The Colorado Dulcimer Festival

We need your help!

For more information about the 2014 festival and why we need your help to make it happen, please see our letter discussing the Future of the Festival!

The information on this particular page refers to the 2013 Festival (Feb 1st and 2nd, 2013). The contents are left here to provide an idea of what to expect for 2014, but the details will change!

Welcome to the Colorado Dulcimer Festival

February 1st and 2nd 2013

The Colorado Dulcimer Festival provides an annual opportunity (the first weekend in February) for players of both kinds of dulcimer to gather, learn, listen, jam and share a magical musical experience in the West.

We invite two out-of-state headliners each year to teach and perform, one whose strength is Mountain Dulcimer and one whose strength is Hammered Dulcimer. Coloradoans, and honorary Coloradoans make up the balance of the teaching and performing Staff. A talented and dedicated Dulcimer Festival Crew work creatively and energetically to help host, Steve Eulberg stage this festival. Bonnie Carol is our Jam Maestra and for three years we have been the host of the Colorado Dulcimer Contest, organized by Tina Gugeler.

We wish to provide a unique experience each year, so expect some things to be different. Meals are delicious and excellent times to meet and socialize with instructors and discover new friends. We have workshops for all skill levels and a variety of musical tastes. People tend to prefer transferable techniques over simply learning lots of new tunes, so we’ve got a mix of repertoire classes and technique classes. We look forward to having you come and enjoy the sweet music with us!

What’s included?

  • Six (6!) Dulcimer workshop sessions with renowned instructors, for all levels.

  • The Colorado Dulcimer Contest. Go to the Contest Webpage for details, registration info, rules, prizes, and more!

  • Jam Sessions on both days, with different jams for all skill levels.

  • Dulcimer products and dulcimer music vendors

  • The Colorado Dulcimer Festival’s very first Band Scramble

  • A performance by the Colorado Dulcimer Orchestra

  • Spectacular evening concerts featuring teacher/performers and Colorado Dulcimer Contest Winners

  • Delicious on-site meals for lunch and dinner both Friday and Saturday

Who’s involved?

In 2013, our invited instructors from around the country will be Anne Lough (MD) and Bill Robinson (HD). In addition, Colorado locals Steve Eulberg, Bonnie Carol, Judy Jones and Tina Gugeler will be teaching classes, performing, and helping everybody enjoy the music! For more information, visit our Performers page.

You can be involved, too! We all know it takes many hands to complete the work and many more to lighten the load. Want to help? Visit our volunteer registration page (coming soon!) to see the jobs and tasks that need to take place during the festival. Choose the one(s) you can do and sign up! Easy as pie.

Where’s the festival?

Fort Collins, Colorado. See our Location page for more information on where we are and how to get there.

What’s the latest news?

Some favorite memories of the 2011 festival

The Colorado Dulcimer Orchestra at the 2010 Festival