Don Pedi

The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement invites dulcimer players to study with award-winning Appalachian dulcimer player Don Pedi as part of the Studio Masters Series. The one-day workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the Reuter Center on the UNC Asheville campus. Participants will have the opportunity to experience the rich musical heritage of the Southern Appalachians with one of its most vibrant performers. Stay after class to enjoy a group jam session with Pedi. The workshop fee is $120.

The “Traditional Music for Mountain Dulcimer” workshop is for intermediate level dulcimer players. It will introduce musicians to authentic versions of traditional songs and hymns adapted for mountain dulcimer. The unique strumming and noting techniques developed by Pedi will be applied to all tunes covered in the class and will carry over into other musical styles.

Pedi, a dulcimer pioneer, is known for his unique “fiddle-pick” style of playing. Until Pedi was declared a “Master Dulcimer Player” by Fiddler’s Grove contest organizers in 1982, he was a fierce competitor winning more than 30 first place trophies and awards. In 2003, he represented Appalachia at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. For more than 20 years, Pedi has been an on air host of “Close to Home,” the traditional, old-time and contemporary Folk music show, on NPR affiliate WCQS-FM in Asheville. In addition, Pedi, a nationally recognized arts preservationist, has helped organize the annual Asheville Mountain Music and Dance Festival, taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School and appeared in several movies including “Songcatcher” and “The Journey of August King.”

Class size is limited; early registration is suggested. For more information or to register, call the N.C. Center for Creative Retirement at 828/251-6384 or click on www.unca.edu/ncccr/StudioMastersSeries/. For information on need-based scholarships, contact Ann Bass at 828/251-6873 or e-mail abass@unca.edu.