Copeland String Quartet through the years

Violinists Eliezer Gutmann and Lisa Vaupel, violist Elizabeth Jaffe, and cellist Jennifer Jie Jin—all veteran performers with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and other regional ensembles—are celebrating their 22nd year of performing together as the Copeland String Quartet (CSQ). The quartet’s origins trace back to violinists Eliezer Gutman, Tom Jackson, violist Nina Cottman, and cellist Mark Ward, who joined forces with Gutman to explore the dazzling and vast repertoire for string quartet. In a moment of serendipity, the ensemble was invited to perform at the Church of the Holy City in Wilmington, DE, in celebration of the church’s 150th anniversary. The success of that concert marked the beginning of a lasting partnership: the church, with its luminous acoustics ideally suited for chamber music, became the quartet’s “home,” hosting a four-concert series each year. Now in its 21st season, the series continues through the generosity of Tatiana Copeland, noted Delaware philanthropist and arts patron, for whom the quartet was named in gratitude.

Beyond its annual series, the Copeland String Quartet has appeared at venues from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, including the Smyrna Opera House; the Concerts by Candlelight series at Laurel Hill Mansion, Philadelphia; Allentown Symphony Hall; the Tea and Symphony series at Highlands Mansion and Garden, Fort Washington, PA; the Chamber Music Series of Greater Johnstown, PA; Greenville Country Club, Wilmington; the Cosmos Club, Washington, DC; Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA; the Champagne Chamber Series of the Delaware Symphony at the Hotel du Pont, Wilmington; the Schwartz Center, Dover, DE; and the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum, Lake George, NY.

CSQ is also active in educational and community engagement. The quartet has presented lunchtime concerts at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, and First & Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, and has performed at Swarthmore College, Wesley College, Kutztown University, and Harford Community College. They have appeared in libraries including the Gloucester County Library (NJ), the Brandywine Public Library (DE), and the Newark Free Library (DE). Educational outreach has included programs with both the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the Kennett Symphony of Chester County (PA).

The quartet has also been featured in numerous church concert series, including those at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church (Unionville, PA), Trinity Episcopal Church (Wilmington, DE), Trinity Lutheran Church (Perkasie, PA), the Hadley Memorial Fund at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, DE), Emmanuel Lutheran Church (Pottstown, PA), and First & Central Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, DE).

In addition, CSQ has performed for fundraising and community events such as First Night, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, Meals on Wheels, the Delaware Music School, and Christiana Care Hospital in Wilmington; Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover; and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ambler, PA. They are frequent performers at retirement communities throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, bringing the joy of chamber music to audiences of all ages.


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Eliezer Gutman, Violin

Romanian-born and raised in Israel, Eliezer Gutman is one of the founders of the Copeland String Quartet, and has been a member of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra since 1994. He is currently concertmaster with the Kennett Symphony of Chester County, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and Opera Delaware, and also serves as assistant concertmaster of the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Eliezer has performed solo recitals in France, England, Spain, Israel, and the United States. He was concertmaster of the Israel Technion-Institute Symphony Orchestra, Kibbutzim Symphony Orchestra, the Ensemble-Carmel-Israel Chamber Orchestra, and was a member of the Haifa Israel Symphony.

Eliezer spends his summer teaching violin and conducting the junior orchestra at the Luzerne Music Center in upstate NY.

Eliezer earned a Bachelor of Industry and Management degree from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a Master of Music degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He studied under David Arben, Philadelphia Orchestra assistant concertmaster, and Avigdor Zamir, associate concertmaster of the Dutch orchestra The Concertgebouw. Eliezer finds his greatest joy spending time with his two children, Elad and Ayelet.
"Simply stated: I love what I do." . . . . Eliezer Gutman



Violinist Lisa Vaupel feels the power of music can reach everyone. Her aim is to share her passion as a performer and teaching artist -- using creative approaches to pass along the joys of making and experiencing music to new audiences. She performs as Principal Second Violin of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of Opera Delaware, as a tenured violinist of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and is featured regularly as a chamber musician in these ensembles’ chamber series. She also performs throughout the year with the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

Lisa joined the Copeland String Quartet in 2025, and jumped into a busy concert season in the mid-Atlantic region. Lisa was also a member of the Serafin String Quartet from 2013 to 2020, including a teaching residency at University of Delaware with the quartet. She has also been a returning artist featured in the Sequoia Chamber Workshop(Arcata, CA), Sundays at Three (Columbia, MD), and Baltimore’s Bach Concert Series. Lisa has also appeared as soloist in Barber's Violin Concerto and Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, and has travelled to Italy, Singapore, Japan and Russia to perform as a guest artist in a variety of ensembles. Lisa also loves departing from the classical realm, playing recently as Concertmaster for The Temptations-Ain’t Too Proud and with the three month run of Hamilton in Philadelphia.

As a dedicated advocate of arts education, Lisa has served as Coordinator and Teaching Artist for Philadelphia Orchestra’s School Partnership Program and as guest artist and collaborator in creating cross-genre programs on the World Café’s Live Connections Bridges series. Lisa has also created and performed concerts and music residencies through the Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, and Delaware Symphony, which presented her with the Albert Beekhuis Award in 2010 for excellence in performance and community engagement. Lisa received her Bachelor of Music degree with High Distinction from Indiana University, Bloomington, and earned her Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory.


Lisa Vaupel, Violin

Elizabeth Jaffe, Viola

Jennifer Jie Jin is an active performer and passionate music educator whose career has taken her to stages across North America, Europe, and Asia. She has performed with the Houston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony, New World Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Symphony, Philly Pops, Philadelphia Ballet, Orchestra 2001, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony and Allentown Symphony.

Currently, Jennifer is the founder and the cellist of the Pyxis Piano Trio (Artist-in-Residence at the Delaware Art Museum for 15 years) and the Copeland String Quartet. She is also a member of the Delaware Symphony and Principal Cello of the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Her previous orchestral roles include principal cello of the Bay Atlantic Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and member of the Harrisburg Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra ,Symphony in C and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

Jennifer was the founding member of the Tang-gu-la String Quartet, and appeared in the Oscar-winning documentary From Mao to Mozart. The quartet also performed for President Bill Clinton. She has participated in many renowned festivals including Ravinia, Aspen, Tanglewood, Pacific and Taos Chamber Music Festival, and international festivals in Europe and Asia.

Outside of performing, Jennifer is deeply committed to music education. In 2016, she was honored as the Grand Prize Winner of the Ovation Award for outstanding leadership and inspiration in music education by the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. She currently teaches cello at Swarthmore College. Jennifer is the founder and Co-Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and the Vivace Music Competition. She has also served as Co-Director of the Chamber Strings Music Camp for six years and holds the role of Director of Service for Music Angels Inc. Previously, she was the Director of the String Ensemble at Archbishop John Carroll High School and coached chamber music for the Delaware County Youth Orchestra program. Under her guidance, students have been selected for the NAfME All-National Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, with many continuing on to successful professional careers in music.

Ms. Jin holds an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Master of Music degree from Rice University and a Bachelor's degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She studied with Norman Fischer and Desmond Hoebig.


Jennifer Jie Jin, Cello

A native of San Jose, California, violist Elizabeth Jaffe received a Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University, a Master’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Diplome d’Etudes Musicales from the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris. She currently serves as Principal Violist of the Reading Symphony; Associate Principal Violist of the Delaware Symphony; and as a member of the Colorado Music Festival and Opera Philadelphia orchestras. Ms. Jaffe has also performed with the Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra; is a former member of the Richmond Symphony and New World Symphony; and participated in the Lucerne, Verbier, Pacific, Blossom, and Eastern music festivals. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Jaffe recently joined the Copeland String Quartet as their violist.