Club news, updates, cancellations and news on upcoming workshops can be found here.
15 Years of Music Making
Honoring the Journey, Shaping the Future Over 15 years of leadership, music, and community culminated on September 12 at The Studio at Bridgewater Retirement Center, where the Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Club gathered for a festive picnic and jam to honor Dinah Ansley, Club Coordinator and Grand Poobah, alongside outgoing officers. The morning’s gathering quickly… Continue reading 15 Years of Music Making
We Strum in New Officers at Fall Picnic
Our Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Players Club invites all dulcimer players and friends in Central Virginia to our fall INDOOR picnic and jam September 12, this Saturday. Please arrive at 10 am, if you plan to play, at Bridgewater Retirement Community, “The Studio,” 100 Virginia Avenue, Bridgewater, VA 22812. Our current officers have done a… Continue reading We Strum in New Officers at Fall Picnic
“More than Fireworks” — 250 Years of Folksong and Freedom
Our Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Players Celebrate, Appalachian Style! At our July 18 jam Dinah Ansley led our fantastic hosts Merrifield Music Makers from Ruckersville, Viginia, and Joyful Noise from Bridgewater, Virginia, through our deepest roots of song at the Bridgewater Retirement Community Studio. We kicked off our musical journey with “The Water is Wide,”… Continue reading “More than Fireworks” — 250 Years of Folksong and Freedom
DulciCats of Charlottesville Demonstrate Diversity
DulciCats of Charlottesville led off the May 16 gathering with pieces they have been working on all spring as hosts of our Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Players jam at the Studio at Bridgewater Retirement Village Community in Bridgewater, VA. The group has five players: Jim Albert, Sharon Baiocco, Lynn Gould, Penny Reighart, and Trisha Taylor.… Continue reading DulciCats of Charlottesville Demonstrate Diversity
Gaskins, Heritage Award Recipient
Congratulations to Blue Ridge Dulcimer Players Club member Phyllis Gaskins, recipient of the 2025 Fries Musical Heritage Award This award, sponsored by Legends of Grayson, is presented to a person who has excelled in preserving, promoting or performing the unique traditional music of Fries and the surrounding communities of Grayson and Carroll counties. Master musician,… Continue reading Gaskins, Heritage Award Recipient
BRMDP Begins 2026 Jam Sessions With a New Format
How does “Bile Dem Cabbage Down” sound when a group of about 30 dulcimer players becomes an orchestra? Dinah Ansley, our coordinator, taught us! The Club launched a short session she calls “Becoming an Orchestra” on chording at different positions on the fretboard as our March jam session took on a different look with the… Continue reading BRMDP Begins 2026 Jam Sessions With a New Format
Dulcimer U Registration is Open
Several of our club members have reported enthusiastically about their experiences at Dulcimer U, and are planning a return trip this summer, July 19-24, 2026, at Cullowhee, NC. There are morning and afternoon classes, daily jam sessions, and evening concerts by instructors. Housing, dining and lessons are at Western Carolina University. Registration is now open,… Continue reading Dulcimer U Registration is Open
Joyful Noise for the Holidays
BRMDP – Make a Joyful Noise for the 2025 Holidays Our Blue Ridge Mountain Dulcimer Players, emceed by intrepid coordinator, Dinah Ansley, opened our annual holiday gathering with a large group performance of “Jingle Bells” and “Good King Wenceslas” at Bridgewater Retirement Community in Bridgewater, VA, on Dec. 13. Before a roomful of dulcimer players… Continue reading Joyful Noise for the Holidays