajun musicians. Her ability to authentically adapt different music to the mountain dulcimer, along with her teaching talents, have made Lois a popular performer-teacher at many dulcimer events. In school programs throughout the South, “Miss Lois” has taught over 18,000 youngsters the basics of dulcimer playing. She is editor of www.DulcimerSessions.com, an internet “webzine” sponsored by Mel Bay. Lois draws on all these experiences and many years of organizing to direct this event. http://www.LoisHornbostel.com KAREN MUELLER, Minneapolis, MN Advanced Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. Karen is a full-time performer and teacher, in demand from coast to coast. She has released three critically acclaimed CDs, has authored two books, and is featured on several anthologies. She has been a favorite teacher here and at other dulcimer events. She is a teaching artist with Young Audiences of Minnesota, conducting school workshops and concerts with children of all ages, and gives private lessons to around 50 students on a regular basis. One of her past students said, “She is a skilled, articulate teacher who is both focused and goal oriented. She has the ability to help students achieve a high level of competence in a short time frame.” Besides dulcimer, Karen also plays autoharp, guitar, mandolin and bouzouki, and performs with Katie McMahon, the original lead singer of “Riverdance.” http://www.karenmueller.com. LARRY CONGER, Paris, TN Intermediate-into-Advanced Skills Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. Larry is a builder, player and teacher of the mountain dulcimer. He was the 1998 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion and won regional competitions before that. His uncomplicated but tasteful musical approach to the dulcimer has made him a popular instructor/performer at events thoughtout the dulcimer world. He is known for his melodic and well-engineered arrangements, and for his clear teaching style. At his home in Paris, TN, Larry operates a private music studio, teaching piano and guitar as well as mountain dulcimer. He is also active as a participating artist for both the Tennessee Arts Commission and Kentucky Arts Council, presenting dulcimer programs in the public schools. Larry is the author of eight dulcimer tab books and numerous recordings, including contributions to both the “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer II” and “Great Players of the Mountain Dulcimer” CD compilations. http://www.LarryConger.com PAUL ANDRY, Mandeville, LA Intermediate Repertoire Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. Paul is Louisiana’s premier mountain dulcimer player and has done much for the dulcimer’s presence in his home state. His lyrical touch on the dulcimer enables him to interpret a diversity of styles of music: Mardi Gras, ragtime, Celtic, pop and traditional American folk music. Paul will share this knowledge in his classes here. His introduction to the dulcimer was on vacation in Mountain View, AR. He later won and placed in several dulcimer contests there, culminating in the 1994 TX State Championship. Paul taught several fellow church members to play, which began the Bayou Dulcimer Club. He is credited as the creator of the highly successful Mardi Gras Dulcimer Festival in Covington, LA. An author of three dulcimer books, Paul teaches/performs at festivals throughout the south. BILL TAYLOR, Pigeon Forge, TN Intermediate Skills Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. For more than 15 years Bill has been an important presence on the mountain dulcimer scene. A versatile and experienced musician, his music styles range from bluegrass and old-time to jazz, and are enriched by his expressive vocals. For many years Bill performed at Dollywood and has appeared on the Grand Ol’ Opry. His students appreciate Bill’s dulcimer classes because they are always supportive, fun and inspiring. Bill is one of the most respected builders of quality mountain dulcimers, and his instruments can be found in the hands of many satisfied dulcimer players. During the school year, Bill teaches at Jones Cove School in Sevierville, TN, where the students have also enjoyed after-school programs he has presented in both dulcimer playing and building. http://www.billtaylordulcimers.com LINDA BROCKINTON, Alexander, AR Novice Skills Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. Linda started playing the dulcimer 17 years ago when her husband bought her one on their honeymoon. Being a flute major in college she took right to it. She won several competitions as well as the 2001 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship. Since then she has spent her time teaching dulcimer and flute at home and at festivals across the country. Linda primarily plays the chord/melody style and loves to fingerpick. The soft side of the dulcimer, such as Celtic music, hymns and classical, is her favorite kind of music. She has produced eight CDs and five books along the way, but teaching music is what she loves. http://www.lindabrockinton.com ANNE LOUGH, Clyde, NC Beginner-into-Novice Skills Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. A native of Springfield, VA, Anne began playing and singing folk music as a teenager. She continued to share her music while raising four daughters and completing degrees in Music Education at Murray State University and Western Carolina University. Anne now devotes her time to festivals, workshops, performances, Elderhostel classes, and school residencies. Besides mountain dulcimer, she plays guitar, autoharp, and hammered dulcimer, and is known for her beautiful singing. Anne’s music ranges from traditional to classical and popular styles - all performed with artistic interpretation and musical sensitivity. She has several books and recordings to her credit. Anne has been on our staff several times, and her students always appreciate the organization of her classes, her teaching skills, patience, friendliness, enthusiasm. http://www.annelough.com. BETTY SMITH, Hot Springs, NC Beginner Skills Course Instructor, Electives, Concert. Betty is acknowledged as one of our country’s folk music treasures. Her musical talents, song collecting, and her performances of Southern music and culture, have been recognized with many honors, including: the Brown-Hudson Award of the NC Folklore Society, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Award, and UNC’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award. A great traditional singer whose instrumental skills include mountain dulcimer, guitar, autoharp and psaltery, Betty’s music has been included in many prestigious recordings including the Smithsonian American Sampler series. She authored the book Jane Hicks Gentry: A Singer Among Singers, a portrait of one of NC’s most intriguing ballad singers, and was awarded the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the NC Society of Historians. Betty is also a playwright and actor who wrote and performs “A Mountain Riddle,” her one-act monodrama celebrating Southern Appalachian music and culture. This achievement won her the Paul Green Multi-Media Award from the NC Historical Society. Here at WCU we are certainly bless’t to have Betty Smith on our staff. An important part of our curriculum is Betty’s class for Beginners, which emphasizes the ability to play mountain dulcimer by ear and memorize music. http://www.bettysmithballads.com/bettysmithballads. DON PEDI, Marshall, NC Special Course on “Traditional Music for Dulcimer,” Electives, Concert. Don’s a “Renaissance man.” A champion dulcimer player. A supportive teacher who is dedicated to researching with authenticity the traditional Southern dance tunes and songs he performs. He’s a T’ai Chi instructor. An old-time music deejay. A visual artist. Don and his wife, Jean, live in Madison County, NC, an area rich in traditional music and customs. His playing has received many awards, including Most Outstanding Performer at the ’89 Asheville Mountain Dance and Folklife Festival, and the places he has played include the ’03 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. He appeared playing his dulcimer in the Lion’s Gate motion picture “Songcatcher.” Don’s works include several CDs, the most recent of which is “Short Time Here.” Don also has instructional books and DVDs available from his website, http://www.donpedi.com. NORRIS BENNETT, Jamaica, NY Special Course on “Traditional Music for Dulcimer,” Electives, Concert. Norris has mastered four instruments: the banjo, mountain dulcimer, guitar and autoharp. He has played them in 14 different countries from Europe to the Far East. Born in Ocala, FL, and raised in Buffalo, NY, he was first inspired to play dulcimer after hearing Jean Ritchie at CA folk festivals. Norris is a member and lead vocalist of the “Ebony Hillbillies,” one of several old-time black string bands in America (who will be featured performers in May ’07 at Carnegie Hall!). The band plays rocking, rollicking dance music of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and often plays at Grand Central Station and Times Square in New York City. Norris has a powerful dulcimer style that adds his own special sounds to traditional folk tunes. He has two CDs. http://eh.singersauce.com. PHYLLIS GASKINS, Port Republic, VA Special Course on “Traditional Music for Dulcimer,” Electives, Concert. Phyllis Gaskins plays and teaches in the traditional “Galax” style that she learned from Raymond Melton 30 years ago. She continues the tradition of playing old Southwestern Virginia and North Carolina fiddle tunes as well as traditional Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes. Having been born in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Phyllis sings in the traditional unaccompanied style of her grandmother and sometimes accompanies herself with noter style dulcimer. She and her husband, Jim, learned their music from traditional fiddlers in their travels to Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and Ireland. Phyllis’s music can be heard on her three CDs, and her current projects include revising a book of Galax style music, and writing stories and songs for children. SUSAN BOYER HALEY, Clearwater, FL Special Course on “Traditional Music for Dulcimer,” Electives, Concert. Susan Boyer Haley is a fourth generation American folk musician. Both sides of her family were musical and her love of traditional music began in childhood. We love her beautiful singing, her spirited, natural dulcimer playing, and the songs she writes. A native of Missouri, Susan has spent the past 24 years settled in the Deep South. Susan learned to play the mountain dulcimer from her father, learned to sing from her mother, and learned to play the psaltery from her uncle. Her repertoire of folk music draws on the traditional music of America, her Celtic roots, the Missouri music tradition, and Appalachia. Susan makes her home with her husband of thirty years, Bill Haley, in Clearwater, Florida. The Haleys have two sons who are also very musical. In addition to folk music performances, she sings in her local church choir and teaches mountain dulcimer and guitar students in Clearwater. KENNETH BLOOM, Pilot Mountain, NC Special Course on “Ensembles,” Electives, and Concert. This versatile and spirited musician plays many stringed and woodwind instruments and has given solo concerts all over North America since 1974. Kenneth’s musical programs include traditional music of this country as well as Celtic and Eastern European selections. He plays European concert zither, Northumbrian smallpipes, guitar, clarinet, bowed dulcimer and minstrel banjo, among others. Last year he was a featured as zither soloist with the Charlotte, NC Symphony in a program of Strauss waltzes. A skilled luthier, Kenneth has developed a new breed of mountain dulcimer especially intended for bowing - along with new techniques for playing it. He has three CDs, two of them featuring the bowed dulcimer. Kenneth blends dedication, experience and humor in his teaching. http:// www.boweddulcimer.com. JOHN HURON, Bristol, TN Instructor of “Building a Traditional Mountain Dulcimer” Course. John builds and plays a variety of historical instruments. His mountain dulcimers, fretless banjos, mouth bows and “bones” are copies of instruments that have been played throughout the Southern Appalachian mountains for over a century. His gourd “banjars” (replicas of 1800s slave instruments) are currently in use at Colonial Williamsburg, Old Salem, and Rocky Mount Living History Museum, and he has invented a couple of folk instruments to boot! A knowledgeable and humorous musical performer, John is especially fond of presenting the folk music from the 18th and 19th Centuries originally played on the type of instruments he builds. In addition to teaching many courses in traditional dulcimer building, John worked closely over the years with legendary builder Bob Mize, and is a contributor to the Foxfire 12 book. http://www.noteworthyjohn.com. John’s teaching assistant in the building course will be HOMER PHILLIPS of Mesquite, TX. AARON O’ROURKE, Tallahassee, FL Tutor for Advanced Skills Course, Intermediate-into-Advanced Skills Course, Concert, Electives. Aaron’s exploration of the dulcimer started in high school while playing bass in a punk rock band. He has studied with a wide range of dulcimer masters and makes up for his brief stay on the planet with a passionate investment in his playing and teaching. He has won numerous instrumental competitions and brings a unique flare to his arrangements. Through his playing he effectively combines influences from Irish, bluegrass, Latin, old-time, and jazz. As a member of Panhandle String Band and Acoustic Uprising, Aaron’s creative approach to the dulcimer as an ensemble instrument focuses on back-up as well as blazing-fast leads. In 2005 Aaron and some other outstanding young players recorded “Safe Haven,” a CD benefiting Family Violence Prevention, Inc. http://www.myspace.com/aaronorourkedulcimer. STEVEN K. SMITH, Newark, OH Intermediate Skills Tutor, Electives, Concert. Steven is an instrumentalist on the mountain dulcimer who has been learning, playing, teaching and performing since 1983. His first exposure to the instrument occurred several years later, however, when his brother, Dave, bought one at a craft fair and brought it home. “I was captivated by the sound, but didn’t think I had the time to try to learn it at that point in my life,” he says. However, some time later he saw a kit for sale at another craft fair, and bought it. Over the next year he did “a really bad job” of putting it together. He later acquired better instruments and progressed musically under Jerry Rockwell’s influence. Steve currently has four albums of dulcimer instrumentals. http://www.sksmithmusic.com. JOEL PAUL, Alpharetta, GA Beginner-into-Novice and Novice Skills Course Tutor, Concert. Joel has a passion for all things musical. His interest in music knows no cultural or geographical boundaries. Anything that can cause the air to vibrate around him will tweak his musical interest (except for mosquitoes). Joel is equally comfortable listening to a single-string drone instrument played continuously for hours as he is listening to the intricate aural landscape of a Mahler symphony. Pat and Len Corley introduced him to the mountain dulcimer around 1995, and since then Joel has created an extensive collection of original tunes. His love of the mountain dulcimer is infectious, as he will eagerly take any opportunity to play for anybody willing to listen, young or old, or anyone in between. SARAH BORDERS, Statesville, NC Beginner Skills Course Tutor, Concert. After taking a class from Lois Hornbostel at an early 1980s ASU Dulcimer Workshop, Sarah went back to Statesville and quickly recruited two musical friends, Jan Murphy and Harriette Andrews. Their dulcimers formed the nucleus of the “Front Porch Strings,” a popular Statesville string band. In 1987 Sarah started using dulcimers in her work as a school counselor, later co-founding a project called “Close Harmony,” an ensemble for behavior-handicapped boys. The group did well enough to “go on the road,” sharing their music at nursing homes each Wednesday. Sarah uses the dulcimer in her private counseling practice. Sarah and Harriette Andrews continue to share dulcimers with schoolchildren in the Statesville area and are active jamming with the traditional musicians at the Cook Shack in Union Grove Community. ALAN FREEMAN, Renick, WV Concert Performer, Electives. Alan is known for his spectacular mountain dulcimer performances and for pioneering chromatic music on the instrument through special tuning and playing techniques. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Alan came to West Virginia in 1974. He got his first dulcimer two years later, and still plays that instrument. Alan won 1st place in the dulcimer competition at the Galax Fiddle Convention 5 times, and has been the perennial West Virginia dulcimer champion since 1985. He has toured with Jimmy Driftwood and has been the opening act for Roy Clark, Kitty Wells, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, The Seldom Scene, Tim O’Brien and Charlie Pride. Alan has been a mainstay performer at the WV State Folk Festival since 1975, was among the first dulcimer players to be invited to perform at Merle Fest, and was made a member of Wheeling, WV’s “Jamboree USA” radio show in 1988. Alan’s music includes old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, Swing, ragtime, standards, klezmer, a little Latin, and anything else he can get his fingers around that seems interesting. MARK GILSTON, Cedar Park, TX Electives, Concert Performer. A folk music performer for over 30 years, Mark’s vast repertoire includes music from North America, the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Balkans. From a family steeped in the 1950s folk music revival, Mark learned folk dancing and taught himself to play a goat-skin bagpipe from Bulgaria. In the early ‘70s he got his first dulcimer. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in folklore he went to grad school at SUNY Binghamton (NY). In the early ‘90s Mark became fascinated with traditional Swedish music, playing it on the concertina. All along he tried these music forms on the mountain dulcimer – with exciting results. In 2002 Mark moved to Austin, TX, and in ‘04 won the Oklahoma State Mountain Dulcimer Championship. He has performed and given workshops for colleges, folk music clubs, and festivals. Mark has four CDs of his music. His musical background, facility with the dulcimer, and his gentle enthusiasm will enrich our classes. http://markgilston.com. TERRY LEWIS, Ewing, VA Electives, Concert. Terry began playing stringed instruments in grade school. He played guitar in rock’n’roll bands as a teenager and upright bass in bluegrass bands as an adult. He also plays banjo, violin, dobro, as well as the dulcimer. He gives private lessons, group lessons, has conducted mountain dulcimer workshops around the country and has authored five dulcimer books. He enjoys working with children and often gives concerts in the local schools. Terry volunteers in the Cumberland Gap National Park giving concerts and entertaining in the visitor’s center. He is now working to build new interest in mountain dulcimer in the Cumberland Gap area. www.terrylewisdulcimer.com. MIKE ANDERSON, Jacksonville, IL Coordinator of Dulcimer Marketplace and Volunteers, Electives, Concert MC and Performer. Mike is nationally known for his talents on the mountain dulcimer, and as a storyteller, educator, and author. His children’s shows are legendary, and his TV show, “Mike’s Music Works,” received a National Children’s Television Award. A recording artist of both music and story, Mike has received two Parents’ Choice awards, the latest for “Anna’s Old Boot” – a collection of stories and songs on the dulcimer. One of the songs on this recording was received “Best Children’s Song of 2003” from the Children’s Music Web. Under Mike’s leadership, both the New Salem Storytelling Festival and the Clayville Music and Storytelling Festival before that grew to national renown. In addition to mountain dulcimer, Mike plays guitar, banjo, jaw harp, nose flute, and bones. http://www.dulcimerguy.com. FLORA MacDONALD GAMMON, Waynesville, NC Open Stage Host. Flora is a woman of many talents. A well-known vocalist in Scottish traditional music and a historian of Celtic culture on both sides of the Atlantic, Flora is descended from the early Scottish settlers of the North Carolina mountains, and her music is an ideal pairing of Appalachian and Scottish cultures. She has made two recordings and is a popular artist-in-education in the Southeast. She was the first to introduce the mountain dulcimer to the Grandfather Highland Games and is now its Director of Music. Flora has filled several roles at our event, and this year will be hosting our Participants’ Open Stage. http://www.floramacdonald.net. JOE SHELTON, Greensboro, NC. “Dulcimer Doctor,” Dulcimer Supply Booth, and Elective. One of the best dulcimer repair people in the business, in 27 years Joe has rescued and fine-tuned thousands of dulcimers. He is also a talented musician who performs on fiddle and mountain and hammered dulcimers. Joe and his wife, Marie, have their own string band, “Toneflyer,” that features Marie’s traditional mountain dulcimer playing. WILL PEEBLES, Professor and Acting Head of WCU Department of Music, Cullowhee, NC Electives and Shape-Note Sing Dr. Will Peebles teaches double reed instruments (bassoon and oboe) and courses in music history and theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He maintains an active performing career with appearances in faculty recitals on campus and with several symphony orchestras. Will is also the director of the WCU Low Tech ensemble, which performs on Javanese, Sudanese, and Balinese gamelan. Since 2000 Will has invited our participants over to the Music Department, where he has taught them to play these exotic percussion instruments, directing them as a novice gamelan orchestra! http://music.wcu.edu/faculty/biopeebl.htm. LEE “DREW” ANDREWS, Pacific, MO Electives, Concert. “Drew” Andrews began playing guitar at age 14. His first years of college were spent studying Physics. When he found himself skipping many of his core classes in order to spend more time playing guitar, he decided it may be better to change majors. Drew then studied Guitar Performance at Utah State University with Mike Christiansen, where he also minored in Technical and Professional Writing. In 2002 he took a position with Mel Bay Publications as a music editor and since has authored several top selling publications. He also writes many monthly articles for Mel Bay’s www.Guitar Sessions.com webzine, and is in charge of content for www.GuitarPeople.com. Drew works with Lois Hornbostel on Mel Bay’s dulcimer “webzine,” www.DulcimerSessions.com. Drew says he is, as of yet, a “beginning” mountain dulcimer player, and we’ll benefit from all his guitar talents and music theory knowledge.

BARBARA GOERGEN, R.N., Cullowhee, NC Yoga and Chair Massage. Barbara is a registered nurse, registered yoga therapist, and a licensed massage therapist who has been living and breathing in the good mountain air for 28 years. When not teaching yoga or Pilates classes, or helping people feel better through massage, Barbara can be found hiking with her dogs, or tending her herb and flower beds. DOC and JEAN RUSSELL, Wireknot Productions, Charlotte, NC Concert Sound Engineers. With over 25 years of experience, this husband-and-wife team has provided excellent sound for our concerts for several years. They work at many music festivals and have a recording studio that specializes in acoustic music. STEVE ENDSLEY, Canton, IL Concerts Stage Manager. Steve, his wife, Ruth Ann, and his crew are the power behind the scenes at our concerts and open stage. Steve is also a dulcimer builder and player and is known for the high-quality dulcimers and dulcimer stands he makes. JIMMY and JOYCE CARY, Cantrall, IL. Assistant Stage Managers. This talented and versatile couple will be working with Steve Endsley in our concert productions. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF We have been blessed with some great staff whose management skills make the week work smoothly. Many thanks to WCU’s Bobby Hensley, Joni Kenyon, Sue Deitz and the rest of the Educational Outreach staff, who work with Lois throughout the year on Dulcimer Week. Marie Shelton of Greensboro, NC and Gail and Steven Findlay will again be on the administrative staff. Many thanks to Marie for the photos she took that are in this catalog. You’ll also see Marie play dulcimer on Wednesday night’s concert.