Neal Hellman
Neal Hellman has been arranging and performing on the mountain dulcimer for the past four decades. His books of arrangements include Mountain Dulcimer Arrangements from Both Sides of the Atlantic, Celtic Songs & Slow Airs for Mountain Dulcimer, The Dulcimer Chord Book, The Hal Leonard Dulcimer Method, and Music of the World for Mountain Dulcimer.
Neal’s interest in music that would be appropriate for the Mt. Dulcimer has led him to arrange a large variety of repertoire for the instrument. As well as traditional tunes and ballads from the American tradition he has arranged Swedish, Early Music, Laude (early church music of Italy), Celtic (Scottish, Irish, Breton), and his own compositions for the dulcimer.
Neal’s recordings include Emma’s Waltz, Autumn in the Valley, Dream of the Manatee (with Joe Weed) and Oktober County, all on the Gourd Music label. Neal has placed a number of tracks on the films of Ken Burns including Horatio's Drive, National Parks: America's Best Idea and The Dust Bowl.
As founder, director and one of the primary artists of the Gourd Music record label, Neal has produced over fifty recordings, including Simple Gifts, The Fairie Round, Celtic Sessions, The World Turned Upside Down and Jefferson’s Fiddle, creating a uniquely distinctive sound, featuring a variety of acoustic instrumental ensembles, rich in texture and tonal color.
He was music director for a production of The Grapes of Wrath, which played at The Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College in 2009 and in 2013 produced a show for Santa Cruz Reads titled A Musical Celebration of the Life and Times of John Steinbeck.