WATERSHED ARTS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Manager Haley Robertson Aussie Guitarist

Johnny Russo is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He was trombonist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and the Eastman Philharmonia Orchestra where he had the privilege of performing the "Firebird Suite" under the baton of the composer Igor Stravinsky. After a brief career in symphonic music Johnny was drawn to the freedom of jazz improvisation and eventually abandoned the symphonic world for Traditional Jazz. Johnny founded his "East Hill Classic Jazz Organization" in Ithaca NY in the mid-1980's and has been a fixture in the Central New York music scene ever since. A gifted trumpet and trombone player heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong , Jack Teagarden and Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny is highly respected among musicians as an entertainer and a remarkable improviser. He has performed for many years at major Cornell University social events, including 18 consecutive years at the Alpha Delta Phi "Victory Club" charity ball.