Patti Amelotte

Patti Amelotte is a professional musician performing and teaching hammered dulcimer and piano. After graduating in 1983 from Chapman University, Orange, California with a degree in Piano Performance she got her first hammered dulcimer and  began performing and teaching it.

Patti loves teaching and working with students of all levels. Her students have enjoyed her clear, concise and upbeat teaching style during private lessons, in groups and at in-person and virtual festivals. 

Patti has performed and taught throughout Southern California, in other states, as well as in Europe. She is much sought after as a teacher and performer at music festivals, private and company parties; she appears on some movie scores and has performed for Disneyland. Merging her love of classical music, hammered dulcimer and Tolkien, Patti got to perform with the San Diego Symphony in “The Lord of the Rings Suite” in their Summer Concert series – the best gig ever!   

One thing Patti loves is musical collaboration with choral conductors, sharing the dulcimer with a larger audience. She has accompanied many local children's, middle school and high school choruses as well as in Hawaii. Patti has performed many pieces, arranged/composed by hammered dulcimer master Malcolm Dalglish, as well as choral composer Shawn Kirchner performing at events throughout Southern California. Patti has performed twice for the World Cimbalom Association gathering in Budapest and England. In 2021 Patti taught and performed at the Nutmeg Virtual festival, North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association Virtual festival and is excited to be included in the Quarantune Dulcimer Festival (QDF6) in 2022.

Patti and her music partner, Brenda Hunter perform as Flutter-by Music playing arrangements for 2 hammered dulcimers, harp, fiddle and button accordion. Patti has 3 recordings available:  Les Cloches d'Hiver (Winter Bells) -holiday music on 2 hammered dulcimers; West Coast Irish and The Bird in the Bush CDs with her band Looney’s Fortune.