Lost in Austen is Roberta Truscello (piano), Paul Morrissett (violin) and Judy Kleppel (oboe), a congenial threesome who were brought together in Princeton by Marge Scott, Princeton area dance leader and enthusiast. Marge saw potential and thought we would enjoy each other. We do. Thanks, Marge. The rest is history and chemistry.
A native Chicagoan, now in Philadelphia, Judy played the oboe with a classical bent through high school and college. After college she put the instrument on her shelf while she traveled the world and studied more, not quite knowing how classical oboe fit into her emerging adult life. Twelve years later she dusted it off and started playing again. This time, however, she was drawn to the joy of playing music WITH people and FOR people’s pleasure. A longtime dancer herself, she joined local jam sessions and small groups playing for dances. She was lucky enough to meet up with Roberta Truscello and Paul Morrissett in Princeton who have inspired her with their talent for fresh interpretation of these beautiful dance melodies. During the day and sometimes at night, Judy works as a physician specializing in recovery after catastrophic injury. Playing English Country Dance music, particularly with Roberta and Paul, is a sweet counterpoint to that.
While teaching Scandinavian fiddling at Ashokan Northern Week in 2001, Paul discovered the wonderful world of English Country dance music. He was enticed by the melodies and thrilled by the possibility of improvising harmonies to these tunes in the way he had learned during his many years of Swedish fiddling. Through the Princeton dance community, he made serendipitous contact with Roberta and Judy and has enjoyed the magic of playing with them whenever their busy schedules allow. A multi-instrumentalist, Paul has been a musician and teacher for numerous Balkan, Klezmer and Scandinavian events across the country. He is one of America's prominent players of Norway's national instrument, the Hardanger Fiddle. Paul's "day job" for the last 23 years is as bassist and tsimbl (hammered dulcimer) player for the Klezmatics with whom he won a 2007 Grammy Award.
Roberta was lucky to be born in the Adirondacks and into a musical family. Her father played the clarinet in Army dance bands during WWII and then became a music educator at Ithaca College. Her mother sang and played the French horn. Roberta started piano lessons at age 5, and she will always be grateful to Miss Bierman for letting her play by ear before teaching her the notes. Roberta continued classical studies in piano and oboe through high school and college. Roberta has worked as a dance accompanist, plays accordion and sings in a rock band, and was Composer/Musical Director for a children'’s theater touring New Jersey schools. After moving to Princeton, she began playing for English Country and Contra Dances in Princeton, Philadelphia and beyond. By day, Roberta can be found at Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs, negotiating contracts. The rest of the time she yearns to be playing with musical soul mates Judy and Paul.