A native North Carolinian, Ruth fell in love with the sound of the hammered dulcimer at an apple festival in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her many years of classical training give her a delicate touch, and she is recognized for her sensitive interpretations and expressive style. Dirty Linen Folk & World Music Magazine says “Ruth Smith’s touch on the hammered dulcimer is absolutely magical, with exquisite phrasing, highlighting the range of the instrument especially on her own pieces.”
Ruth enjoys composing music specifically for the hammered dulcimer, and her compositions have been featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, Sirius/XM satellite radio, PBS TV Song of the Mountains and in Dulcimer Players News magazine. With her insightful teaching style, she is a popular hammered dulcimer instructor at workshops, festivals and folk schools throughout the country, and is the author of From Heart to Hands and Touch of Grace, hammered dulcimer instructional books of her compositions and arrangements. Ruth and her husband, Steve, have performed together in faraway places around the world for 50 years and together have produced eight music CDs. www.steveandruth.com
