For more than 40 years, Jack “Yankl” Falk (vocals/clarinet) has been at the center of Yiddish cultural life in Portland and beyond. His repertoire and performance reflects his long involvement with Hungary’s premier Yiddish ensemble, Di Naye Kapelye, with whom he recorded three acclaimed CDs of Carpathian Jewish roots music and performed at festivals across Europe.
Yankl leads the Portland-based klezmer/groove quintet The Carpathian-Pacific Express, which features some of Portland’s leading musicians. His other collaborations have included work with Don Byron’s Music of Mickey Katz, Polka Madre (Mexico City), Di Fidl- Kapelye (Amsterdam), Yale Strom, the Tone Sharks, accordionist Christina Crowder, and cellist Lori Goldston. For more than 30 years, Yankl produced and hosted the Sunday morning Yiddish Hour on Portland radio. A traditional singer of Jewish liturgy, Yankl was featured in a 2013 New York Times article about itinerant High Holiday cantors.
Andrew Ehrlich (violin) is a longtime klezmer and co-founder of his own band, Hora Tzigane, with Martin Morgenbesser. He also performs as a member of the Carpathian- Pacific Express and is the leader of Dr. Ehrlich and the Magic Bullets. Andrew has served as concertmaster of the Portland Chamber Orchestra and the Portland Columbia Symphony. He is a former member of the group “fEAR no MUSIC” and continues to play chamber music in recital. Andrew recently premiered the violin concerto “Prayers and Dances” by Jason Heald based on Jewish themes. He is on the faculty of the Community Music Center in Portland, where he teaches violin and conducts the Adult String Orchestra.
Ethan Chessin (trombone/piano/accordion/voice) teaches choir, songwriting, and music production at Camas High School. Over the last twelve years, his students have premiered over one hundred new pieces of music, written by students and alumni as well as nationally renowned musicians. His expertise in producing major collaborative premieres have earned invitations for his choirs to record and perform alongside Portugal. The Man, Stanley Jordan, Y La Bamba, Girls In Trouble, AU, Michael Allen Harrison, Bright Moments, Kingdom Sound, Trio Tsuica, Carpathian-Pacific Express, and many others. Ethan is a 2023 Country Music Association (CMA) Music Teacher of Excellence, was awarded the first Give A Note Foundation nationwide Music Educator Innovator Award, and has been recognized regionally as a Washington Teacher of the Year Finalist, Southwest Washington Teacher of the Year, and Camas High School Teacher of the Year. Prior to his teaching career, while playing trombone with the MarchFourth Marching Band he performed alongside Pink Martini, opened for Gwen Stefani, and was featured on the soundtrack of the Pixar film “Monsters University”.
