There may be no name more readily associated with the dulcimer in the United States then Madeline MacNeil. For decades this spellbinding singer and virtuoso player of hammered and mountain dulcimers has been highly acclaimed for her performances, several independent recordings, and as a gifted instructor. She is also a Shenandoah Valley neighbor, and we are honored and delighted to welcome Madeline to the Falling Mountain family.

It's been said that Madeline MacNeil's audiences hold their collective breath as the last notes of her songs drift into the tableau of stages large and small. Since 1972, when she began performing in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, Madeline's goal has always been to bring listeners into the song. Her interest in stories first brought the mountain and hammered dulcimers to her attention, for they are part of this country's musical history and the heritage of other countries before they arrived here. This is part of Madeline's treasure as a performer: she sings and tells the stories with her beautiful voice and exceptional dulcimer skills.

Madeline's New England family (she's a first-generation Virginian) arrived in the fishing and mariner towns of Rockport and Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1635, while her Canadian family members came to Cape Breton from Edinburgh in the mid-1800's. She ties everything together: Scotland's countryside, the lives of families separated and brought together by the sea, and the resilience and art of those who settled in the Appalachian Mountains.

It doesn't stop there, though. With merriment in her eyes, Madeline recalls the day a friend asked her what kind of music she'd like to add to her repertoire "down the road." When Madeline answered, without hesitation, that she'd love to sing jazz songs in the style of Shirley Horne and Ella Fitzgerald when she turns 75 or so, her friend replied: "Let's start right now!" To this day people ask other fans of Madeline's, "Were you there that evening when she brought the folk concert audience to their feet with her heart-stopping rendition of 'Saint Louis Woman'?" (This reminds one of the question, "Were you at Woodstock?")

Her recording career began in 1983 and now includes more than a dozen independent releases, including tributes to her heritage on Songs Of Earth and Sea and her love of jazz on As Time Goes By. Heart's Ease (classical and Celtic music featuring the hammered dulcimer) won an Indie for string music from NAIRD while Christmas Comes Anew was a finalist for this coveted award. Her recording of "Shenandoah" has been used extensively in Public Television productions as well as part of the Apple Tour in the Winchester, Virginia area.

But the stages, large and small, and audiences remain favorites for Madeline. All of her concerts are memorable, but many are extremely special. Since 1978 Madeline has sung and played the dulcimer for midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at a Trappist monastery in Virginia. The Barns At Wolf Trap has presented her in concert, as have arts centers and universities throughout the United States. Across the Atlantic, she has performed at the O'Carolan Festival in Keadue, County Roscommon, Ireland; the Glasgow Festival of the Arts in Scotland; and for the Nonsuch Dulcimer Gathering in East Norton, Leicestershire, England. For several years she was a touring artist under the sponsorship of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. She's been honored by folk organizations and festivals, and in the late 1980's she received recognition from the Senate Rules Committee of the California legislature for her extensive work in that state.

In 2005 Madeline was recognized as a Content Consultant for an exhibit of dulcimers and their scheitholt ancestors at the prestigious Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia. She performed background vocals for a national Public Television two-part documentary, To Our Credit. She is a best-selling author of mountain and hammered dulcimer books for Mel Bay Publications, and also is the publisher of Dulcimer Players News, a quarterly publication devoted to both hammered and fretted dulcimer that has guided players, builders, and dulcimer enthusiasts on their musical journey since its inception in 1975.

"Hearing Madeline MacNeil sing 'Shenandoah' brought tears to my eyes"
- Gregory Peck, actor

"Maddie's voice was full, rich and nuanced"
- Clarke Times-Courier

Morning Has Broken is both a tranquil and uplifting spiritual journey. Here, the noted songstress transports the listener to a myriad of meditative places through some of her favorite songs and hymns that resonate deep within her soul. Her signature voice, hammered dulcimer and mountain dulcimer are joined by longtime Falling Mountain favorites like Ralph Gordon (cello, bass) and Michael DeLalla (guitar), as well as a host of friends lending voice and instruments. This collection covers the contemplative spectrum from old-time hymns such as "Shall We Gather", to stellar contemporary arrangements of favorites like the handbell choir and voice rendition of "All Creatures of Our God and King", to the soaring, simple setting of "How Can I Keep From Singing?".

Across the Blue Ridge: Songs with the Mountain Dulcimer reunites two truly legendary figures in the world of traditional song. Madeline MacNeil is known far and wide for her soaring, gorgeous voice and stellar dulcimer playing. Folklorist and musician Ralph Lee Smith has researched and collected traditional songs for decades, starting in the late 50's during his days in Greenwich Village amidst such luminaries as Dave Von Ronk, Jean Ritchie and Alan Block. Across the Blue Ridge brings these two old friends together to share some of the best known songs of the Appalachian hills, ranging from their raucous "When Are You Coming To See Me" to Ralph's plaintive reading of "Who's Going To Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot" to Maddie's now classic rendition of "Shenandoah". They are joined by guitarist Michael DeLalla on many of the pieces.