WILMINGTON — The word “dulcimer” means “sweet music,” and on Saturday, Aug. 14, at Memorial Hall, concertgoers will savor the joyful sounds of the instrument as part of the 30th annual August Dulcimer Daze Festival.
Nationally acclaimed musicians Don Pedi and Carol Walker are the featured performers.
Born into a musical family in Chelsea, Mass., Pedi got involved with the Boston folk music scene in the early 1960s. While attending the Newport Folk Festival, he was exposed to traditional musicians like Frank Proffitt, Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Almeda Riddle, who were major influences on his musical tastes.
In 1973, Pedi, who has won numerous awards and accolades, “was invited to play in Asheville, N.C., and at first sight of the mountains, knew he was home,” describes a news release, which calls him “a pioneer in that his music has broken new ground and cleared a path for others.”
Pedi appeared in the 1995 motion picture The Journey of August King and the 2000 motion picture Songcatcher, and he played music in the BBC documentary Appalachia: The Endless Forest. He has recorded and published more than 15 albums and instructional books for the dulcimer.
He hosts a weekly show on Blue Ridge Public Radio, Close to Home, featuring traditional, old-time, and classic folk music.
Walker has a degree in music education with majors in piano, harp, and voice. She taught in New Jersey for 32 years.
In 1999, she took up the mountain dulcimer. In 2014 and 2016, Walker placed among the top five finalists for her performances at the Winfield dulcimer championship in Kansas. She has written and produced numerous instructional books and DVDs for the dulcimer.
When not performing solo, Walker performs with Wayfarers & Company, a Pennsylvania-based eclectic, old-time gospel folk group for which she adds vocals while also playing the dulcimer, upright bass, piano, melodica, and harp.
The free concert is the grand finale of the weekend-long festival, Aug. 13 to 15.
August Dulcimer Daze is sponsored by George and Mary Haggerty of Folk Craft Music in Jacksonville and is one of the yearly national dulcimer gatherings. Festival workshops and events take place at the Mountaineer Inn in West Dover.