Neal Hellman

Neal Hellman (born April 13, 1948 in New York, NY) is an American folk musician, music teacher, and performer of the mountain dulcimer. He has been active in performing, writing, teaching and recording acoustic music for the past forty years throughout the United States and Europe.

Neal's recordings include: Emma’s Waltz, Autumn In the Valley, Dream of the Manatee (with Joe Weed) and Oktober County, all on the Gourd Music label. In collaboration with Joe Weed, Neal wrote the score for Princess Furball, a children's video by Weston Woods which won a 1993 American Library Association Commendation.

An original composition, written by Neal and performed by Jay Unger and Molly Mason, is featured on the Ken Burns production Not for Ourselves Alone. Neal has placed a number of other tracks on the films of Ken Burns including Horatio's Drive, National Parks: America's Best Idea, The Dust Bowl and American Buffalo.

He is the author of many books on the Appalachian dulcimer, including: Mountain Dulcimer Arrangements from Both Sides of the Atlantic, Celtic Songs & Slow Airs for Mountain Dulcimer, The Dulcimer Chord Book,The Hal Leonard Dulcimer Method, and Music of the World for Mountain Dulcimer.

As founder, director and one of the primary artists of the Gourd Music record label, Neal has produced over fifty recordings including Simple Gifts, The Fairie Round, Tender Shepherd, The World Turned Upside Down and Jefferson’s Fiddle, creating a uniquely distinctive sound, featuring a variety of acoustic instrumental ensembles, rich in texture and tonal color.

Neal was music director for a production of The Grapes of Wrath, which played at The Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College in 2009 and in 2013 he produced: A Musical Celebration of the Life and Times of John Steinbeck which was performed at The Kuumbwa Jazz Center and at The National Steinbeck Center. He served as musical designer for the Conner Mc. Pherson play The Weir which ran at The Jewel Theater in Santa Cruz February 2022.