MUSIC IN MY FAMILY
My parents, Elaine and Phil Fedchak, met at Ithaca College, where they majored in music education and performance. They began their careers as music teachers in the public schools of Corning, NY. They eventually transitioned to regular education classrooms, but music remained important to both my parents throughout their lives. Mom gave classical piano performances from time to time and taught piano privately for many years; in fact, she taught me piano for several years before I went on to study with Claire Gonta-Smock of Corning, NY, Phiroze Mehta of Ithaca College, and Sedmara Rutstein of Oberlin College.
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Dad began as a Dixieland clarinetist in high school and soon thereafter expanded his instrumental expertise to include sax and flute in a variety of genres, including but not limited to big band music, R & B, funk, reggae, and jazz. He maintains a very active professional musical life in South Florida today. As you can see from the photo above, he played at my wedding in 2011. : )
Mom taught me piano until I was in eighth grade, and she helped me put together a solo piano recital as a junior in high school. She and I were very much on the same page, musically speaking...she introduced me to the Gian Carlo Menotti opera Amahl and the Night Visitors when I was a child, and we made a point of sitting down together every Christmas to listen, read the libretto, and sing along as well as we could!
I remember that we both loved the programs for my recital, too. We didn't have desktop computers back then, so she paid to have some programs printed up at the Painted Post Press. I'll always be grateful for her support and for the very special musical comradeship we shared. Unfortunately, Mom died of complications of adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2006. But here we were, in the photo to the right, sight-singing, when I was home from college one year. Good times! |
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity not only to play the piano and clarinet in high school, but also to conduct the Corning East High Marching Band for three years as a drum major. Go, Trojans!
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And finally, music is beloved not by my childhood nuclear family alone. My husband, Joe, is an audio engineer; that's how we met - he first recorded my singing group, Svitanya, beginning in 2003. And, if you can believe it, his mother, aunts and sisters learned a little ukulele as a surprise for all of our wedding guests...including Joey! Never underestimate the power of a ukulele extravaganza!
SVITANYA
Our time in Bulgaria was unforgettable. Although our sound is more "Western" than that of traditional Bulgarian choirs, audiences responded to our performances with tremendous warmth and enthusiasm, and we felt as though we were making new and dear friends everywhere we went.
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I currently sing in and direct an Eastern European women's vocal ensemble called Svitanya, founded in 2001. Svitanya's mission is "to bring the beautiful music of Eastern Europe to a wide range of audiences - from those who are familiar through their ancestral roots to those who are encountering it for the first time."
Although some of us in the group have been singing music from Eastern Europe for over 20 years, most of us had never been to Bulgaria until 2014, when Dr. George Lazar and his lovely wife, Anna, sponsored our joint trip with Tatiana Sarbinska's Baltimore-based ensemble, Orfeia. |
The hilarity that ensues at rehearsals almost matches the joy we derive from making music together, and I don't know what I would do without my musical sisters! Check us out at www.svitanya.org.
ANIMUS
Animus is an original world fusion band led by Bill Koutsouros, the musical genius you see to the right. In grad school I deliberately avoided going to see bands live...I was sure I would fall in love with the music, become a groupie, and be tempted to try to join the band. I didn't have time for that - I needed to write my dissertation. But one day, a Svitanya member's car broke down on our way home from a performance. I had to stay overnight with another Svitanya member who dragged me to Bill's drum class with her the next morning on our way to rehearsal. The result? I fell in love with his music, became an Animus groupie, and joined his band in 2005.
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One of the greatest joys of my life has been belonging to a musical group with this utterly awesome bunch of guys. Bill's music suits me perfectly - it satisfies me in a way no other music does. I play flute, accordion and percussion with the band, and as you can see in the photo to the left, I always have the best seat in the house. Come out to a gig sometime! For more info, go to www.animusmusic.com.
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Content and design within this domain is protected by copyright (c) as a collected work by Kimberly DiMattia except where used by permission of the copyright owners*, and may not be used elsewhere except by written permission.
*Photos of Dad playing flute, the ukulele extravaganza, and Joey were taken by Joyce Heisen, owner of Casual Candids. I highly recommend hiring her for weddings, portrait sessions, and other occasions - she did just what we wanted in every circumstance, which was to capture the spirit of the people involved as well as their likenesses. The photo of Svitanya at GoldenFest 2014 was taken by Kristen Dieffenbacher - thanks, Kristen, for being not just a fan and beloved friend but a photojournalist as well! The photo of Animus and dancer Valerie Rushmere was taken by Joe del Tufo at Arden, DE on 5/21/2011. Valerie teaches belly dance, yoga, and fitness classes in her studio, Studio 1831, in Philadelphia; check out her classes if you want to be inspired by a beautiful teacher. Joe del Tufo can be found on Facebook if your band needs some great action shots with smoke and colored lights!
*Photos of Dad playing flute, the ukulele extravaganza, and Joey were taken by Joyce Heisen, owner of Casual Candids. I highly recommend hiring her for weddings, portrait sessions, and other occasions - she did just what we wanted in every circumstance, which was to capture the spirit of the people involved as well as their likenesses. The photo of Svitanya at GoldenFest 2014 was taken by Kristen Dieffenbacher - thanks, Kristen, for being not just a fan and beloved friend but a photojournalist as well! The photo of Animus and dancer Valerie Rushmere was taken by Joe del Tufo at Arden, DE on 5/21/2011. Valerie teaches belly dance, yoga, and fitness classes in her studio, Studio 1831, in Philadelphia; check out her classes if you want to be inspired by a beautiful teacher. Joe del Tufo can be found on Facebook if your band needs some great action shots with smoke and colored lights!