The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement invites artists of all ages to enroll in the new Studio Masters Series, featuring programs for artists with intermediate to advanced skills. The second of the Studio Masters Series will take place this spring with courses taught by noted choral conductor Lenora Thom and prominent mountain dulcimer player Don Pedi.

Lenora Thom

Thom will teach a Vocal Master Class from 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays April 14-28, at the Asheville Unitarian Universalist Church, located on the corner of Edwin and Charlotte streets. During the first two classes, students will each have a personal 20-minute session to perform two to three songs. Thom will offer technical advice, suggestions on interpretation and other instruction. At the final class, participants will demonstrate their improvements. Admission to the Vocal Master Class is by application only. Deadline to apply is March 20. The workshop fee is $180.

Thom has conducted the New Jersey Choral Society and Orchestra, the Kean (N.J.) Chamber Symphony, the Riverdale (N.Y.) Chamber Orchestra, and is the current director of the Asheville Choral Society. In addition, she has conducted numerous off-Broadway, regional and summer stock musical theatre productions. A native of Maryland, Thom studied at Juilliard, the Hartt School, Peabody Conservatory, Trinity College and the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors.

Don Pedi

The one-day “Traditional Music for Mountain Dulcimer” workshop for intermediate level dulcimer players will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Reuter Center on the UNC Asheville campus. Pedi will introduce participants to authentic versions of traditional songs, tunes and hymns adapted for mountain dulcimer. Included will be tablature, sources and folklore for the music covered, as well as methods for developing appropriate rhythm, timing and speed. The unique strumming and noting techniques developed by Pedi will be applied to all tunes covered in the class, including tunes of other musical styles. The workshop fee is $120.

Pedi, a dulcimer pioneer, is known for his unique “fiddle-pick” style of playing. Prior to being named a “Master Dulcimer Player” by Fiddler’s Grove contest organizers in 1982, Pedi 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 program, 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 828/251-6140 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.