Nicole Cochran of West Windsor, the newest member of the Pi Fight Band, will be performing at Witherspoon Grill’s Harvest and Music Festival in Princeton on Sunday, October 7. The annual event benefits Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Admission is free.
Attendees celebrate fall and enjoy live music, food from Witherspoon Grill as well as local vendors, and family-friendly activities such as pumpkin painting, apple dipping, pie-eating contests, and more. A portion of proceeds from food and activity sales benefit T.A.S.K.
Cochran was born and raised in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She began taking piano lessons at the age of six and organ lessons at the age of ten. “I became more and more intrigued with the organ as an instrument I would like to eventually pursue professionally when, as a teenager, I heard organists such as Peter Richard Conte (Wanamaker, Philadelphia) play orchestral transcriptions on the organ,” she says. “I was captivated by the technical skill required to pull off such impressive works.”
When she was 15 she studied with Alan Morrison, chair of the organ department at the Curtis Institute of Music and Westminster Choir College. “He was one of my most profound inspirations — I used to listen to a CD of his constantly in high school,” she says.
She entered the bachelor of music program at the Juilliard School in New York City to study organ performance when she was 17. She began working with Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs — and began concertizing often on both the East and West coasts.
She entered the master of music program at Westminster Choir College in 2010 — to study again with Morrison. “It was a dream working with these artists, who both were able to offer such a high level of creative vision,” says Cochran.
A West Windsor resident for close to a year and a half, she teaches piano and organ for a wide range of students, from beginners to advanced, from age five to adult. “I began my teaching career two years ago when I moved to Princeton, and I don’t think I’ll ever look back,” she says. “I have such a passion for teaching music to the next generation of musicians.”
Cochran was approached by Steven Georges, the founder of Pi Fight, at an open mic at the Princeton Arts Council after she had performed selections by artists such as Regina Spektor, Laura Marling, and Adele. “He asked if I would consider being a singer and keyboardist for his band, since it had recently lost a few singers,” she says. “I think he was both pleasantly shocked and a bit confused when I agreed to his offer with such enthusiasm as a ‘classical musician’ with a master’s degree.”
Other band members include Ed Hermann from Lawrenceville, Sam Stewart from Columbus, Eric Heller from Hamilton, Stu Malakoff from Titusville, and Garry Pearsall from Ewing.
“I was aware that this new project would bring with it a whole new world of challenges as a classical musician — improvising and memorization are second nature to rock musicians — these are also two skill sets that are notoriously challenging for most purely classical musicians,” she says. “I was thrilled to accept the challenge.”
Harvest and Music Festival, Witherspoon Grill, Hinds Plaza, 57 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Sunday, October 7, Noon to 5 p.m. 609-924-6011. www.witherspoongrill.com.
T.A.S.K. is in need of canned spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, microwavable prepared pasta, salad dressing, individual servings of Jello or pudding that do not require refrigeration, and juice boxes. Hygiene items needed include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, shampoo, and hand and body lotion. They are also collecting large plastic storage boxes in which we will deliver the food. Items may be dropped off at Witherspoon Grill and Blue Point Grill through Thursday, November 1.
