34th Annual Dulcimer Festival
August 8-10, 2025
For over three decades, music lovers have gathered at Fort New Salem for the Dulcimer Festival.
Linda Sigismondi
114 Mabeline Dr.
Gallipolis, OH 45631
2025 Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival
Workshop Leaders
Marge Diamond started playing dulcimer in 1985, after witnessing the fun and friendship old time musicians were having when playing their music together. She decided that was what she wanted to do. She started out with a cardboard dulcimer in May and by August felt she deserved a wood dulcimer as she was hooked big time on the challenge of getting her fingers moving up and down the fret board in time with the music. The love of the instrument and the joy of making new friends has kept her going for over 40 years.
Jeff Fedan lives in Masontown, WV, just outside of Morgantown, WV, and learned to play the hammered dulcimer from his teacher and mentor, Patty Looman, who gave him the gift of music. He is especially interested in the old-time repertoire of northern West Virginia, the music of Worley Gardner, Russell Fluharty, Patty Looman, and Sam Rizzetta, and in preserving these tunes and the old-time traditions of the area. Jeff is founder of PattyFest Inc. [a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization] and PattyFest, an old-time music festival founded in 2002 that has been honoring Patty Looman and now, her memory. He also serves on the board of PattyFest, Inc., assists with the February Gardner Winter Music Festival, which has gone on forever. He has conducted workshops at the Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival, Dulci-More, the Gardner Winter Music Festival and PattyFest, and wants to pass the Old-time music DNA to students. Last and least (?), he is also a drummer and plays in a rock cover band, and tunes his spoons on a regular basis.
Amy Kaiser is a former student of Jeff Fedan and is new to the Fort New Salem dulcimer festival this year. She first became interested in the hammered dulcimer when she heard dulcimers jamming under the trees at the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee. She plays hammered dulcimer and penny whistle in the group Sound Of The Mountains. Amy is from Fairmont, WV.
Bill Locke has played guitar, dulcimer, and clawhammer banjo for many years. He has performed at Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival several times as well as at Dulcimore and many other venues. His music spans areas of old-time music, blues, and jazz.
Rayme Pullen is a West Virginia native and a Doddridge County High School graduate. She graduated in 2012 with a B.M. in Piano Performance from Liberty University in Virginia. Ms. Pullen teaches over 50 piano students every week at her studio at the west end of Salem. In addition to private instruction, she enjoys work as a staff accompanist with the Academy for the Arts in Fairmont, East Fairmont High School, and as a collaborative pianist at Victory Baptist Church. Ms. Pullen serves as a board member of the Cultural Foundation of Harrison County. She is also serving in the position of President-Elect on the West Virginia Music Teachers Association board and is active in organizing District 2 festivals and adjudications as WVMTA District 2 Chair. She is active in providing live music at community events in Salem with her piano students, as a solo pianist, and as a novice mountain dulcimer player. Rayme resides in Salem with her husband Trevor and their children, Ezra and Blythe.
Jerry Rockwell is currently living in Wooster, Ohio, and he specializes in ambient, meditative music on the electric and acoustic mountain dulcimer. During the past five decades, Jerry has played at folk festivals in England, Ireland and Iceland and around the US. He has published nine instructional tunebooks, is featured on many recordings and musical collaborations, has co-founded three dulcimer festivals, and continues to design and build custom acoustic and electric mountain dulcimers.
Bill Schilling has been singing and playing various folk instruments (at least 20 with variations of several) for over 55 years. He has performed for audiences of all ages in many settings from coast to coast. His high-energy performances may include songs, slide programs, and/or stories selected specifically for your group. His performances often involve members of your group with audience participation songs or activities. Bill often performs with others including Rich & Kathy Small and with Linda Sigismondi with whom he has recorded “Songs from Canal Days”. Since Bill believes that his music should be inclusive, he is involved in many groups which share music. A few of them are: Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians (Bill is the founder and leader of this group); the annual Dulci-More Festival (Bill was the director for the festival’s 25 years); the Canton Folk Song Society (Bill is one of the original members); the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County (Bill has reorganized and leads this group); Folknet (Bill is a charter Executive Committee Member, treasurer, & past President); PattyFest,Inc. (Bill is a board member; and Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm (Bill is one of the originators of this program and a workshop leader). His “Dulci-More Public Domain Songbooks” (in several variations) are used by clubs and individuals
Linda Sigismondi is a mountain dulcimer player and folksinger from Gallipolis, Ohio. Her music includes traditional Appalachian tunes, Celtic tunes, traditional and contemporary folk music, and some original compositions that feature environmental themes. Linda organizes the music and workshops for the Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival. Linda has taught workshops and performed at many folk music festivals in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and New York. Linda has written several books of mountain dulcimer tab and has one recording with Bill Schilling.
Steven K. Smith has been a player, composer, teacher, and recorder of dulcimer music since 1983. His playing expands on the traditional Appalachian repertoire for the instrument to encompass tunes from British Isles, European classical music, modern pop songs, and the blues. Steve improvises and composes much of his music as well. He’s less of a “dulcimer player” as a “musician who plays the dulcimer.” He has several albums and tune books of dulcimer instrumentals available.
As someone who never touched a stringed instrument until she was in her 40s, Chris Steiner is living proof that you are never too old to learn, and she just LOVES teaching “old dogs new tricks”. In addition to private lessons, Chris conducts workshops and performs at several festivals and venues yearly. Her vita includes festivals such as Buckeye Dulcimer Festival (on staff for over 20 years!), ODPC, Dulcimers on the Chautauqua and others in the Midwest. Chris (with husband Joe) is also very instrumental in running a large, twice-yearly bluegrass festival in Indiana, now in its 49th year. She is currently performing with her husband Joe, and Shari Wolf as “Buckeye Roadshow” to promote live music and festivals. [See Dulcimer Player News, Winter Issue, Vol. 50, No. 1 for more information on Buckeye Roadshow]
Joe Steiner is a well-respected and innovative instructor on several instruments, including banjo, guitar, dulcimer, bass and harmonica, and he has several recordings to his credit with various old-time and bluegrass groups. He has been performing, playing and teaching stringed instruments all over the Midwest for over 45 years. Joe is the host and programmer of Blue Ridge Breakdown, a bluegrass and old-time music program on WLFC 88.3, University of Findlay, now in his 27th year behind the controls. You can listen to him any Monday night from 8-10 pm. EST, on www.pulse.findlay.edu/listen-live. He currently performs with several ensembles including the Old-Time Duo with wife Chris Steiner and Buckeye Roadshow with Chris and Shari Wolf.
Shari Wolf is a mountain dulcimer player from Dayton, Ohio. She is part of the Buckeye Roadshow with Chris and Joe Steiner.
