About Katie Moritz
2013 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, Katie Moritz is a musician and teacher hailing from the Chicagoland area in Northern Illinois. She’s been playing music ever since she could remember, starting piano as a very small child and playing the tuba through school. Her taste in music is geared towards more eclectic sounds and it wasn’t till she started playing the hammered dulcimer that she found her authentic musical “voice”. The unique instrument was able to seamlessly sew together Katie’s love of traditional music from around the world, 1940’s jazz standards, Broadway musicals, bluegrass, and pop.
While studying under an Illinois hammered dulcimer master, Bill Robinson, Katie has been awarded 7 consecutive folk arts apprenticeship grants with the Illinois Arts Council (partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.) She has spent over a decade studying traditional music and is dedicated to teaching and continuing a traditional style of playing. At the same time, she has also spent most of her life learning and playing music in scholarly settings, which has influenced her dulcimer playing to encompass an uncommon blend of old and new. This edge has led her to receive various recognitions including placing 1st in the Mid-East and Southern regional contests, and the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. In 2019 Katie even became a finalist in the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship.
Katie holds a Master's degree in Design & Media and an Associate's degree in Music Performance. She has taught and performed at many festivals and gatherings around the United States. Along with the hammered dulcimer, Katie is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mountain dulcimer, 'ukulele, steel pan, guitar, and more.
Currently, Katie’s dulcimer playing can be heard on a Duet CD called Kaleidoscope, which is available for sale on this website.
To keep up with Katie's latest news and upcoming performance, check out her page on Facebook by clicking here.
The Instrument
The Hammered Dulcimer is an ancient stringed percussion instrument consisting of wire strings that are stretched tightly across a wooden soundboard. The strings are then struck by small mallets called "hammers". It's origins date back over 2000 years and seem to have originated in Persia, where it then spread in all directions. This resulted in different variations of this instrument that can be found today worldwide. A modern instrument that is a direct descendent of the hammered dulcimer is the piano.
Awards & Recognitions
2019
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
National Mountain Dulcimer Competition Finalist - Winfield, KS
2018
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2017
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2016
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2015
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2014
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2013
1st Place National Hammer Dulcimer Champion- Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, Kansas
Illinois Arts Council Master/Apprentice Grant Recipient
2012
Featured recording artist in Dulcimer Players News with Lisa Ferguson - Kaleidoscope
2011
Southern Regional Hammered Dulcimer Champion - Mountainview, AK
Associate in Fine Arts Degree - Music Performance
2010
Mid-Eastern Regional Hammered Dulcimer Champion - Coshocton, OH
Waubonsee Foundation Scholarship for Applied Composition and Applied Percussion
National Hammered Dulcimer Competition Finalist - Winfield, KS
Notable Performances
Dulcimer U, NC
Kentucky Music Winter Weekend
Buckeye Dulcimer Festival
Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS
Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival, IL
Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival
Evart Fun Fest - Original Dulcimer Players Club, MI
Ohio Valley Gathering Dulcimer Festival, KY
Rock City Christmas Concert Series, TN
Hunter Museum of American Art, TN
Aurora Art Walk, IL
Coshocton Dulcimer Days, OH
Dulcimer Jamboree - Ozark Folk Center, AK
Spirito Singers Winter Concert Series, IL
Lafayette Children's Choir, IN
Swannanoa Gathering - Warren Wilson College, NC
Long Grove Apple Fest, Chocolate Fest & Strawberry Fest, IL
Kaleidoscope
Planning an event?
Learn about how the sound of dulcimer music can add to the uniqueness of any occasion.
News & Updates
Keep up to date with Katie's current projects in music, design & photography by checking out the blog.