2026 Featured Performers
* Click on each performer's name or image for biographical information
2026 WORKSHOP LEADERS:
Melanie Johnston
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, North Carolina in 2017, they have continued extensive teaching and performing, founding the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering and the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra. Along with Kirk and Judy House, they also co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO). Melanie and Mack perform together on dulcimer, guitar, and mandolin.
Melanie is a graduate of the Dulcimer University / Western Carolina University certification program for teaching mountain dulcimer. She teaches private students, classes, and festival workshops throughout New England, New York, and North Carolina. She is also the author of TablEdit for Mountain Dulcimer Arrangers, available through Folkcraft Instruments.
Sandy Lafleur
Known for her fun-loving and relaxed teaching style, Sandy Lafleur from southern New Hampshire has been playing the dulcimer for more than 25 years. She teaches out of her home and at festivals around New England.
Also a contra dance caller, Sandy enjoys a wide variety of music, much of it played for contra dancing. She encourages students to express themselves musically while learning new tunes and having fun. Her arrangements are accessible and highlight the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountain dulcimer.
Bonnie Leigh
www.bonnieleigh.com
Bonnie Leigh, CMP — Certified Music Practitioner, performer/teacher, and singer-songwriter — performs and teaches her gentle style of mountain dulcimer across the Northeast. She has taught at numerous dulcimer festivals and has been giving lessons, teaching workshops, and performing since 1991.
Bonnie has performed at historical villages, libraries, coffeehouses, clubs, and nursing homes. As a Music Practitioner, she played dulcimer and small harp at the bedside of hospice patients.
Her original songs about life and family appear on three recordings and accompanying dulcimer songbooks. Bonnie has also written three poetry books and a booklet titled From My Heart to Yours – Thoughts and Experiences of a Music Practitioner Intern. She co-coordinates the New England Dulcimer Days festival in Vermont with Ellen Pratt.
Contact: [email protected]
Ellen Pratt
ellenprattdulcimer.com
Ellen Pratt has been playing dulcimer for more than twenty-five years and began writing her own music in 2004. She has performed at open mics and taught at festivals throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic region, and online festivals. Her playing blends traditional and contemporary styles.
Since 2018 she has composed and arranged multi-part pieces for dulcimer ensembles. Ellen played with the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra and now serves as a composer and host for the First National Dulcimer Orchestra’s Tuesday night online rehearsals. She writes and conducts music for FNDO concerts at festivals across the country.
Ellen has published thirteen dulcimer books with more in development. She also creates glass dulcimer jewelry and metal-stamped pieces for her festival vending table.
During the school year, Ellen plays dulcimer and banjo in the elementary school where she teaches second grade. She has guided students and families in building cardboard dulcimers and teaches after-school dulcimer programs. Ellen co-coordinates New England Dulcimer Days with Bonnie Leigh.
Contact: [email protected]
Susan Trump
www.susantrump.com
For years, Susan Trump has been winning fans with her singing, her outstanding instrumental skill on the mountain dulcimer, guitar and banjo, and her clear, relaxed teaching style.
She is a much sought-after instructor and performer whose work has included The Old Songs Festival, NY; Glen Rose and SAM Fest, TX; Appalachian State University, Boone, NC; Heartland/ Heritage Dulcimer Camp, MS; The Buckeye Festival, OH; The Ozark Folk Center, AK; Kentucky Music Week and The Yellowbanks Festival KY; and other festivals and dulcimer events nationwide. She has won awards in both banjo and mountain dulcimer competitions.
Susan has released four best-selling solo CDs, “What the Hill People Say”, “Tree of Life,” “Live at Caffe Lena, ” which captures the excitement of one of her “sold-out” weekend performances at the longest running coffee house in the country. Her newest CD, “Songs of Faith and Hope,” a collection of inspirational, uplifting songs for everyone is being touted as her best ever!
Susan's magic stems from her ability to link the pastoral, tranquil images of traditional rural America to our contemporary life. Her songs touch the heart, recall the past, and inspire the times ahead. Her sense of humor always adds a fresh touch to her performances, combined with her outstanding artistry on the mountain dulcimer, guitar, banjo, and fretless banjo .
Susan has authored the book “Classical Collections,” and “A Novice Level Chords and Fingering Book” and instructional CD. She is the producer of Volumes One and Two of the classic “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer” series, featuring instrumental selections from many of the finest players in the country. The third in the series, “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas was released in November 2007.
Her project “Lessons in Your Living Room,” is a collection of digital lessons which include arrangements for novice, intermediate-plus, back-up chords, duet parts, introductions and endings, wit TAB on PDFs and instruction for all parts on an MP3.
Norm Williams
www.awayfarer-normw.com
Norm Williams is co-founder of the Pocono Dulcimer Club and Pocono DulcimerFest in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and a co-founder of the Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival.
He began teaching dulcimer in 2002 and has served as a performer and instructor at festivals throughout the Northeast, including the DAA Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest, August Dulcimer Days, French Creek Music Retreat, Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival, and Ashokan Music & Dance Camps.
Norm offers private instruction in person and via Zoom. In addition to mountain dulcimer, he plays guitar, ukulele, and banjo.
He performs solo and with several groups including Wayfarers & Company, Tom and Betty Druckenmiller, and the Dulcimer Boys with Cliff Cole and Rob Yoder. Norm has several recordings and is also a radio host at WDIY 88.1 FM in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He currently lives with his wife Erin in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
Nina Zanetti
www.ninazanetti.com
Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. Her musical background includes choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape-note singing.
She performs regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events and is a popular dulcimer instructor. Nina has taught workshops across the country, including programs at Western Carolina University, the John C. Campbell Folk School, and Kentucky Music Week, as well as numerous online festivals.
Nina specializes in the “softer side” of the dulcimer. She has produced several books of solo arrangements and co-authored the Tunes for Two or More duet and ensemble series with Beth Lassi.
Her interest in American folk hymns appears in her book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in the Shaker music collection The Humble Heart (with Bill Collins). Her love of early music is featured in her book Heart’s Ease.
Nina appears on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas and recorded The Sum of the Parts with Bill Collins, along with her solo recording Beside Still Waters. Her newest album, Winter’s Light, and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet beauty of winter.
Melanie Johnston
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, North Carolina in 2017, they have continued extensive teaching and performing, founding the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering and the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra. Along with Kirk and Judy House, they also co-lead the First National Dulcimer Orchestra (FNDO). Melanie and Mack perform together on dulcimer, guitar, and mandolin.
Melanie is a graduate of the Dulcimer University / Western Carolina University certification program for teaching mountain dulcimer. She teaches private students, classes, and festival workshops throughout New England, New York, and North Carolina. She is also the author of TablEdit for Mountain Dulcimer Arrangers, available through Folkcraft Instruments.
Sandy Lafleur
Known for her fun-loving and relaxed teaching style, Sandy Lafleur from southern New Hampshire has been playing the dulcimer for more than 25 years. She teaches out of her home and at festivals around New England.
Also a contra dance caller, Sandy enjoys a wide variety of music, much of it played for contra dancing. She encourages students to express themselves musically while learning new tunes and having fun. Her arrangements are accessible and highlight the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountain dulcimer.
Bonnie Leigh
www.bonnieleigh.com
Bonnie Leigh, CMP — Certified Music Practitioner, performer/teacher, and singer-songwriter — performs and teaches her gentle style of mountain dulcimer across the Northeast. She has taught at numerous dulcimer festivals and has been giving lessons, teaching workshops, and performing since 1991.
Bonnie has performed at historical villages, libraries, coffeehouses, clubs, and nursing homes. As a Music Practitioner, she played dulcimer and small harp at the bedside of hospice patients.
Her original songs about life and family appear on three recordings and accompanying dulcimer songbooks. Bonnie has also written three poetry books and a booklet titled From My Heart to Yours – Thoughts and Experiences of a Music Practitioner Intern. She co-coordinates the New England Dulcimer Days festival in Vermont with Ellen Pratt.
Contact: [email protected]
Ellen Pratt
ellenprattdulcimer.com
Ellen Pratt has been playing dulcimer for more than twenty-five years and began writing her own music in 2004. She has performed at open mics and taught at festivals throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic region, and online festivals. Her playing blends traditional and contemporary styles.
Since 2018 she has composed and arranged multi-part pieces for dulcimer ensembles. Ellen played with the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra and now serves as a composer and host for the First National Dulcimer Orchestra’s Tuesday night online rehearsals. She writes and conducts music for FNDO concerts at festivals across the country.
Ellen has published thirteen dulcimer books with more in development. She also creates glass dulcimer jewelry and metal-stamped pieces for her festival vending table.
During the school year, Ellen plays dulcimer and banjo in the elementary school where she teaches second grade. She has guided students and families in building cardboard dulcimers and teaches after-school dulcimer programs. Ellen co-coordinates New England Dulcimer Days with Bonnie Leigh.
Contact: [email protected]
Susan Trump
www.susantrump.com
For years, Susan Trump has been winning fans with her singing, her outstanding instrumental skill on the mountain dulcimer, guitar and banjo, and her clear, relaxed teaching style.
She is a much sought-after instructor and performer whose work has included The Old Songs Festival, NY; Glen Rose and SAM Fest, TX; Appalachian State University, Boone, NC; Heartland/ Heritage Dulcimer Camp, MS; The Buckeye Festival, OH; The Ozark Folk Center, AK; Kentucky Music Week and The Yellowbanks Festival KY; and other festivals and dulcimer events nationwide. She has won awards in both banjo and mountain dulcimer competitions.
Susan has released four best-selling solo CDs, “What the Hill People Say”, “Tree of Life,” “Live at Caffe Lena, ” which captures the excitement of one of her “sold-out” weekend performances at the longest running coffee house in the country. Her newest CD, “Songs of Faith and Hope,” a collection of inspirational, uplifting songs for everyone is being touted as her best ever!
Susan's magic stems from her ability to link the pastoral, tranquil images of traditional rural America to our contemporary life. Her songs touch the heart, recall the past, and inspire the times ahead. Her sense of humor always adds a fresh touch to her performances, combined with her outstanding artistry on the mountain dulcimer, guitar, banjo, and fretless banjo .
Susan has authored the book “Classical Collections,” and “A Novice Level Chords and Fingering Book” and instructional CD. She is the producer of Volumes One and Two of the classic “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer” series, featuring instrumental selections from many of the finest players in the country. The third in the series, “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas was released in November 2007.
Her project “Lessons in Your Living Room,” is a collection of digital lessons which include arrangements for novice, intermediate-plus, back-up chords, duet parts, introductions and endings, wit TAB on PDFs and instruction for all parts on an MP3.
Norm Williams
www.awayfarer-normw.com
Norm Williams is co-founder of the Pocono Dulcimer Club and Pocono DulcimerFest in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and a co-founder of the Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival.
He began teaching dulcimer in 2002 and has served as a performer and instructor at festivals throughout the Northeast, including the DAA Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest, August Dulcimer Days, French Creek Music Retreat, Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival, and Ashokan Music & Dance Camps.
Norm offers private instruction in person and via Zoom. In addition to mountain dulcimer, he plays guitar, ukulele, and banjo.
He performs solo and with several groups including Wayfarers & Company, Tom and Betty Druckenmiller, and the Dulcimer Boys with Cliff Cole and Rob Yoder. Norm has several recordings and is also a radio host at WDIY 88.1 FM in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He currently lives with his wife Erin in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
Nina Zanetti
www.ninazanetti.com
Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. Her musical background includes choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape-note singing.
She performs regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events and is a popular dulcimer instructor. Nina has taught workshops across the country, including programs at Western Carolina University, the John C. Campbell Folk School, and Kentucky Music Week, as well as numerous online festivals.
Nina specializes in the “softer side” of the dulcimer. She has produced several books of solo arrangements and co-authored the Tunes for Two or More duet and ensemble series with Beth Lassi.
Her interest in American folk hymns appears in her book Glories Immortal: A Collection of Hymns from America’s Past and in the Shaker music collection The Humble Heart (with Bill Collins). Her love of early music is featured in her book Heart’s Ease.
Nina appears on Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Play Music for Christmas and recorded The Sum of the Parts with Bill Collins, along with her solo recording Beside Still Waters. Her newest album, Winter’s Light, and companion book Winter Variations celebrate the quiet beauty of winter.