Heartland Dulcimer Fest Artist Bios 2015

Jody Marshall on the Hammered Dulcimer
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www.jodymarshall.net
Jody Marshall, a native of the Washington, D. C. area, grew up in a musical family.
Enchanted by the sound and visual appeal of the hammered dulcimer, she developed a
passion for the instrument and began playing in the late 1980’s. Her performance credits
include the White House, the Kennedy Center, and Wolf Trap’s Filene Center for the
Performing Arts.
Jody was a founding member of the popular folk trios, Ironweed and MoonFire, and also
performed extensively with the award-winning ensemble, Connemara. She is also a popular
dulcimer teacher, and has been on the faculty of many festivals and arts workshops across
the nation and overseas. From 2010 to 2014, she was the staff coordinator of the Augusta
Heritage Center’s Spring Music Week in Elkins, West Virginia.
The Washington Post describes Jody’s music as “lovely, lively, and shimmering.” She has
several recordings to her credit, including Cottage in the Glen (on the Maggie’s Music
label) and Carol of the Bells. She is also the author of the book, Carol of the Bells:
Seasonal Favorites for Hammered Dulcimer and Other Instruments.
Jody will offer the following hammered dulcimer sessions.
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Session One: Novice
E-Z Christmas Favorites; Beautiful Holiday tunes and duets
Session Two: All Levels, Novice and Up
Celtic Melodies: Simple but beautiful Celtic tunes
Session Three: Intermediate/Advanced
Special Effects: Enhance your playing with cool tricks!
Session Four: Intermediate/Advanced
Back up a Jig, Reel, and Waltz: Specific ideas for accompanying different tunes.
Come join Jody and other guest instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on November
6-7. For more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org Aaron O’Rourke on the Mountain Dulcimer
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www.aaronorourke.com
Aaron O'Rourke began teaching and performing on mountain dulcimer at the age of 16. In
a short period of time, Aaron became one of the headlining names at many dulcimer
festivals across the country including, Dulcimer Week at the Augusta Heritage Center
(David & Elkins College) in Elkins, WV, Kentucky Music Week in Bardstown, KY, Redwood
Dulcimer Day in Santa Cruz, CA, Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival in Middletown, CT, Suwannee
Dulcimer Retreat in White Springs, FL and many more. To date, Aaron has authored nine
instructional books for mountain dulcimer.
In 2010, Aaron won the National Mountain Dulcimer Competition held at the Walnut Valley
Festival in Winfield, KS. Aaron is also a past winner in the Florida Old-time music
competition held in Dade City, FL and the Southeastern Regional Dulcimer Contest in
Mountain View, AR.
As the front man of the Aaron O’Rourke Trio, a group consisting of mountain dulcimer,
fiddle and upright bass that melds the sounds of traditional Irish and Old-Time music with
classically influenced arrangements and original compositions, he has headlined many folk
and progressive acoustic music festivals in the southeast including the Florida Folk
Festival, Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, and Stringbreak Festival. In 2007, the group
released its debut self-titled album which received high praise from the likes of David
Grisman and Dulcimer Players News. The album is currently available on David Grisman’s
digital record label, Acoustic Oasis. In 2012, the current line-up, featuring Katie Geringer
on fiddle and Erik Alvar on bass, released its debut CD, “Syzygy” on Gatorbone Records.
Aaron will share his expertise on the mountain dulcimer by offering the following classes:
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Session One: Intermediate/Advanced
Incorporating rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic variations to common tunes
Session Two: All Levels
Left hand exercises to improve speed and dexterity for all levels
Session Three: Intermediate/Advanced
Flat-picking and Pyrotechnics with a review of the basics before getting into hot
licks and fancy tricks
Session Four: Novice
Creative accompaniment ~ make any jam or ensemble instantly sound better!
Join Aaron and other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on November 6-7. For
more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org
Karen Mueller on the Autoharp
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www.karenmueller.com
Karen Mueller, from Minneapolis, MN, bridges many autoharp and mountain dulcimer
traditions to form her own dynamic style. She grew up in Winfield, KS, home of the Walnut
Valley Festival, where she was introduced to the dulcimer and autoharp and began to play
them as a teenager. She started with melody picking fiddle tunes on the autoharp, and
then learned the progressive dulcimer tunes on the "Pacific Rim Dulcimer Project" record,
featuring Neal Hellman and Force & d'Ossche. From there she began developing her own
arrangements of Appalachian and Celtic music, as well as pop, jazz, and original material.
Karen took first place in the International Autoharp Championship and was a finalist in the
National Mountain Dulcimer competition, both at Winfield in the mid-1980s.
Today she is a full-time performer and instructor, and has travelled throughout the US
and in England. She has taught at the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering, Kentucky Music
Week, the Augusta Heritage Center, the Northeast Dulcimer Symposium, and more, and is
a co-founder of Seattle Autoharp Week. Karen has released six solo recordings and
several instruction books, including Mel Bay Publishing’s “Celtic Autoharp,” and "Favorite
Dulcimer Arrangements." She is an active teacher of private lessons, school classes and
residencies, and also performs with Irish singer Katie McMahon, the original lead singer
from Riverdance. In demand as a multi-instrumentalist, she plays and teaches guitar,
mandolin, ukulele and Irish bouzouki in addition to dulcimer and autoharp.
In 2006 Karen was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame, and in 2012, she received a
McKnight Artist Fellowship, one of the top honors for musicians in Minnesota, awarded to
only four musicians each year from any genre. Karen has also performed the challenging
Blackberry Winter dulcimer concerto twice with Minnesota orchestras.
Karen will share her expertise of the autoharp by offering various leveled classes as well
as a mountain dulcimer class.
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Session One: Beginning
“Getting Started on the Autoharp” includes tuning, holding, strumming and more!
Session Two: Novice Autoharp
Learn strum patterns and be introduced to melody picking
Session Three: Intermediate/Advanced Autoharp
“Melody Picking” familiar songs and fiddle tunes
Session Four: All Levels Mountain Dulcimer
Beautiful New Waltzes with chords, melody, fingerpicking, and recent compositions.
Join Karen and other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on November 6-7. For
more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org Mountain Dulcimer with Jeff Furman
jefffurman.com
Jeff is an award-winning mountain dulcimer player known for his smooth and expressive
style. His gentle, humorous, and effective teaching style has made him a popular and
highly-rated instructor at numerous mountain dulcimer workshops across the country.
Jeff is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing Old-Time music since 1980. Primarily
a banjo player for many years, he developed a rhythmic and melodic style which has
influenced his dulcimer playing. He has an extensive repertoire of old-time fiddle music
which crosses over to a strong interest in Celtic music. He has a particular fondness for
waltzes and Celtic airs on the dulcimer. Jeff has performed individually, with his wife,
Janet, and with several old-time string bands for over 30 years. His technical abilities,
quick ear, and musical sensitivity have made Jeff a popular choice for playing on multiple
recordings, including music from Ireland, Scotland, the Appalachian Mountains, and
American folk tunes. Jeff describes himself as “a musician with a day job!” He resides in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Jeff shares his love of the mountain dulcimer with something for everyone!
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Session One: Beginning
“Getting a good sound from your dulcimer” Right and left hand building blocks/
techniques.
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Session Two: Novice
Improve your fingering, and learn how to enhance your smoothness, efficiency, and
tone.
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Session Three: All Levels
Improve your strum and rhythm with an emphasis on smoother strums, improved
right hand control and rhythmic variations.
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Session Four: Intermediate/Advanced
Play above the 7th fret, and explore playing higher up the fretboard, with and
without the capo.
Join Jeff as well as other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on November 6-7.
For more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org
Jeni Balcom on the Irish Harp
jenibalcom@gmail.com
Jeni Balcom has been playing and teaching harp in the Greater Cincinnati area for 15
years. She became interested in learning harp after hearing a harper perform at a
festival, and so began lessons at Cincinnati's Riley School of Irish Music, where she went
on to become a teacher and administrator of the school. Jeni plays Traditional Irish dance
tunes, and also plays accompaniment for other melody players. Her playing is based in the
old tradition but is contemporary in chord choice and rhythm. Jeni has been fortunate to
attended workshops with Irish harping greats Gráinne Hambly and Máire Ní Chathasaigh,
but lessons with Michelle Mulcahy for three consecutive summers inspired and shaped her
playing the most. Jeni has performed at many tri-state area festivals, is a founding
member of the Berea Celtic Festival, and often performs in the Tri-State area with Liam's
Fancy from Lexington, Kentucky. Jeni also plays concertina, and dabbles in piano
accompaniment.
Jeni will be offering the following Folk Harp classes at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on
November 6-7.
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Session One: Beginning
Basic harp techniques and exercises to a build strong foundation
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Session Two: Novice
Irish Tunes and arrangements learned by ear
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Session Three: Intermediate/Advanced
Exploring chord and rhythm ideas
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Session Four: Intermediate/Advanced
Exploring types of Irish ornamentation and their uses.
Join Jeni and other instructors for a fun filled day of learning. For more information go to
www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org Richard Ash on the Ukulele
RicardAsh.com
Richard is an experienced teacher and performer. He’s delighted students and audience
members at festivals and music events across the country, from Florida to Michigan, and
California to New Jersey. From a kindergarten classroom to the stage at Carnegie Hall, to
a festival near you, Richard has worked his magic on thousands of students and concertgoers. He has a background in classical music, and still whips out a bassoon or a saxophone
nowadays. But more likely, you’ll see him with a dulcimer or a ukulele. He enjoys the
traditional folk music, with the simpler harmonies, the stories, and the sheer joy that the
music brings to an audience.
Richard is the owner of Folkcraft Instruments of Woodburn, Indiana. It is the one of the
oldest and most respected musical instrument manufacturers in the country. Folkcraft
specializes in mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and number of other traditional
instruments.
For more information on Richard, visit RichardAsh.com, and for more information on
Folkcraft instruments, visit Folkcraft.com
Richard will teach the following two ukulele classes. Come join in the fun!
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Session Two: Beginning
“Learn to Play the Uke: join in the fun with just 4 strings!
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Session Three: Novice
Traditional tunes from the southern Appalachians
Join Richard and other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on
November 6-7. For more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org
Uilleann Pipes, Flutes, and Whistles
Cathy Wilde
Cathy Wilde has been playing music for nearly 40 years, starting with classical flute. On
her first visit to Ireland in 1987, she bought a tin whistle. Little did she know it was the
start of a lifelong obsession with the music of the Celtic lands of Ireland, Scotland,
Brittany, and Galicia. A few years later, Cathy took up the wooden simple-system flute.
Played in the orchestras of the 1800’s, these instruments were abandoned to junk shops
and charities after the advent of the modern silver flute; from there the castoff
instruments were taken up y Irish musicians and are now often known as “Irish flutes.”
In 2007, Cathy found her true love: the Irish bellows-blown “Uilleann” (Irish for “union” or
“elbow”) bagpipes. Pronounced “ill-yun” and known as the “Irish pipe organ” or humorously
as the “Irish octopus,”the uilleann pipes are quieter and more mournful than their
Highland-pipe relatives. They’re also much more versatile, and are considered the most
difficult of all instruments to play.
Cathy is a member of several bands including the Kentucky “greengrass” favorite,
“Cloigheann,” and plays at festivals around the Midwest as well as on various radio and
television programs. She has studied with uilleann piping legends Mick O’Brien, Paddy
Keenan, Tommy Keane, and Eamonn Dillon among others. When not working her “day job” or
traveling for music, Cathy shares a small farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky with carefully
selected animals willing to tolerate her bagpipe playing.
Cathy will offer sessions that include the tin whistle and Irish Flute
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Session One: Beginning Tin Whistle
Keep the Zen in Mind with an Irish tin whistle for absolute beginners. Bring a tin
whistle in D, a recording device, and an open mind.
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Session Two: Novice Tin Whistle
“Beyond the Scale”. You’ll learn an air and perhaps a polka or jig. Bring a tin whistle
in D and a recording device.
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Session Three: Intermediate/Advanced Tin Whistle
Learn cuts, taps, rolls, slide, and most importantly phrasing! Bring a tin whistle in D
and a recording device.
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Session Four: Beginning Novice Irish Flute
Bring an Irish or concert flute (A=440) and a recording device and work on adding
an Irish accent to your flute playing. .
Join Cathy and other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on November 6-7. For
more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org
Lorinda Jones on the
Folk Harp and Mountain Dulcimer
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lorinda@lorindajones.com
Performing on the Celtic Harp and Mountain Dulcimer,
Lorinda transports an audience to a
place that may remind them of their ancestral roots, a place of peace and tranquility. Performances reflect Lorinda’s background in performing, music education, and music
therapy, and are informative and engaging, whether on a concert stage, classroom, retreat,
or festival event. Audiences of all ages enjoy the “Historic Charm” of Lorinda’s music.
As an adjudicated member of the Kentucky Arts Council Arts on Tour Directory, Lorinda is
recognized not only in the state, but also nationally. She began performing on the piano at
an early age, and soon progressed to other instruments including years of classical music
study on the oboe. But it is her passion for American folk music that has been a common
thread in her varied pursuits for the past twenty years as a performing and recording
artist, and music therapist.
Locally, Lorinda leads the Heartland Dulcimer Club, the Heartland Harp ensemble, hosts a
traditional music festival, and has taught many, many students how to play both the
mountain dulcimer and folk harp. Nationally, Lorinda teaches and performs at music camps
and festivals all across the nation, including the prestigious John C Campbell Folk School,
Augusta Heritage Week, and many more.
She is the author of numerous music books, 3 of which are published by Mel Bay Publishing
Company, as well as several CD recordings, and most recently a combination audio CD and
relaxation DVD, Celtic Passages.
As a music therapist, Lorinda reaches populations beyond the concert stage in schools,
assisted living facilities and through related work with the Very Special Arts Kentucky and
The Kentucky Center’s, Arts-In-Healing program. Lorinda performs solo and in a Celtic duo with Cathy Wilde, and numerous other ensembles
and groups. From the ancient repertoire of the Celtics, to old time music of the American
Appalachians, and bits of popular music, concerts are sure to please!
As accomplished musician, Lorinda offers classes on the folk harp and mountain
dulcimer.
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Session One: Intermediate Folk Harp
Enjoy ensemble playing while learning a Scottish tune.
Session Two: Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer
Learn to play some great mountain modes and tunes without retuning! Bring
your capo.
Session Three: Novice Mountain Dulcimer
Easy duets for two dulcimers using single melody lines and simple chords.
Join Lorinda and other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on
November 6-7. For more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org
Cathy Barton on the Banjo &
Hammered Dulcimer and
Dave Para on the Banjo & Guitar
dpara@iland.net
Cathy Barton and Dave Para’s dynamic performances are acclaimed for their variety and
expertise in both vocal and instrumental styles. Their repertoire and informal audience
rapport are marked by a special affection for traditional music. Their more than 35 years
of playing together has taken them to festivals, clubs, concert halls, schools and recording
and media studios across the United States and five European tours. Their audiences are
as diverse as their repertoire.
A versatile duo, Dave and Cathy perform and conduct workshops with hammered and
fretted dulcimers, banjo, guitars and Autoharp, as well as “found” instruments like bones,
spoons, mouthbow and leaf. Their music ranges from driving string band music to
contemplative ballads and airs. They have a knack for finding unusual, rarely heard songs
from traditional and contemporary sources in their home region, but also from elsewhere
in the US and Europe. They have conducted many topical workshops on songs from the
Carter family, the Civil War, river lore, gospel, children’s songs, Christmas music and Ozark
ballads.
Cathy a protégé of Roy Acuff, Jimmie Driftwood and Grandpa Jones will offer an array of
classes on the hammered dulcimer, banjo, and singing.
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Session One: Intermediate/Advanced Hammered Dulcimer
Arrange interesting tune medleys with key changes, dynamics, tempos for use in
concert or dance settings. Come to learn new tunes!
Session Two: Intermediate/Advanced Hammered Dulcimer
Waltzes with an American Rivers theme that include embellishments, variations,
and color for 3/4 time tunes.
Session Three: Novice Banjo
Basic frailing, simple chords in G and C, and easy tunes.
Session Four: All Levels~Singing
Cathy Barton and Dave Para will dedicate their Sing-Along session to a “Sing Out
Pete Seeger” one of America’s greatest folksingers. Lyric sheets with chords will
provided.
Dave Para’s amazing repertoire of traditional songs and stories, and presence on the banjo
and guitar will be a learner’s paradise.
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Session One: Beginning Banjo
An introduction to the Clawhammer Banjo with strokes and simple tunes.
Session Two: Novice Guitar
Old-Time Back-Up Guitar: bass lines rhythm patterns, voicing, timing
Session Three: Intermediate
Flat-picking fiddle tunes and cool dance tunes that are not too hard!
Session Four: All Levels
Dave and Cathy Barton salute Pete Seeger
Join Cathy and Dave as well as other instructors at the Heartland Dulcimer Fest on
November 6-7. For more information go to www.heartlanddulcimerclub.org