the pickPocket ensemble has been making its unique blend of world cafe music since 1998. Based in Northern California, we have toured internationally and released several CD's. Our music has been featured in several films and on NPR and public television.

"If you only knew how good this band is. Where are Sony, Nonesuch or Telarc? ...The world needs this band ASAP."

- Javier Moreno, SF Tribune

composer Rick Corrigan on accordion, Marguerite Ostrovski on violin, Yates Brown on guitar,
Kurt Ribak on bass, Alex Kelly and Myra Joy on cello, and Michaelle Goerlitz on percussion.

Rick Corrigan has been an electronic music composer and film composer, with several scores for experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage to his credit, and has produced live film and sound performances with filmmaker Paul Lundahl at San Francisco's Exploratorium and SF's Cinematheque.

Michaelle Goerlitz has played, recorded and toured with a variety of artists including Soul Sauce, the Snake Trio, Lichi Fuentes, rhiannon, Patrick Palomo, John Worley, Jami Sieber, Erika Luckett, Voz do Brasil, Novo Tempo and Dimitri Vandellos. She was also a founding member of Wild Mango.

Yates Brown's guitar, banjo, bass, and sitar playing appear on over 30 recordings, including 7 solo albums, with live performances including Spoleto Festival USA.  He performs regularly with the traditional Arabic orchestra ASWAT and has toured with progressive rock group Ventid.

 

Marguerite Ostrovski is a member of the Pickpocket Ensemble, Iron and the Albatross, and Kugelplex. She has recorded for the Cartoon Network, Zion-I, MC Rai, Stewart Copland's Groove Addicts Studios, and Pete Sears of Jefferson Airplane, toured in France, Holland and Egypt, and performs frequently for Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation. She has been featured on West Coast Live, performed with Frank London of the Klezmatics and Shana Morrison, and performs with the Oakland Symphony as a guest artist with Kugelplex.

Kurt Ribak is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music and a longtime Bay Area music veteran who composes and performs his own music with the Kurt Ribak Trio.The trio has released 3 CD's and has performed throughout the Bay Area, including such venue's as Yoshi's Jazz Club. His compositional influences include Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Astor Piazzolla.