KA/PO: Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts
For more than 40 years, Karen Ashbrook has been an international pioneer and advocate in the revival of the hammered dulcimer. Her career has spanned performances and teaching throughout Europe and Asia. Her strong commitment to using her music as a healing art led her to become a therapeutic musician, founding Music for the Spirit - healing hammered dulcimer music. Karen is also a board member of the Cimbalom World Association, which promotes all forms of the dulcimer internationally.
Belgian multi-instrumentalist Paul Oorts has wide-ranging musical tastes and talents. He is equally at home with Celtic, American, and European traditions including his native Flemish and French music. He is often heard playing for English and contra dances in the Washington DC area. Paul plays mandolin with the Rigatoni Brothers, a duo specializing in Italian-American music, and directs the hammered dulcimer ensemble Carillon. Dr. Oorts also teaches Italian and French at Peabody Conservatory of Music and Loyola University in Baltimore.
Karen & Paul joined forces in 1996, musically and soon thereafter matrimonially, creating “wonderfully energetic and exquisitely arranged collaborations” (Washington Post). They perform and teach at festivals around the USA, and their most recent recording, KA/PO in Concert from a 2013 live performance, showcases their dynamic ensemble music.
