Mari Gottdiener:
While at Merrywood, Mari was both a student and a teacher of violin and viola. She has lived in
the Bay Area for 25 years. She worked for Cal. Coastal Comm, practiced law, and started a
business to resolved consumer problems with large corporations. She’s now playing chamber
music as much as possible.

Philip Kuttner:
A piano student and teacher at Merrywood, Philip received his Bachelor’s degree in Music
Theory and History from Harvard University and his Master’s degree in Music from Peabody
Institute, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. Philip has conducted 26 operas with the North
Bay Opera and was the supertitles author for the San Francisco Opera. He self-published How
to Sing in Italian and currently teaches piano.

Mark Leder:
A French horn student and teacher at Merrywood, Mark has been a singer with the New Haven
Chorale, the Yale Russian Chorus, and the Hartford Chorale. He received his PhD in English
from Yale University in 1977 and went on to complete his law degree at UConn in 1985. He
worked as a personal injury attorney from 1985-2003 and most recently was an adjunct English
instructor at CCSU.

Lanny Paykin:
A cello student at Merrywood, Lanny attended the High School of Music and Art. He received
his Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and his Masters in Music (cello) from the
Julliard School. He maintains a diverse career in the New York area, having appeared with the
NYC Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera, in recording studios, and in solo and chamber music
concerts. He is a member of the Westchester Philharmonic, American Composer’s Orchestra,
and formerly of the Brooklyn Philharmonic – often performing as Principle for these orchestras.
He’s also performed with the NYC Opera, Long Island Philharmonic, the American Symphony
Orchestra, and the Adelphi Orchestra. Lanny has toured Asia with the New York Philharmonic
and performed with them at Avery Fisher Hall. He has also performed at festivals in Paros

(Greece), Morocco, St. Barts, and at Classical Tahoe in Nevada. His honors have included the
Julliard Alumni Award and the Paderewski Foundation Award.

Joel Russell:
A clarinet student and teacher at Merrywood, Joel is now a semi-retired land conservation
lawyer after almost 40 years of practice. He has two grown sons and on grandson. For over 20
years, he has been married to Mari Gottdiener, whom he met at Merrywood in 1965. They now
happily live in Northamptom, MA.
Gordon Swift:
Gordon was a violin student while at Merrywood. With a background in Western classical and
South Indian classical violin, he has played in bands ranging from jazz-rock fusion to reggae to
country-and-western. He holds a Doctorate in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. He
has published several articles including: “South Indian gamaka and the violin” (Asian Music,
1990),
“Exploring Carnatic violin: the sinuous style of South Indian Music” (Strings, 2005), and “Is it a
violin or a fiddle” (Strings, 2021). Recordings include String Music (1983), Gordon Swift Group
(1984), Wondrous Love (1999). The Lost Acres String Band (2009), and Fiddle & Harp (2019).
He currently works as an editor (https://www.gordonswifteditor.com) and has his own website
(https://gswift.com).

Juan Dandridge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Ragtime_Ensemble

Ellen Bender:
www.ellenbender.com