2018
SCDH Festival Bios 
Meet Our Visiting Artists!
Bios Of All Artists &
Performers Will Be In Printed Program
Festival Workshops, Evening Concert & Focus Workshop
Mountain Dulcimer
www.sarahmorganmusic.com
Sarah’s music embodies her respect and joy of folk music and her
creative approach to arranging. She backs traditional Appalachian
melodies and old time tunes with fresh harmonies and a progressive
drive. She creates a new feel for old tunes, while accompanying her
vocals with the unpretentious sound of her mountain dulcimer.
Folk, Americana and Old-Time roots are brought to the forefront at live
shows, where only Sarah and her dulcimer can be found behind the
microphone, creating a subtle yet powerful sound that brings the
relevant music of the past to today's audience.
Sarah Morgan started her musical journey at age 7 and has fallen in love
with Appalachian music through the years. A native of East Tennessee,
Sarah has incorporated the rich musical heritage of the area into her
music.
At 18, Sarah placed 1st at the 2012 National Mountain Dulcimer
Championships held in Winfield, KS. A year later she went on to become a
finalist in the 2013 International Acoustic Music Awards. She has also
won other titles, including Mid-Eastern Region Mountain Dulcimer
Champion, Kentucky State Mountain Dulcimer Champion, and Southern Region
Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She is currently studying Traditional Music
and Appalachian Studies at Morehead State University in Morehead,
Kentucky.
Sarah is a community development consultant working with for-profit and
non-profit organizations in Appalachia to determine community needs and
solutions. She has focused on connecting communities to Appalachian art,
music and dance.
Sarah teaches and performs at a wide variety of festivals and events in
the U.S. Her recordings include: “Jubilee,” “Run to the Window,” and
“Simply Sarah,” her debut album.
Festival Workshops, Evening Concert & Focus Workshop
Hammered Dulcimer, Wooden Flute, Pennywhistle
www.karenashbrook.com
Karen has been a pioneer and an
advocate in the development and revival of the hammered
dulcimer for more than 40 years. She is a celebrated
instructor and performer both nationally and internationally
and is considered one of the finest Irish hammered dulcimer
players anywhere. She also plays wooden flute and
pennywhistle.
She built her first dulcimer in
high school while studying French horn and music theory at
Eastman Preparatory School in Rochester, NY. In search of
Irish music she crossed the Atlantic to the pubs of England
and Ireland and later wrote the classic book, “Playing the
Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition.”
Karen plays a wide variety of
musical styles including: Irish, Appalachian, Belgian,
English, classical and Jewish. She teaches at numerous
festivals and music camps in the U.S. and also international
dulcimer events. She has led the revival of the Flemish
hakkebord/ dulcimer and has developed an instructional
DVD/booklet in English, Dutch and French.
Based in the Maryland/
Washington, DC area, Karen teaches and performs both solo
and as a duo with her husband Paul Oorts, playing his native
Belgian and French music. She has several recordings: solo,
with Paul and with the Irish band Ceoltoiri. Her latest,
“Starry Starry” grew out her passion for helping others
through music. She is a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP)
through the Music for Healing and Transitions Program
(mhtp.org) and works in the Stages of Healing Program at
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and in the Arts
& Humanities Program at the Georgetown Lombardi
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Performance highlights include:
RTE 1-Irish National Television, the Smithsonian
Institution, National Geographic, and playing at the White
House for President Bill Clinton.