Erin Mae has been playing mountain dulcimer since the age of 7. In 2004 she became the youngest national mountain dulcimer champion at the time. Trained in both classical piano and commercial music with an emphasis in bluegrass, she has an associates of applied arts in commercial music from South Plains College. Erin Mae toured full time for five years with the duo Scenic Roots, has recorded 8 full-length albums, and contributed to several other projects including a feature-length television program and a video game soundtrack. Now, she teaches mountain dulcimer lessons full-time, both online and for local school residencies. Erin Mae also serves on the board of directors for the Kansas Bluegrass Association and Great Plains Dulcimer Alliance.

Whenever there is an opportunity to jump into a bluegrass jam, Erin Mae will be there with her chromatic mountain dulcimer! She has been steeped in this music for her whole life and feels most at home with the banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and basses.

Elaine Conger is a life-long musician and music educator hailing from the state of Tennessee, and she’s currently the co-artistic director of The New Caledonia String Orchestra, along with her husband, Larry Conger.

Her years as a professional musician include playing keyboards and singing back-up vocals for country artist Faith Hill and performing on the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville.

She has also taught music theater and participated in musical shows both as a music director, accompanist, and performer. Picture her in a black wig as Patsy Cline!

Her music education background has shaped her teaching skills both privately and in the classroom, and it continues to influence her teaching and arranging for students on the mountain dulcimer. Her current passion is writing and performing worshipful songs that stir the soul and encourage spiritual reflection.

Her most recent release is “As the Spirit Leads,” available at ElaineConger.com

Benjamin Barker is a National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, Harpist, and Composer
based out of Greenville, SC.

Growing up at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Wilkesboro, NC, he
encountered the hammered dulcimer for the first time at age eleven in the home of a
music teacher. Benjamin states “I had never seen anything like the instrument, and it
intrigued me – I wanted to learn more”. This led him on a journey to study with multiple
hammered dulcimer instructors including hammered dulcimer virtuoso Joshua Messick,
and eventually winning the 2021 National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. At the
age of sixteen he started to pursue the lever harp and has since studied with mentors
including Frank Voltz and Maeve Gilchrist.

His music draws on a wide variety of traditions and genres ranging from Western
Classical, American Folk (with an emphasis on Bluegrass and Old-Time music), New
Age, World, Jazz, and more. He is equally comfortable playing Bach as he is performing
in a Bluegrass jam or playing Blues with a Jazz trio. He has currently released two
albums to date: “Nothing but the Blood: Solo Hymns for Hammered Dulcimer”, and
“Bach: Complete Cello Suites Performed on Hammered Dulcimer”. Specifically related to this workshop: he has had years of experience playing and leading Bluegrass and Old-Time jams.

Accomplishments include:
 Winning the 2021 National Hammered Dulcimer Championship
 Performing twice on the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour
 Writing and recording music with folks such as singer-songwriter David LaMotte
and American Folk virtuoso Josh Goforth
 Performing Twice with the "Kids on Bluegrass" Program at the IBMA's "World of Bluegrass" Festival.

Benjamin is available to perform for Concerts, Weddings, Corporate Events, Worship
Services, Festivals, and more. Please contact for booking inquiries.

Susan Trump has been a favorite instructor and performer on the dulcimer scene for the past thirty years. She is known for her clear teaching style and interesting, playable arrangements.

She is completely enjoying teaching in-person at festivals, and private and class lessons on Zoom. Her “Saturdays with Susan” six-week sessions have allowed students nationwide to bond and continue their dulcimer journey together.

Susan has authored six books. Her latest book with audio files is “Bluegrass Fingerpicking for Mountain Dulcimer and Banjammer,- 29 Favorites for Intermediate to Advanced Players.” It is receiving rave revues from students nationwide!

Her other books include “Hornpipes, Not Just a Dance for Sailors,” “Music from the Muse,” a collection of twenty-one original pieces for Intermediate players. She has written a book of O'Carolan arrangements, “A Classical Collection” and “Novice Level Chords and Fingering” book and instructional CD.

Audi files are available for all her books. Susan is the producer of the classic “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer,” CD series, featuring instrumental selections from many of the finest players in the country. She has four solo CDs to her credit. For more information visit http://www.susantrump.com