Leah Barkan: An Obituary

This page is under construction. Thank you for your patience.

Leah Barkan (1925-2017), dear friend and longtime pianist for the Country Dancers of Westchester, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 24, at her home in Ardsley, NY. She is survived by her sister Estelle, daughter Alice, and sons Eric and Ed. Her father, Sam Kalish, was a public accountant in New York; her mother Yetta, a pharmacist and one of the first women graduates of Columbia.

Always generous with her time and expertise, Leah was supportive of Mianus River Morris, Six-in-Hand Sword, and Sword of Olde, which practiced regularly at her home in Ardsley, NY. In 1974, when Fried de Metz Herman & Christine Helwig founded CDW, Leah joined as a dancer. She took her first steps as a dance pianist by filling in for the legendary Phil Merrill (who was easing out of that role), and taking workshops with Marshall Barron, another seminal figure in the world of dance music. She worked closely during all those decades with Fried Herman and Christine Helwig, joint founders of CDW.

When Leah took over as pianist for the Country Dancers of Westchester from the legendary Phil Merrill, she shared her valuable learning experiences & inspired others to pursue the same path toward excellence in dance musicianship. She was the leader of a number of bands serving CDW's dancers, including Musical Cheers, Garden Variety, and our current house band, Serendipity. Even after vision issues limited her ability to play for dances, she continued to coach Serendipity, thus ensuring a strong musical future for Country Dancers of Westchester and shaping a new generation of band musicians.

Everyone who shared a dance with Leah loved her, loved working with her, and relied on her skill and good words to guide us. Now we'll be listening to the words she planted within each of us as we carry her memory forward.