Karen Ashbrook

Karen Ashbrook, CMP (Certified Music Practitioner)

Hammered dulcimer, wooden flute, pennywhistle

For more than 40 years Karen Ashbrook has been an international pioneer and advocate in the revival, development and performance of the hammered dulcimer. From her home base in the Washington, DC area, she has brought the magic of the resonating dulcimer strings to entire populations, from the young children who attended her summer “hedge schools” in Irish culture to the elderly and infirm with whom she engages as a certified therapeutic musician in the healing arts. She is a popular performer who has entertained at the John F. Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institutes, National Geographic, and the White House as well as concert halls and festivals in the U.S. and around the world. Her early recordings of Irish, Scottish, French and Belgian music are available on the Maggie’s Music record label. 

In recent years she performs and records with her husband, Belgian multi-instrumentalist Paul Oorts as the duo "KA/PO -Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts - music from the cultural crossroads of Europe."

Drawn to the healing arts, Karen became a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP) through the Music for Healing and Transitions Program (mhtp.org) in 2013. She provides therapeutic music services at Walter Reed Military Medical Center and at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center. She encourages other musicians to learn how to share their gifts for healing too!  "Celtic Shores" and "Starry Starry" are her recent recordings showcasing the beauty of solo dulcimer for meditation and relaxation.

For more information visit her website at www.karenashbrook.com.