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, chimbasso), 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.
Listen to Eastern Watershed
Hungarian
Klez - Eastern Watershed
Nifty's
Freilach - EW Trio
