Gatlinburg, Tennessee – Dulcimer U Artistic Director
Elaine is a native of Nashville and life-long musician and music educator. After years
of teaching and touring, she’s finally settled down in the mountains of East Tennessee
for another chapter in her musical journey. Her current passion is writing and performing
worshipful songs that stir the soul and encourage spiritual reflection.
Music has been at her foundation from the beginning. She began piano lessons at the
age of 4½ and started playing in church by age 12. Singing and playing guitar for
church youth groups led to being involved in most every musical offering throughout
her school career. She received a music education degree from Tennessee Tech, majoring
in piano and minoring in voice and organ. She earned further music education certification
in Orff-Schulwerk from the University of Memphis and a Master’s in Elementary Education
from Tennessee State University.
After teaching in Nashville for a few years, she decided to join a band and go out
on the road. Her years as a professional musician include playing keyboards and singing
back-up vocals for country artist Faith Hill and performing on the General Jackson
Showboat. Once the biological clock started ticking, she went back to teaching and
had her daughter, Krislen Sherrill, now a 21-year-old actress living in New York.
Elaine’s tenure as the Senior Director of Music at The Renaissance Center had her
playing and musically directing numerous music theater productions, including appearing
in a few herself. Her favorite role to date is as Patsy in Always, Patsy Cline.
That experience at a fine arts and technological center led her to meet and marry
Larry Conger, a former National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She now adds bass dulcimer
to the mix, and they’re found quite often out on the road teaching and performing
on the dulcimer when they’re not performing around their hometown of Gatlinburg, just
outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
One of her other musical hats includes serving as the music director for an Episcopal
Church in Gatlinburg. Elaine is currently president of the Smoky Mountain Chapter
of the Order of the Daughters of the King and Vice President of the East Tennessee
DOK. Her new ambition is to share the music God gives her with others on a spiritual
path to find peace and respite in this busy and confusing world. www.ElaineConger.com