Dulcimer champion presents workshops, concert March 6
Former national champion mountain dulcimer player Larry Conger returns to The Renaissance Center for a concert and two workshops on March 6.
The Paris, Tenn., resident is a builder, player and teacher of the Appalachian mountain dulcimer and won the prestigious National Mountain Dulcimer Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kan., in 1998.
Conger will offer workshops for beginner and intermediate dulcimer players prior to his performance.
Beyond the Drone is a beginner’s level workshop that will look at the traditional strumming method most often associated with the mountain dulcimer as well as the more contemporary flat-picked style. Participants should be able to master the tunes presented in this workshop with minimum difficulty. The reading and understanding of dulcimer tablature and rhythm are discussed in detail and printed materials will be provided. The workshop will be 12-2 p.m. March 6 and costs $35.
From the Choir Loft is an intermediate level workshop that will explore some hymns that would be perfect to add to anyone’s repertoire. Knowledge of left-hand chords in D-A-dd is a plus but not necessary. The workshop represents a challenge for the advancing beginner and printed materials will be provided. The workshop is 3-5 p.m. March 6 and costs $35.
The cost to take both workshops is $60.
Conger will then present a dulcimer concert in the Performance Hall at 7 p.m. Tickets for the performance are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children under 13.
Conger operates a private music studio in Paris, teaching piano and guitar as well as mountain dulcimer. He is an active participant in the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts in Education program and the Kentucky Arts Council’s Teacher Incentive Program, presenting several dulcimer programs in public schools each year.
A graduate of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Music, Conger has been involved with music as a vocation for more than 25 years. In addition to performing and offering workshops at various dulcimer festivals around the country, he also has served as a music director for several Baptist churches.
Conger won the Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Championship at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Ark, in 1995. He teamed with Jim Curley of Kansas City to win the Southern Regional Dulcimer Ensemble Championship at the center in 1996 and went on to win the national championship in 1998.
He has authored several dulcimer books and made several recordings, including contributions to Great Players of the Mountain Dulcimer and Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer II, compilation CDs featuring many of today’s top dulcimer players. He also has been featured on three Japanese compilation recordings of international acoustic music.
“The mountain dulcimer is a unique and traditional instrument and we are fortunate to have a player of Larry Conger’s caliber to present workshops and perform for us,” said Elaine Sherrill, senior director of Music at The Renaissance Center. “His previous appearances at the center have been very popular and we are happy to be able to bring him back.”
For more information on Conger’s workshops or concert, call Sherrill at (615)740-5545. To register for a workshop, call (615)740-5533. To purchase tickets for the performance, call (615)740-5570.
The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.
Visit the Events - Concerts and Recitals page for more about musical performances.
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