Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, Gretchen (Elicker) Dekker began her formal music training in piano locally at age eight.  She continued her studies at the Peabody Preparatory School in Baltimore and, following her graduation from Northeastern High School, she entered the Peabody Conservatory and graduated with honors.

Pursuing a strong interest in the harpsichord, she auditioned for and was accepted by Gustav Leonhardt as one of four pupils in his international class.  During her time of residence in Amsterdam, she studied both harpsichord and organ and performed recitals throughout The Netherlands, France and Belgium.

Since receiving a Master’s Degree with high academic honors and special recognition for distinction in performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, Gretchen has concertized as both a soloist and collaborative artist in the mid-Atlantic region.  She has been featured as a concerto soloist with the York Symphony Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony, the York College Symphony Orchestra, and the Hershey Symphony, among others.

In addition to being an active performer and advocate for arts in the community, Dekker was recently appointed to serve as the Music Director of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York. Since 1998 she has also been an adjunct professor of piano, harpsichord, early music history and aural theory as well as a staff accompanist at York College of Pennsylvania.

In 2012 Dekker founded the YCPrep Community Music School, which is based at York College and offers pre- and post-collegiate studio music instruction in all disciplines. Through the YCPrep she continues to maintain an active private teaching studio while still finding time to enjoy cooking, bicycling and aerobic ornamental gardening on a small farm in Northern York County with her Dutch husband Jochem.