Elaine Hoffman-Watts is a klezmer

Klezmer

Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...

 drummer

Drummer

A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 from Philadelphia, USA. She comes from a line of klezmer musicians from what is now Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 and is the daughter of Jacob Hoffman, a klezmer xylophone player and bandleader from the 1920s

1920s

File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...

 who also played with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...

 and Ballets Russes Orchestra. Her daughter Susan Watts is a klezmer trumpet player and an important figure in the klezmer revival.

In 1954 she was the first woman Percussionist to be accepted and graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music

Curtis Institute of Music

The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...

 in Philadelphia.

Since 1998 she has been a regular percussion teacher at Klezkamp

Klezkamp

KlezKamp is the world's oldest and largest program dedicated to the continuity of traditional Yiddish folk culture.Founded in 1985 by ethnomusicologist and award winning record and radio producer Henry Sapoznik, the program was designed to create an innovative and intensive environment where senior...

, and she has taught percussion in the Philadelphia area since the mid-1960s

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

. In 2007 she won a National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...

National Heritage Fellowship Award.

External links

• National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship site (biography)
• Klezmershack review and Biography of Elaine Hoffman-Watts
• Philly Klezmer site timeline of notable events in Elaine Hoffman-Watts' life