Karen
Ashbrook
In 1976,
Karen Ashbrook built her first hammered dulcimer as a high
school project. She attended the Eastman Preparatory School
in Rochester, NY. In search of Irish music, she went
overseas and spent 5 years playing in Europe and Asia,
traversing the globe twice.
With her
delicate touch, trademark shimmering lilt and ear for
authentic ornamentation, Karen Ashbrook is considered one of
the finest Irish hammered dulcimer players anywhere. Add her
wooden flute and pennywhistle playing, and you have the
consummate Irish musician. Irish reviewer John O'Regan calls
her recordings "Celtic music for the mind and body."
"Karen has
long been something of a heroine to me... Her style is at
times traditional, then moves surprisingly at a tangent,
making it more interesting in an unexpected way. And her
whistle playing is excellent." IRISH EDITION, PHILADELPHIA
Based in the
Washington, DC area, Karen teaches and performs Celtic,
contra dance, and Jewish music. These days she primarily
performing with her husband Paul Oorts, playing his native
Belgian and French music. She has several recordings both
solo and with the group Ceoltoiri, on the Maggie's Music
label. Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition
book/CD set on Oak Publications, is a standard text in
dulcimer literature. She appears at numerous folk music
camps and festivals around the country. Performance
highlights include RTE 1-Irish National Television, the
Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, and playing at
the White House for President Bill Clinton. Karen currently
plays with Cabaret Sauvignon, and as a duo with her husband
PaulOorts.
Products by Karen
Ashbrook
"Celtic Lace" CD by
Ceoltoiri with Karen
Ashbrook & Sue Richards
"Celtic Cafe" CD by Karen
Ashbrook and Paul Oorts
"Knock on the Door" CD by
Karen Ashbrook
"Hills of Erin" CD by Karen
Ashbrook
