Susan saw her first hammered dulcimer in the spring of 1995 while vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  She was drawn to the beautiful, mysterious sound emanating from a small music store. Little did she know that this encounter with hammered dulcimer would be beginning of a musical odyssey; a journey that would transform her from casual listener to musician, music teacher, recording artist, and, most recently, event creator and promoter.

Although the dulcimer is Susan's first instrument, she is no stranger to music.  The daughter of a mandolin player with a family history rich in traditional music, her childhood was filled with sounds of Tennessee Waltz and Red River Valley on a daily basis.   Frequent family gatherings with her father's eleven brothers and sisters often included sessions with fiddles, guitars, banjos, drums and lots of singing!

Susan has been invited to teach and perform at numerous festivals including the Cork Dulcimer Festival in Cork City, Ireland, Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC, South West Dulcimer Festival in Dewey, AZ, Bay Path Dulcimer Festival in Northborough, MA, Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering, Binghamton, NY, and the Winston-Salem Dulcimer Festival in Winston-Salem NC. She is also very active the local music community where she performs, teaches lessons, and conducts workshops. 

 
Contact and Booking: SVRoberts@mac.com 803.322.3256 Printable Bio.pdf Printable Bio.doc Press & Web photos mailto:SVRoberts@mac.comSusans_Bio_files/SusanVinsonRobertsBio.pdfSusans_Bio_files/SusanVinsonRobertsBio.docPhotos.htmlPhotos.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4

Susan is the founder of the Yorkville Music Weekend.  This traditional music gathering emerged from Susan’s desire to bring musicians together, to provide space for them to share their talents with each other and to perpetuate the tradition of folk music in her hometown of York, SC.  The event began with hammered dulcimers, but expanded to include multi-instrument workshops, jams and concerts.


Susan’s recording Under the Winter Moon was released June 2004 and features traditional seasonal, Christmas, and Jewish tunes. Susan is supported by Albert Dulin (fiddles, mandolin, bouzouki) and Dan Bright (guitar, concertina). Her debut recording, Wateree was released in 2001, and her original tune “Garden Cafe Waltz” from that album was featured in the Feb 2002 Dulcimer Players News Magazine. Wateree features traditional American, international folk and original tunes, accompanied by Albert Dulin (fiddles, mandolin), Ken Kolodner (fiddle, hammered dulcimer), Dan Bright (fiddle), and Fred McKinney (guitar). Her playing has been described as creative, expressive, versatile and “. . . so purely beautiful it will give you chills." Kerry Anderson, Gila Mountain Dulcimers.

 

Susan has served on the North Carolina Arts and Science Council Talent Bureau since 2004. She is also a performing member of Indiegrrl.  Indiegrrl criterion for being chosen is simple: “the music must be exceptional, no matter where in your career you are.” She is a recipient of a Regional Artist Grant from the North Carolina Arts and Science Council, a member of numerous Folk Societies and is an alum of the Charlotte Folk Society Board of Directors.  Susan has also published two instructional articles for the hammered dulcimer on the Mel Bay webzine www.DulcimerSessions.com. 

 

During the summer months Susan is a full-time musician and spends much of her time teaching and performing.  However, during the remainder of the year, she is also a full time faculty member in Engineering Technology at York Technical College in Rock Hill SC where she has taught since 1986.