Graham Bier, the man behind the music at the Cathedral, has always been a bit of a mystery to me. So I tried to solve it.

Graham grew up hands in the earth — free range, with miles of woods and wild to roam. The son of a conservation biologist who brought him through Pennsylvania forests hunting endangered species — Graham even discovered one that ended up in the Smithsonian with his name on it — and a small-scale subsistence farmer mother who had him up milking cows before school. He grew up caught between a father who doesn't believe and a mother who did, and has spent a lifetime wrestling somewhere beautifully in between.

From double-majoring in music and environmental studies at Oberlin, to a PhD at York, to singing in China's greatest concert halls and touring Europe alongside operatic superstars, to now leading sacred music in the very community he once dreamed of belonging to — Graham has lived a life that resists easy summary.

And on this Father's Day — the day we sat down to record — Graham reflects on what it actually looks like to build a life and a career alongside the person you love, and how he and Robin are doing everything they can to give their children the kind of childhood they are so deeply grateful they had themselves.

Welcome to Episode 55.

Check Out

Bryn Athyn Music Department Staff 

Reading Choral Society

Butterfly Bakery Hot Sauce 

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

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Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!