The Pocono Dulcimer Club (PDC) was founded in 1996 by Bob Mallalieu & Norm Williams with a "kick-off workshop
by songwriter and Mountain Dulcimer Player Heidi Muller - http://www.heidimuller.com/. The goal of the PDC is to promote the teaching, playing and performing of the Appalachian
mountain dulcimer and the hammered dulcimer. The PDC meets monthly in the East
Monroe County Library in Stroudsburg,
PA (an ADA accessible facility)
and the meetings are free and open to any and all who desire to learn or listen. All
levels of players are welcome, and the PDC makes a special point of encouraging and advising newcomers and beginners. The PDC has about 70 members, and regularly attracts about 15 to 20 people to each
of its meetings.
In addition to the regular meetings, the PDC sponsors two or three “jams” each year. These are free all day events held at various members’ homes or at area churches, and are open to
all members of the club and other musical friends and family members. The day
is spent in music, song and fellowship and includes a potluck supper.
On January 25, 2003, the PDC sponsored its first
Winter Dulcimer Fest at the Zion United Church of Christ in Stroudsburg. The
event was headlined by Heidi Muller, Heidi & John Cerrigone and A.J. Bashore.
The program was extremely successful: we had hoped for thirty-five workshop participants and had over fifty,
and the evening concert filled the church sanctuary to capacity.
The PDC held its second Dulcimer Fest on January 24, 2004 at the Stroudsburg United Methodist Church.
Thanks to a grant from Monroe County Arts Council, we were able to engage nationally known artists Tull Glazener
and Walt Michael to lead workshops and perform in the evening concert. The workshops attracted 73 participants,
nearly a 50% increase over the first year, and the evening concert was likewise well attended.
The PDC held it's 3rd Annual Winter Dulcimer Fest day of dulcimer workshops and evening concert. We were priviledged to have Ken Kolodner on the hammer dulcimer and
Steven Seifert on the mountain dulcimer, nationally recognized musicians who shared the knowledge and
expertise of their instruments with dulcimer players and students. Due to the ONLY Blizzard of 2005 the workshop schedule
was compressed, but all of the workshops were held. Due to the severity
of the storm the day was shortened but those who came were rewarded with a wonderful performance by Ken & Steve. In
spite of the snow we had 40 workshop participants and it was truly a great WINTER Dulcimer Fest!
The fourth annual
Winter Dulcimer Fest was held at the Wesleyan Church on January 21, 2006. Again this
was a very successful program that attracted nearly 80 participants to the workshops and about 150 people to the evening concert.
Our featured preformers were Aubrey Atwater (Mountain Dulcimer) and Rick Thum (Hammered
Dulcimer). They are awesome performers and we were all treated to some terrific music. Aubrey also showed us her
versatility with her banjo playing and clogging abilities.
The FIFTH ANNUAL PDC Winter
Dulcimer Fest was held on Saturday, January 20, 2007 at the Stroudsburg
Wesleyan Church in Stroudsburg.
It included a full day of workshops and an evening concert featuring mountain dulcimer master Don Pedi
and “No Strings Attached,” an eclectic old-time quartet that includes two hammer dulcimer players. We had 87 atteendees and it was, once again, a marvelous day.
Please keep
checking back as we update information for the 6th Anual, 2008 Winter Dulcimer Fest.
