11/01/26 - Strings Across the Sea: The Dulcimer, Immigration, and the Music That Traveled to America

Every instrument tells a migration story. The Appalachian mountain dulcimer — sweet-voiced, lap-held, distinctly American — traces its roots across the Atlantic to the Scottish hummel, the Norwegian langeleik, the German scheitholt, and the French épinette des Vosges. The Scotch-Irish and German immigrants who carried these instruments to the New World in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries couldn't have known they were planting the seeds of an American musical tradition that would endure for centuries. In this concert, the Hogfiddle Consort — a intimate ensemble drawn from the New York Dulcimer Orchestra, based right here in Ulster County — brings that tradition to life through a program woven together with story. Members of the ensemble will share the history behind the music in between their repertoire, where these sounds came from, who carried them here, how they transformed in a new land, and what they left behind in the American ear. It is a concert and a history lesson in one — the perfect closing note for a season devoted to the stories of those who came to Ulster County and made it their own.


About the Performers

The Hogfiddle Consort is a smaller ensemble drawn from the New York Dulcimer Orchestra, a twenty-player performing organization based in New Paltz, Ulster County and currently directed by Patricia Curtis. Founded by Carol Walker, a nationally recognized, award-winning mountain dulcimer teacher, performer, and arranger, NYDO and the Hogfiddle Consort have performed at festivals, libraries, schools, and community venues across the Northeast. The Consort's repertoire ranges from classical favorites and Celtic traditional tunes to American folk songs and selections from the Great American Songbook. We are delighted to welcome the Hogfiddle Consort back to the Ulster County Historical Society as the finale of our 2026 Sunday Salon Series. 


Hogfiddle Consort: Sasha Bogdanowitsch, director, Mary Evans, Flo Jerdan, Lois Kral, Kathryn McGill, Blake Tutterow, and Linda Wheeler   



This event is free, but seating is limited—please reserve your spot in advance.
We suggest a donation of $15 to support the Sunday Salon Series and the work of the Ulster County Historical Society. You can contribute online when you RSVP or donate at the event itself via cash, check, or credit card.


Thank you for supporting local history and community programming!

Event Details

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Date and Time

Sunday, November 1, 2026 2:00 – 3:30, (EDT)

Location

2682 U.S. 209
Kingston, New York 12401
United States

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