EW Eastern Watershed
http://www.easternwatershed.org
Eastern Watershed plays
minor mode therapy music - Klezmer with touches of
Balkan and Middle East flavor. Repertoire also
includes polkas, swing and other popular dance tunes. Whether strolling
or performing on a concert stage, the group creates an energetic and sometimes
whimsical appeal for all ages. Available for dances, weddings, birthday
celebrations, parades and concerts. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Also, check out our My Space page: My Space Eastern Watershed
Link
to EW Trio
Link
with EW Trio with Laura
** E-mail easternwatershed@yahoo.com
Janice Coppola (clarinet), Janice holds a Bachelor’s
and Master’s degree in Music Performance from the Cleveland Institute of
Music, where she was the winner of that University’s Concerto Competition,
performing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto under the direction of Louis Lane. While still a student of Leon Russianoff, Janice was a Prizewinner in the Abraham and
Phyllis Katz Young Artist’s Competition in Woodmere, New York. In 1996, Janice won the Grand Prize in Marvin
Hamlisch’s “Search for a Star”
competition, where she performed the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto with
the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops on four consecutive nights. Janice repeated the
Shaw Clarinet Concerto as guest soloist with the Edgewood Symphony,
where she has also performed the well-known Monti’s
Czardas. In April of 2005, Janice appeared as a series soloist with the
River City Brass Band, performing the music of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman.
Traveling out to New Jersey
in the spring of 2007, Janice soloed with the Baroque Orchestra of Northern New
Jersey as a Klezmer musician.
As a classical musician, Janice
has performed as a recitalist in Ohio, New York, North Carolina,
and Pennsylvania.
Janice has played principal clarinet with the Altoona Symphony on several
occasions. A local composer, Ron Schulz,
a student of David Stock, wrote a piece for solo clarinet, Triptych, for
her, which she has performed at Duquesne
University. She has recorded four CD’s, two with
the Renaissance City Winds (Nancy Galbraith, Four Chamber Works, Elan Recordings and German Romantic Wind Music,
Centaur Label, receiving rave reviews for her performance. The other two are with Anne Feeney, If I
Can’t Dance and Dump The Bosses Off Your Back.
Janice was a co-founder and
member of The Hot Matzohs from 1997 until 2007, a
Pittsburgh-based Klezmer group that was invited to
perform at Heinz Hall on several occasions, and which has been featured on
radio and television broadcasts.
When Janice is not performing
with Eastern Watershed at one of Pittsburgh’s
many regional festivals, concerts and private events, she enjoys arranging and
creating educational programs for The Pittsburgh Kapelye,
Eastern Watershed’s “sister” ensemble, to perform at area
schools. Two of her programs are on the
Roster with Gateway to the Arts: “Bube Tells A Tale” with Barbara Russell telling an
Eastern European folk talk while Janice accompanies her; and “City of
Steel – An American Musical Melting Pot” a program that chronologically combines a
game, music and clues to help students learn about the immigrants who came to
the Pittsburgh region during the time of the steel mills.
Lynette Garlan (accordion, santouri), has an extensive
background in folk music and has studied with teachers from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. She plays several instruments of eastern
and western origin. She is the co-founder of the Pittsburgh women's Balkan singing ensemble,
the Balkan Babes, founder of the Romani
group the Vardo
Sisters and a member of the middle-eastern fusion group, Khafif. Lynette has also arranged Klezmer music (The Klezmer Koncerto) for orchestra which has performed by the
Edgewood Symphony. She also promotes and
sponsors many East European music groups through her Fluffy Gravy Foundation.
Phil Vanouse (tuba, cimbasso),
has performed with groups in Boston, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.
Phil has appeared with the River City Brass Band, the Pittsburgh Symphony,
Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra and various brass ensembles. Phil’s incredible playing delights
audiences everywhere. He also has many
tuba and trombone students.
Hal Weiss (trumpet), has performed with
Jimmy Sapienza and Five Guys Named Moe, Jimmy
Beaumont and the Skyliners and is a member of the
oldie rock and roll group Wee Jams. He regularly sings with the Wee
Jams vocal group and has sings regularly at Pittsburgh Steeler
and Pirate Games.
P.J. Gatch (percussion), teaches percussion
and performs in the Greater Pittsburgh area. He is a founding member of
the Tempus Fugit Percussion Ensemble and has appeared with the Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra and the River City Brass Band.
He is currently on staff at Duquesne
University.
RJ. Heid (percussion) is a versatile freelance
percussionist and an active educator in the Pittsburgh area. R. J. holds a Masters
Degree in Percussion Performance and a Bachelors Degree in Music Therapy from Duquesne University. He is a faculty member
at both Seton Hill
University and Grove
City College and is a
member of Tempus Fugit Percussion Ensemble, which have performed
throughout the United States,
Germany, Poland, Russia,
the Czech Republic
and Estonia.
Listen to Eastern Watershed
Hungarian
Klez - Eastern Watershed
Nifty's
Freilach - EW Trio
